Tampa Bay Thinkers

War and Religion?

Sat, May 9 · 4:00 PM EDT

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Hegseth invokes God and Jesus to help the US win the war in Iran:
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has focused on bringing Christian worship services to the Pentagon, with reports indicating a focus on evangelical-led, monthly services rather than diverse representation.
Hegseth holds monthly, voluntary Christian worship services in the Pentagon auditorium, often led by pastors from his conservative denomination. The military is reducing recognized religious affiliation codes from over 200 to 31, a move that critics suggest minimizes smaller faiths, including Muslim and Jewish, as well as atheists.

Pete Hegseth, hosting his first monthly Christian worship service at the Pentagon since the Iran war began, prayed to have “every round find its mark.” He read a prayer he said was first given by a military chaplain to the troops who captured then-President Nicolás Maduro of Venezuela.
“Let every round find its mark against the enemies of righteousness and our great nation,” Hegseth prayed during the livestreamed service. “Give them wisdom in every decision, endurance for the trial ahead, unbreakable unity, and overwhelming violence of action against those who deserve no mercy.”

Hegseth frequently invokes his evangelical faith as head of the armed forces, depicting a Christian nation trying to vanquish its foes with military might. “I pursued my enemies and overtook them, and did not turn back till they were consumed,” he read from the Psalms. During the expanding Iran war and global conflicts, Hegseth’s Christian rhetoric has drawn renewed scrutiny, including his past defense of the Crusades, the brutal medieval wars that pitted Christians against Muslims.

Ronit Stahl, author of “Enlisting Faith: How the Military Chaplaincy Shaped Religion and State in Modern America,” said referring to God in broad language is not unusual in this context. “But the shift towards the specificity of Jesus Christ and therefore Christianity and in Hegseth’s case, a particular form of Protestant Christianity, is new, especially coming from the defense secretary.”

“Secretaries Hegseth and Chavez-DeRemer are abusing the power of their government positions and taxpayer-funded resources to impose their preferred religion on federal workers,” Rachel Laser, president and CEO of Americans United, alleged in a statement. “Even if these prayer services are presented as voluntary, there is pressure on federal employees to attend in order to appease their bosses.”
https://apnews.com/article/pete-hegseth-pentagon-christian-worship-service-30db48b6ceb8af5e6172fb3ba2eafaa0

Occupy Democrats: BREAKING: UNREPENTANT! Pete Hegseth accused of antisemitism by Jewish senator in hearing 4-29-26:
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has often been accused of trying to force his own brand of Christian nationalism onto the members of America’s Armed Forces, initiating monthly Christian worship services in the Pentagon auditorium, embracing a far-right pastor who believes women shouldn’t vote, and declaring the war in Iran to be divinely blessed — while attacking Pope Leo who insists that Hegseth is far off the mark with that idea.
All this despite a First Amendment prohibiting the establishment of a state religion.
Pete Hegseth’s antipathy to every faith other than his own twisted version of Christianity was on sharp display today when the Defense Secretary went before the Senate Armed Services Committee and was confronted by a Jewish senator about his repeated use of a historically antisemitic slur against his critics.
Senator Jacky Rosen (D-NV), who is Jewish, did not mince words. "Pharisees. It's a problematic and historically weaponized term that casts Jewish communities as hypocritical or morally corrupt," she told Hegseth. "Words matter. It's a historically hurtful term. How do you justify using this language as Secretary of Defense?"
Hegseth's response was to explain why he thinks it's accurate: "I feel like it's a pretty accurate term for folks who don't see the plank in their own eye."
Occupy Democrats

Pope Leo does not agree with invoking Jesus to justify the US war.
As the Iran war entered its second month, Pope Leo used his platform at Palm Sunday Mass to speak out against world leaders who “wage” wars and use Christianity to justify their actions.

While opening the Catholic Church's holiest week on Sunday, March 29, the Pope, 70, told the crowd of tens of thousands gathered in Vatican City that God cannot be used to “justify war” and that God rejects the prayers of those who wage them, according to Reuters and USA Today. He also called the ongoing fighting in the Middle East “atrocious,” per the outlets.
Referring to Jesus in his Sunday homily at St. Peter's Square, the pontiff said, "He did not arm himself, or ​defend himself, or fight any war. He revealed the gentle face of God, who always rejects violence."

“Brothers and sisters, this is our God: Jesus, King of Peace, who rejects war, whom no one can use to justify war,” he continued, before referencing a Bible passage, Isaiah 1:15, to seemingly take aim at the world leaders guiding the Iran war. He continued, "He does not listen to the prayers of those who wage war, but rejects them, saying: 'Even though you make many prayers, I will not listen: your hands are full of blood.’ ”
https://people.com/pope-leo-on-iran-war-god-does-not-listen-to-the-prayers-of-those-who-wage-war-11936795#:~:text=NEED%20TO%20KNOW%20*%20Pope%20Leo%20took,Leo%20has%20repeatedly%20called%20for%20a%20ceasefire.

Google AI Gemini says:
Pope Leo XIV has strongly condemned the US-Israeli war in Iran as "atrocious," asserting that God rejects prayers from those who wage war and have "hands full of blood". He warned against using God to justify military violence, particularly rebuking leaders who frame the conflict in religious terms.
Key points of Pope Leo's stance include:

• Rejection of War Prayers: During Palm Sunday, the Pope stated that while leaders may pray, God does not listen to those who start wars, highlighting the "blood" on their hands.
• Condemnation of Justifications: Pope Leo denounced the "delusion of omnipotence" driving the war, challenging the use of Christian faith to frame the conflict as a righteous battle.
• Targeted Rebuke: While not always naming individuals, his comments are widely seen as a direct challenge to U.S. officials, including Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who prayed for "overwhelming violence".
• Call for Peace: The Pope has urged for an immediate end to the war, asserting that "no cause can justify the shedding of innocent blood" and that "God does not bless any conflict".
• Position on Prayer: He has advocated for prayers aimed at peace, aimed to "break the demonic cycle of evil" rather than prayers for military victory.

Some recent quotes of the Pope:

• "War does not solve problems; on the contrary, it amplifies them and inflicts deep wounds on the history of peoples, which take generations to heal".
  "God cannot be enlisted by darkness... He does not listen to the prayers of those who wage war, but rejects them, saying: 'Even though you make many prayers, I will not listen: your hands are full of blood'".
• "They turn a blind eye to the fact that billions of dollars are spent on killing on devastation yet the resources needed for healing, education and restoration nowhere to be found".
• "Let those who have weapons lay them down! Let those who have the power to unleash wars choose peace! Not a peace imposed by force, but through dialogue!".
• "Stop! It is time for peace! Sit at the table of dialogue and mediation, not at the table where rearmament is planned and deadly actions are decided!".

Questions:
Are Christians in the US siding with Hegseth or the Pope?
Is the US fighting in Iran to:

1. Keep Iran from having nuclear weapons?
2. Eliminate the radical Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps who sponsor terrorism?
3. Manipulate oil prices so that oil companies and those who invest in them can make money in stocks and oil prices based on what Trump says about the war?
   How are allowing one man to start a war that impacts world markets and antagonizes the Pope?