Did you read about the American who was caught in Pakistan attempting to hunt down Osama bin Laden? As soon as I heard the man was from my home state of Colorado, I became more interested in the details. Dr. Scott Faulkner spoke in defense of his brother, the 52-year-old Gary Brooks Faulkner, to Denver NBC affiliate 9News:
“My brother is not crazy,” Scott Faulkner said. “He is highly intelligent and loves his country and has not forgotten what Osama has done to this country.” …
“When 9/11 happened, as a Christian we took that very personally, as did most of the country,” Scott Faulkner said. “It really messed up the psyche of America, and Osama had made some references to our God - the god of the bible and in a poor light - and the fact that he was taunting America and getting away with killing thousands of Americans, my brother took that very personally.”
Why is that g in God lowercased? That’s not Associated Pres style. Anyway, Scott Faulkner tells the reporter that his brother felt the U.S. government was not doing enough to find bin Laden and he had gone to Pakistan six times without suffering a scratch. He also said that his brother is trained in some martial arts. Although the danged copy desk produced copy that termed that “marital arts” — a big difference indeed!
There was also this little note from officer Mumtaz Ahmad Khan:
Khan said Faulkner was also carrying a book containing Christian verses and teachings.
Hmm, wonder what that book could be. The Associated Press report on the guy calls it a “Bible.” Which makes the description above seem pretty funny.
Anyway, the AP story is no gem itself, however. Here’s how the religion angle is handled:
Catching bin Laden was 50-year-old Faulkner’s passion, his brother Scott Faulkner said. A devout Christian with a prison record, Faulkner has been to Pakistan at least six times, learned some of the local language, and even grew a long beard to blend in, relatives and acquaintances said.
Now, I by no means think that a prison record is incompatible with being a devout Christian, but this is really poor phrasing. What, exactly, makes him devout? His flouting of American law? There’s clearly a religion angle here that needs to be explored, but this only raises more questions.
Telling us that this man is a generic “devout Christian” replaces that exploration with a fairly meaningless label. What are his specific religious beliefs? How does he demonstrate devotion to those beliefs? Why is the phrase “devout Christian” being used here? Show us his devotion to Christianity rather than tell us without any evidence.
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Comments (8) |
June 17, 2010, at 12:52 pm
“Why is that g in God lowercased?”
The word pops up in that sentence twice, and the g is captalised the first time. I’ve no idea what stylebooks suggest. But it makes sense to distinguish between using the word as a proper noun or reference to a general concept. (would make even more sense to have separate words, but I guess we’re stuck with this).
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June 17, 2010, at 1:00 pm
The report I read also mentioned he was armed with a pistol, a knife, a SWORD(!), a set of NVGs, and a small amount of marijuana. All of which would be interesting additions to the ‘devout Christian’ angle. I’d love to read an interview with this guy..
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June 17, 2010, at 1:56 pm
Not in some marriages
More seriously, this story is interesting, partly because it reflects a world view that the US military is incompetent and that, therefore, one self-reliant person can succeed where the military has failed.
Fully understanding the background of such a person, including religious background, is thus important deserving of top-notch overage.
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June 17, 2010, at 2:54 pm
Seems to me from what I’ve read in multiple contexts about Mr. Faulkner that psychologists would have their own set of suggestions about this fellow’s motivation (and perhaps his brother’s as well). In the reporters’ minds, however, “devout Christian” apparently serves the speculative process just fine.
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June 17, 2010, at 6:36 pm
I didn’t find any place where he was labeled a fundamentalist (yes that word would have been misused in this case) or extremist. Has it become normal for Christians to be assassins?
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June 18, 2010, at 12:48 am
http://www.flashnews.com/news/wfn05100618fn15590.html
Jesus Loves Osama Bin Laden?
Jesus loves everyone and everything — including Osama Bin Laden.
Friday, June 18, 2010 2:31 GMT
ORLANDO, Fla. (Wireless Flash - FlashNews) – Jesus opens his arms to everyone and everything – even Osama Bin Laden.
That’s how the Messiah rolls on JesusLovesStuff.com, which posts funny photos of Jesus hugging random people and objects.
For starters, Jesus can be seen warmly embracing a donut, fried chicken, Michael Jackson, Jell-O pudding cups, an issue of Hustler magazine, and terrorist Osama Bin Laden.
Creator Rob Mulligan says the website proves that Jesus really does have room in his heart for everything, just like the Bible says.
He explains, “I think Jesus is supposed to love all living things. Even some things that people don’t expect. That’s why he’s so good.”
Not everyone agrees that the Man Upstairs loves all, though.
Mulligan has received angry emails from visitors saying they’re absolutely sure Jesus doesn’t love naughty things like Bin Laden and bongs.
He says, “They want me to take Osama down but Jesus loves everyone, even if they messed up.”
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June 18, 2010, at 12:10 pm
That would have been the perfect moment in the interview to ask how 9/11 affected Christians differently from the outrage felt by non-Christian Americans (such as myself).
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June 18, 2010, at 4:05 pm
I cringe any time I hear or read the term “devout Christian” in secular media. In religion and general human interest articles, it gets spun in what most would consider in a favorable way. Sadly, the term in the secular media has been taken down the same path as “right wing” and others. It is almost invariably a smear term used to degrade and diminish what the person is doing. So it is here: how many truly believe that the “God” of the bible directed this man to Pakistan after Osama?
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