Military drones have played an important role in the fight against the so-called Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, but a Swedish church has a new idea for them.
The Evangelical Livets Ord (Word of Life) church plans to use drones to drop thousands of bibles over Syria hoping they will lead some Muslims to convert to Christianity.
Before you wonder about the potential injuries caused by dropping books from high altitude, the bibles will be small electronic copies that are about the size of a pill box.
"@livetsord will start using military drones, three meters wide, to drop thousands of electronic Bibles over closed areas in the Middle East," the church said in an Instagram post translated by The Washington Post. "Let's pray the message of God's love in Christ will conquer that of darkness and hate!"
The church demonstrated the drones at a service in July.
While drones can trace their roots to military uses, these days they are popular toys, and some major American retailers are exploring using them as delivery vehicles.
While the move has stirred some controversy, the church maintains the bible dropping is only one way it is helping people in the war-torn region. The church says it helps distribute aid to refugees.
"The project has been in the media portrayed as an ‘attack on IS’ or with the terror group as the main target. This is not true," said Christian Akerhielm, the church's missions director, referring to the Islamic State. "This mission's project is closer to traditional smuggling of Bibles, and it is not connected to any military or aggressive action in any way."
