I've written here about Lt. Gen. Van Antwerp before, when the Trinity Broadcasting Network (TBN) re-aired a Fourth of July Christian Concert special featuring, in violation of the Constitution, the U.S. Code, and military regulations, an interview with Van Antwerp, footage of basic trainees filmed at Fort Leonard with the general's knowledge and permission, and the dipping of two American flags to Christian pop star Carman by a military color guard. In the TBN special, Van Antwerp, in uniform, was introduced as a past president of the Officers' Christian Fellowship (OCF), an organization of over 14,000 officers and chapters on virtually every U.S. military installation worldwide, whose goal, paraphrased by Lt. Gen. Van Antwerp in the interview, is to "create a spiritually transformed U.S. military, with Ambassadors for Christ in uniform, empowered by the Holy Spirit." The re-airing of this special prompted a demand by the Military Religious Freedom Foundation (MRFF) for an investigation by the Department of Defense.

As I wrote in my previous post, Van Antwerp's appearance in the TBN special was far from an isolated incident for this three-star general, whose frequent appearances at religious events include everything from prayer breakfasts and OCF ROTC retreats to the 2003 "Mission San Diego" Billy Graham Crusade, at which he gave his Christian testimony, in uniform, to a crowd of tens of thousands, as well as military personnel all over the world via a broadcast of the crusade on the Armed Forces Network.

Recently, MRFF discovered that Lt. Gen. Van Antwerp has endorsed a religious book far worse than the "Spiritual Handbook" endorsed by Gen. Petraeus, an endorsement that, along with the lying that followed, earned Petraeus the distinction of runner-up "Worst Person in the World" for August 21 on Countdown with Keith Olbermann.

But, the book endorsed by Petraeus, Army chaplain William McCoy's Under Orders: A Spiritual Handbook for Military Personnel, a book that not only promotes Christianity but insinuates that a soldier's lack of spirituality or religion can cause the failure of their team or unit, pales in comparison to So Help Me God: A Reflection on the Military Oath, the book endorsed by Lt. Gen. Van Antwerp. According to So Help Me God, if someone doesn't swear an oath to God, "they would no longer be bound by God to fulfill the constitutional requirements of the office or the law" making it "all to easy for them to decide that it was acceptable to circumvent the law," leading to "social anarchy and degeneration." Without an appeal to God "people can subscribe to oaths and vows with no intention of abiding by their terms."

In an endorsement that appears on the book's back cover, Lt. Gen. Van Antwerp calls So Help Me God: "A serious call to 'stay the course' during troublesome times and seek the ever-present Helper above." By endorsing this book, Van Antwerp has not only betrayed every non-theist in the military, as Gen. Petraeus did in endorsing the "Spiritual Handbook," but has gone a step further, insulting every member of those religions whose tenets prohibit the swearing of oaths to God.

So Help Me God, sold in military PXs, sports all five official U.S. military branch emblems on its cover. As I wrote in a previous post, Chaplain McCoy's book contains an utterly meaningless disclaimer saying that the book isn't endorsed by the Department of Defense -- it's just endorsed by Gen. Petraeus, Maj. Gen. Mark Hertling, and the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College. Well, the So Help Me God Project, the organization of So Help Me God author Brian L. Bohlman, has an even more ludicrous disclaimer on its website, saying that the use of the use of the "service emblems on our web site or materials does not imply an endorsement from the Department of the Defense nor any other service branch of the U.S. Armed Forces. Used with permission of each service branch." Huh? The military doesn't endorse the materials but permits its official emblems to be used on these materials?

Here are some excerpts from So Help Me God, starting with the entire statement about not being "bound by God to fulfill the constitutional requirements of the office or the law" mentioned above:

"They would solemnly swear or affirm by themselves, seemingly escaping accountability to the highest Authority. As a result, if a law would seem disagreeable to them, or if they regard their own ideas as superior, it would be all to easy for them to decide that it was acceptable to circumvent the law. In essence, they would become their own judge and jury; a final authority unto themselves.

"Consequently, where there is no regard for truth or when people can subscribe to oaths and vows with no intention of abiding by their terms, then social anarchy and degeneration ensue. Where there is no fear of God, then the sanctity of oaths and vows disappears, and people begin to shift the foundations of society from the truth to a lie."

And, it's pretty clear that by "God" the author clearly means the Christian god:

"On one of the most important days of your life, you asked God for help when you took your military oath. If you have not entrusted your life to Him, you are neglecting the ultimate Source of help available. Friend, ask God to forgive you of your sins and give you eternal life. Ask him right now to save you, based on the ultimate sacrifice that Christ paid for you, and you can be certain that you will spend eternity with God when you die."

and

"It is quite possible that you may be called upon to make the ultimate sacrifice in service to America. This is a very sobering thought. While you may fear the 'hell of war,' a far greater danger is not knowing where you will spend eternity if you die. During periods of deployment, especially when conflict is imminent, the reality of death can weigh heavily on your mind, which leads to the following questions: Are there really no atheists in foxholes? How can you be sure that you will spend eternity with God when you die?

"The psalmist said, 'God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble" (Psalm 46:1). When our world was in great trouble and in need of refuge, God sent us the best help we could ever have when He gave us His Son, Jesus Christ, to make the ultimate sacrifice, dying for your sins and mine on the cross.'"

And, if there is any doubt that these people think they're fighting not the enemies of the United States but the enemies of Jesus Christ, one of the prayers in the book, prayed, of course, "in Jesus' name," contains the following line:

"Let my weapons rain destruction on your enemies, but protect the innocent from their devastation."

The book's acknowledgements include its editor, Tom Gilson of the Military Ministry of Campus Crusade for Christ, an organization operating at all of our military's largest basic training installations and the service academies, with the goal of transforming our enlisted trainees and future officers into "government-paid missionaries for Christ."

Then, there's the "alleged" separation of church and state:

"On June 26, 2002, the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the Pledge of Allegiance cannot be recited in public schools because the phrase 'under God' endorses religion. The court ruled that reciting this phrase is a violation of the alleged Constitutional separation of church and state."

Much of So Help Me God: A Reflection on the Military Oath isn't actually about the military oath, but about "under God" in the Pledge of Allegiance and other issues, including a completely unfounded and ridiculous claim that there is presently an effort afoot to forbid religious oaths in courtrooms.

And,