by Jesse Card

Created on: January 12, 2010   Last Updated: January 13, 2010

Soldiers in Iraq have a very dangerous job, one which is already made more dangerous by the perception in the Middle East of Americans as crusaders.  While anyone who has developed a love for their religion rightly wishes to share it, doing so, especially as an Evangelical Christian, in Iraq only increases the crusader perception and ultimately the danger to Soldiers in Iraq and other Middle Eastern countries.

There are a lot of things that Soldiers need to think and worry about while deployed to a combat zone. They have a mission, given them by the commanders appointed over them: they have their family and the issues that don’t stop because they’re gone, they have their buddies whom they have sworn to protect, and they have their own safety to worry about. 

While evangelizing, or proselytizing to cover the topic more broadly, may be something they feel obligated to do, it is one more thing for them to worry over on top of the already heavy load.

Additionally, Soldiers are representatives of the U.S. Government. While much of America is Christian, the government must walk a fine line in perception management, especially when in the propaganda machine that is the Middle East. 

In addition to making him a target while handing out scriptures in the market square, a proselytizing Soldier becomes a centerpiece for terrorist and Jihadist propaganda: locally it could mean the Soldier’s life, globally it can mean the loss of support from host nations and many other things.

Soldiers do have means to share their religion, though.  The ban against proselytizing only applies to actively seeking to convert local populaces.  There is nothing that says Soldiers cannot preach amongst themselves or answer questions when asked by locals. 

Above all else, though, a Soldier can be an example. People are always watching, and the attitude and bearing of a refined individually who truly lives a life of goodness and caring for his fellow men is something people of all cultures and all religions notice.

This last thing starts at home. The raw hatred of Americans and Christians that exists in some parts of the Middle East, Iraq included, is a perception that can be changed over time, and it will be changed by the average American citizen. 

As we teach our children to be good examples, as we deal equitably with people of all races and creeds, as we elect leaders who are concerned with living up to the values this nation was founded on we proselytize much more effectively than sending out a young Soldier whose life is already on the line.

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