The battle for religious identity

Religion and the US military

Watch Part 1 Watch Part 2 The United States is a deeply religious country. More than 90 per cent of the population say they believe in god and while 80 per cent profess to believe in miracles. For the US military, dealing with its' own religious identity has become an internal battle. Growing evidence points towards a rising influence of evangelical Christianity, and with two wars still raging in Muslim countries with significant religious overtones, there could be serious consequences for the US mission. Pentagon officials say incidents are isolated, aberrations occur, but others closely tied to the military and its' religious leadership say a transformation is taking place with dire costs. On this week's episode of Fault Lines, we look at the battle over the religious soul of the US military. Also, we meet Brent Scowcroft, the national security advisor under Presidents Ford and George H.W. Bush. He gives Fault Lines a fresh take on the issue of religion in the military and how it is impacting the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Source: http://english.aljazeera.net/programmes/faultlines/2009/06/200962675254610845.html