OUTRAGE AT CAMP BUSHMASTER -- BAPTISM FOR WATER SCHEME BY ARMY CHAPLAIN IN IRAQ DRAWS FIRE
It's hot, dangerous and tense for American troops, even with convoys of tanks now rolling through the Iraqi capital of Baghdad.
Indeed, only about 40% of the city's water system is functioning. There and in other towns, civilians are facing a humanitarian crisis as they run short on food, medical supplies, and the precious commodity of water. So are American troops. Many on the front line have not enjoyed the luxury of a shower for weeks; water remains a necessary and scarce item, although aid and other vital supplies are starting to flow.
None of this seems to bother U.S. Army Chaplain Josh Llano of Houston, Texas, who is attached to the Army V combat support corps stationed at "Camp Bushmaster" in Iraq. According to news reports, Llano is engaged in an unfair and unconstitutional practice -- giving water only to those American soldiers who agree to listen to one of his hour-and-a-half- religious sermons inside a hot tent with a dirt floor, then be "baptized."
"It's simple," Llano boasted to Associated Press. "They (the troops) want water. I have it, as long as they agree to get baptized."
Whether the religious message is winning the hearts and minds of tired, thirsty troops is questionable, but according to writer Med Laughlin of Knight Ridder Newspapers, "Every day, soldiers take the plunge for the Lord and come up clean for the first time in weeks."
Llano describes his newly-proselytized converts as "physically and spiritually cleansed."
"Regardless of their motives," Llano added, "I get the chance to take them closer to the Lord."
Somehow, preacher Llano, a self-described "Southern Baptist evangelist," has control of a 500-gallon pool of "pristine, cool water." He also brags about having "a stash of raisins, juice boxes and fruit rolls to pull out," to entice hard-working military men and women who have experienced brief periods when supplies of food and water were not making it to the front lines and U.S. forward bases.
All of this concerns Kathleen Johnson, actively serving in the U.S. Army and the founder of the Military Association of Atheists and Freethinkers, MAAF. Johnson is now the new Military Director for American Atheists. She described Pastor Llano's behavior as "outrageous."
"This is totally inappropriate and unconstitutional behavior by an officer in the military," Johnson is telling reporters. "He is exploiting the harsh conditions our troops in Iraq are encountering in order to further a sectarian religious agenda."
In the meantime, Llano continues his proselytizing and baptisms, offering water only to those who listen to his sectarian message. There is word that portable showers may soon be arriving at Camp Bushmaster, but Knight Ridder reports that Llano is "undaunted" by what is surely welcome relief for hard working soldiers.
It's hot, dangerous and tense for American troops, even with convoys of tanks now rolling through the Iraqi capital of Baghdad.
Indeed, only about 40% of the city's water system is functioning. There and in other towns, civilians are facing a humanitarian crisis as they run short on food, medical supplies, and the precious commodity of water. So are American troops. Many on the front line have not enjoyed the luxury of a shower for weeks; water remains a necessary and scarce item, although aid and other vital supplies are starting to flow.
None of this seems to bother U.S. Army Chaplain Josh Llano of Houston, Texas, who is attached to the Army V combat support corps stationed at "Camp Bushmaster" in Iraq. According to news reports, Llano is engaged in an unfair and unconstitutional practice -- giving water only to those American soldiers who agree to listen to one of his hour-and-a-half- religious sermons inside a hot tent with a dirt floor, then be "baptized."
"It's simple," Llano boasted to Associated Press. "They (the troops) want water. I have it, as long as they agree to get baptized."
Whether the religious message is winning the hearts and minds of tired, thirsty troops is questionable, but according to writer Med Laughlin of Knight Ridder Newspapers, "Every day, soldiers take the plunge for the Lord and come up clean for the first time in weeks."
Llano describes his newly-proselytized converts as "physically and spiritually cleansed."
"Regardless of their motives," Llano added, "I get the chance to take them closer to the Lord."
Somehow, preacher Llano, a self-described "Southern Baptist evangelist," has control of a 500-gallon pool of "pristine, cool water." He also brags about having "a stash of raisins, juice boxes and fruit rolls to pull out," to entice hard-working military men and women who have experienced brief periods when supplies of food and water were not making it to the front lines and U.S. forward bases.
All of this concerns Kathleen Johnson, actively serving in the U.S. Army and the founder of the Military Association of Atheists and Freethinkers, MAAF. Johnson is now the new Military Director for American Atheists. She described Pastor Llano's behavior as "outrageous."
"This is totally inappropriate and unconstitutional behavior by an officer in the military," Johnson is telling reporters. "He is exploiting the harsh conditions our troops in Iraq are encountering in order to further a sectarian religious agenda."
In the meantime, Llano continues his proselytizing and baptisms, offering water only to those who listen to his sectarian message. There is word that portable showers may soon be arriving at Camp Bushmaster, but Knight Ridder reports that Llano is "undaunted" by what is surely welcome relief for hard working soldiers.
