This is new and different. Petey Boy wants religious backing for his war. And he is making it plain that they had best do so. Now, religion can be a tricky subject, but overall, generalizing here, that’s not what it’s about. Some can urge violence upon others. But this is not what it’s about. With gratitude to Raw Story:
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has alienated a critical group within the military establishment — religious leaders and chaplains — by weaponizing Christianity to justify the Iran war and creating an atmosphere of fear for those who refuse to comply with his ideological demands. According to Washington Post analyst Michelle Boorstein, Hegseth’s inflammatory rhetoric at a recent Pentagon prayer service has triggered serious alarm among military chaplains and senior officials who view his approach as a dangerous departure from Pentagon norms.
I don’t know much about Petey Boy’s version of Christianity, and I have absolutely no desire to learn more. One of the first things I found out about was that his minister said women shouldn’t vote. That did it right there. I’d love to dust off the Slap Machine™ and use it on him. It’s worse than the Quiverfull “cult” and *that* one pissed me off nearly as much. But I can’t tell anyone what to do. It’s their choice, your choice, and has to be accepted for what it is.
At the prayer service, Hegseth invoked religious language to justify military violence, saying: “Let every round find its mark against the enemies of righteousness and our great nation. Give them wisdom in every decision … and overwhelming violence of action against those who deserve no mercy.” The language represents a troubling shift in how the Pentagon frames military operations, according to military leadership. “The Pentagon’s shift from previous historical norms is dangerous, according to multiple former high-ranking military officials, heads of chaplain corps, some veterans groups, current Pentagon staff, and current officers,” Boorstein wrote.
What the hail was *that* all about? Violence against others? Deserve no mercy? Sheesh, that’s excessive! How many people in America would be horrified by that, just as I am? We don’t need our version of a jihad. This is disturbing. Tying religion into a war is dangerous, or even more dangerous. Those who believe they are the only ones who are right are the ones who will kill anyone, including civilians. That sort of ego is frightening. That sort of belief is disturbing!
“ Retired Army Maj. Gen. Randy Manner, who haS trained many interfaith chaplains, said he has talked with ‘dozens and dozens‘ of active-duty chaplains in recent weeks who say those who don’t identify with Hegseth ‘are being marginalized.’ They feel they can’t voice their concerns to their own superiors, and feel their work as the primary advocate for troops’ spiritual, mental, and moral health is being threatened.”
The situation has become dystopian. “I’ve had people tell me they’re not included in staff meetings,” Manner added. Pentagon insiders describe the atmosphere as chilling. An anonymous Department of Defense source characterized the environment as “terrifying,” noting that personnel working under Hegseth fear being punished or fired for failing to embrace his Christian nationalist worldview.
An unnamed member of a recent Joint Chiefs chairman’s leadership team articulated the constitutional threat directly: “I don’t approve of cramming your religious faith down people’s throats, and when the top of the chain couches these operations in this hyper-Christian tone, it flies in the face of the freedom of religion that the Constitution enshrines and that our men and women in uniform sign up to defend.”
Holy cow! What is going on in there? Petey Boy says my way or the highway? That’s not right. That’s not his business. And for him to be so rabid about his religion that he is forcing it on the military is something to worry about. Our troops all have enough to worry about over in the Gulf. They don’t need a leader who is proselytizing. They need a leader who supports them and has faith in them. They need a leader who understands how the military works and gives clear orders in a war, not someone saying, essentially, “kill them all”. Remember that one boat that was bombed, and there were survivors? And Petey Boy said exactly that? He is out of hand. No one can smack some sense into him. So, now we have an illegal war being managed by someone who is trigger-happy and forcing his religion on others. This SUCKS.
See you soon!
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‘Old Testament’ Christianity.
i.e. Not Christianity at all.
i.e. Fake Christianity.
Very much fake. They pull things out of context to support their views. And they all forget about the Book of Esther, which was about an amazingly strong *woman*. I first read a novelization for children when I was about 6. Then when I grew up, I read the “real” one. What a great story!
Women should not vote? BS. IMHO, The world would be a better place if ONLY women could vote.
Exactly. My husband thinks that’s funny as sh!t. It’s hard to imagine what things would be like today if only women could vote. But I’m trying, just for fun.
You need to take IMHO and change it to IMNSHO – in my not so humble opinion LOLOL 😉
i’m not a believer but as i recall jesus was unequivocal about violence not being ok in any circumstances period. but if we’re going with the perverted version of xtianity and petey is trying to bring about armageddon and the final conflict between good and evil (not sure what iran is but we are definitely not the good guys) as per the book of revelation (copied almost word for word from an earlier pagan text) then we’ll need to slaughter all the jews as well including our israeli allies and american service persons. so when does that start?
I’m not a believer, either. It stopped working for me a long time ago. You could broadly say I’m pagan and have been for at least 35 years, although I haven’t practiced in awhile.
I would prefer not to witness Armageddon. That freaks me out, whether or not I’m mainstream. Revelations is *frightening*, and to have it copied from a pagan text? YIKES.
My husband’s opinion is that it begins with the invasion of Kharg Island. That’s assuming we can even get there. It’s going to be a bloodbath on our side to try. This does not give me warm, fuzzy feelings of confidence. What the hell is going on with our military and this rampant stupidity? I’m not sure it’s possible to get there because ships are needed. Of course, Denis has already gone over this.