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SALT LAKE CITY — The United States Army has ordered troops to remove biblical references inscribed on rifle scopes.
Soldiers at Fort Wainwright in Alaska were informed that the inscriptions JN8:12 and 2COR4:6 were to be removed from the scope of their rifles, Fox News reported. The inscriptions appeared at the end of the scopes' serial numbers and "did not meet the requirement under which the contract was executed."
The scopes were made by Trijicon, who reportedly did not inform the military that the inscriptions would be placed on the scopes. In a memo obtained by Fox News, the biblical verses were to be removed by a "Dremel type tool and then painted black."
The military specifically prohibits proselytizing of any religion, and criticism has been placed on Trijicon for their so-called "Jesus rifles." The military's objection to the inscriptions came from fear that the biblical references would be used to show the U.S. is waging a "crusade" against Islam.
Additionally, it was feared that the inscriptions could be used against American soldiers overseas in combat.
In 2010, Trijicon told ABC News that the inscriptions "have always been there" and that nothing is illegal about adding the inscription to the scope. At the time, the military was unaware of the inscriptions on the scopes.
"We believe that America is great when its people are good," Trijicon's website says. "This goodness has been based on Biblical standards throughout our history, and we will strive to follow those morals."
Both biblical references mention light.
John 8:12 reads: "Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of light." 2 Corinthians 4:6 reads: "For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ."
