DOD stops plan to send violent Christian video game to troops in Iraq

Above: A scene from Left Behind: Eternal Forces. The game is an adaptation of the events of the book series, taking place in New York City. It is staged after the events of the Rapture, when all faithful Christians have been taken by God from the earth. In its description of the game the Left Behind Games Company states "The remaining population – those who were left behind – are then poised to make a decision at some point. They cannot remain neutral."

Plans by a Christian group to send an evangelical video game to U.S. troops in Iraq were abruptly halted yesterday by the Department of Defense after ABC News inquired about the program.

Operation Start Up (OSU) Tour, an evangelical entertainment troupe that actively proselytizes among soldiers, will not be sending the "apocryphal" video game in care packages as planned, according to the department.

"Left Behind: Eternal Forces" was inspired by Tim LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins' best-selling book series about the battle of Armageddon, in which believers of Jesus Christ fight the Antichrist.

The game has inspired controversy among freedom of religion advocates since it was released last year.

"It's a horrible game," said the Rev. Timothy Simpson of the Christians Alliance for Progress. "You either kill or covert the other side. This is exactly what the Osama bin Ladens of the world have portrayed us."

Read the rest at ABC News