Gideons cannot evangelize at military induction stations

[Gideons handing out bibles at county fair - from mchenrycountyblog.]

Christianist are really something! Representatives from Gideons International have frequently provided bibles at military induction stations for people joining one of the military services. The Gideons also figured they had the right to do a bit of evangelism -- preaching and proselytizing.

Then the ACLU got involved. Thank God for the ACLU.

No more Gideon evangelizing!

According to onenewsnow, "Daniel Trew, public information officer for the Military Entrance Processing Command, says the policy [forbidding Gideon evangelizing] was recently established after concerns were raised by the American Civil Liberties Union.

"'Our legal person went with a representative from the ACLU to one of our stations, and we actually found where the Gideon's individual at that station was getting up and talking to applicants who had just enlisted,' he eplains. 'We could not allow that to go on because the applicants could perceive that this talk was given under the auspices of the Department of Defense."

You think?


Why did it take the ACLU to point out the unconstitutionality of the Gideon's proselytizing to the military poohbahs? And why would the Gideons, being good christianists and all, fail to abide by the Constitution of the United States?

What would the Gideons and other christianists think if Muslims were also there handing out copies of the Koran and preaching to the enlistees? Or members of other religious groups?


Perhaps the larger question is why the hell are the Gideons allowed to hand out bibles to "captives" in induction centers anyway?