Trijicon and Tefillin

Here we are in the modern age of science and technology displaying superstitious and ignorant fear over magic words.

I woke the other morning to the radio alarm telling of the fear caused upon US Airways Flight 3709 when a young man whipped out the word of God, strapped it on and began firing prayers into the air. Really, we need more body scanners to prevent tefillin terror. I laughed all day thinking about it.

And then, a few days ago ABC News broke the Trijicon Bible codes scare. Evidently, Trijicon, which produces the best gun sights in the world, has been "secretly" embedding metonyms which refer to New Testament Bible verses right next to the serial numbers. Trijicon is a contractor for the U.S. Military.

Now, perhaps, if these references were embedded in the bombs and bullets being used to kill those of non-Christian persuasion it would be offensive and hypocritical, but the metonym is on a gun sight. The inscriptions wouldn't even mean anything to an ignorant person. 2COR4:6 or JN8:12. But we have grown superstitious in our modern and advanced age.

"Mikey Weinstein, founder of the Military Religious Freedom Foundation, said the sights endanger the troops" ("Marine Corps considers ending contract with Trijicon; Top U.S. military official defends vendor," Stephanie Gaskell, 19 Jan, 2010, NY Daily News).

"We should be aware of ignorance just as much as we should be aware of terrorism" (Benjamin Blech qtd, in "Jewish Teen's Tefillin Diverts US Airways Flight 3709 From LaGuardia," Kathy Matheson, 21 Jan 2010, The Huffington Post).

Have no fear, Trijicon has conceded to discontinue the horrid practice of putting magic words on its sights and is sending out kits to remove the offensive sorcery. And the bomb-sniffing dogs and federal agents found no danger in the boy's sacred scrolls, little boxes, or the leather straps used to bind the word of God to his head and hands.

Inscribing powerful words upon weapons is an age old practice. And it is an age old belief that the word is a weapon, a double-edged sword, a vibration of light invisible to most eyes.

And I wonder to myself, as I am prone, will those Trijicon sights be less reliable without the power of the word? Will they sight more innocents than enemies?

And I wonder how the Holy Word was able to divert a plane and create so much fear? And I wonder what would have happened if the young man had not had his tefillin? Why were the crew and passengers so on edge? What was in the air? Fear caused by expansive ignorance?

Ignorance is not bliss anymore. It's hell.

image: Amelia Earhart