Yesterday I posted a story that reminds us how easily a religion that’s allegedly all about peace, love, and brotherhood can be used to justify heinous acts against children.

Here’s a recent story that reminds us how easily that religion can be used to support war:

—– Donald Rumsfeld Covered Iraq Briefing Papers With Biblical Texts (Alex Spillius/The Telegraph; May 17)

WASHINGTON: Donald Rumsfeld, the former US defence secretary, provided George W Bush with top secret intelligence briefings on the Iraq war that featured cover pages adorned with Biblical quotes.

According to a report in GQ magazine the religious texts were imposed over pictures of the US armed forces engaged in the war.

Shown to only a small circle of senior advisers, the pages were first used on the eve of the 2003 invasion and were designed to provide support and encouragement to Mr Bush, a Christian who often cited the Bible while in office.

Some Pentagon officials feared that if the documents were leaked at the height of the conflict, the use of Christian language to justify the invasion of a Muslim nation would cause a furore in the Islamic world.

One official told GQ that the damage done to America’s image would have been as bad as that caused by the release of photographs showing the abuse of Iraqi prisoners at the Abu Ghraib jail in Baghdad.

On April 1, 2003, as US troops were heading for Iraq, and casualties were beginning to be taken, Mr Rumsfeld’s “World Intelligence Update” featured a line from Proverbs 16:3: “Commit to the LORD whatever you do, and your plans will succeed”. Beneath was a picture of a machine-gunner on the road from Baghdad to Hilla.

Two days before Saddam Hussein was toppled on April 9, 2003, the cover sheet showed a picture of the Iraqi leader and a quotation from 1 Peter 2:15: “It is God’s will that by doing good you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish men.”

The Biblical passages were reportedly the idea of Maj Gen Glen Shaffer, a senior military intelligence official, and a Christian, who told colleagues that his “seniors” including the president, were grateful for the cover pages.

Mr Rumsfeld is not known for his piety but appears to have been currying favour with his boss, who at first called his “war on terror” a “crusade” but then backed down when the depiction caused consternation in Muslim nations.

Among the other passages that Rumsfeld and/or Maj Gen Shaffer used were these:

—– “Behold, the eye of the Lord is on those who fear Him… To deliver their soul from death.” – Psalm 33:18-19 (Below were images of Saddam Hussein’s statue being pulled down and an Iraqi child kissing an American soldier)

—– “Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.” – Ephesians 6:13 (Below was an image of a US tank roaring through the desert)

—– “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?…. Here I am Lord, send me” – Isaiah 6:8 (Below was an image of armed US soldiers bowing down in prayer)

—– “If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast.” – Psalm 139:9-10 (Below was an image of a US warplane on an aircraft carrier)

—– “Their arrows are sharp, all their bows are strung; their horses’ hoofs seem like flint, their chariot wheels like a whirlwind.” – Isaiah 5:28 (Below were images of tanks, US troops praying, and US troops moving out across the desert)

—– “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.” – Joshua 1:9 (Below were images of US troops, tanks, and planes)

—– “Open the gates that the righteous nation may enter, the nation that keeps faith.” – Isaiah 26:2 (Below was an image of US tanks under Saddam Hussein’s famous Hands of Victory monument to his alleged victory over Iran in the Iran-Iraq War of the 1980s)

—– “Suddenly the fingers of a human hand appeared and wrote on the plaster of the wall, near the lampstand in the royal palace. The king watched the hand as it wrote…. This is what these words mean: Mene: God has numbered the days of your reign and brought it to an end. Tekel: You have been weighed on the scales and found wanting. Peres: Your kingdom is divided….” – Daniel 5:5-28 (Below were images of Saddam, a US tank outside one of his palaces, and US troops inside one of his palaces)

—– “Seek the Lord and His strength; seek His face continually.” – 1 Chronicles 16:11 (Below was an image of US troops praying in a circle)

To see GQ’s slideshow of this material, go here.

To see how US churchgoers are apparently more likely to support torture than non-churchgoers are, see the entry I posted on May 1.

To learn much more about the relationship between religion and war, see the entry I posted on Feb 8, 2008 as well as the related links.