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Today's Topics:
1. Troops told war "all part of God?s divine plan .. Armageddon
and the imminent return of Jesus Christ?. (Stephen Loosley)
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Message: 1
Date: Thu, 12 Mar 2026 18:59:58 +1030
From: Stephen Loosley <[email protected]>
To: "link" <[email protected]>
Subject: [LINK] Troops told war "all part of God?s divine plan ..
Armageddon and the imminent return of Jesus Christ?.
Message-ID: <[email protected]>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="UTF-8"
US troops were told war on Iran was ?all part of God?s divine plan?, watchdog
alleges
Religious freedom group says 200 troops sent complaints of superiors using
extremist Christian rhetoric to justify war
By Sara Braun Wed 4 Mar 2026 08.21 AEDT
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/mar/03/us-israel-iran-war-christian-rhetoric
US military commanders have been invoking extremist Christian rhetoric about
biblical ?end times? to justify involvement in the Iran war to troops,
according to complaints made to a watchdog group.
The Military Religious Freedom Foundation (MRFF) says it has received more than
200 complaints from service members across all branches of the armed forces,
including the marines, air force and space force.
One complainant, identified as a noncommissioned officer (NCO) in a unit that
could be deployed ?at any moment to join? operations against Iran, told MRFF in
a complaint viewed by the Guardian that their commander had ?urged us to tell
our troops that this was ?all part of God?s divine plan? and he specifically
referenced numerous citations out of the Book of Revelation referring to
Armageddon and the imminent return of Jesus Christ?.
?He said that ?President Trump has been anointed by Jesus to light the signal
fire in Iran to cause Armageddon and mark his return to Earth??, the NCO added.
The NCO?s complaint was filed on behalf of 15 troops, including 11 Christians,
one Muslim person and one Jewish person. The complaint was first shared by MRFF
with Jonathan Larsen, an independent journalist.
?Anytime Israel or the US is involved in the Middle East, we get this stuff
about Christian nationalists who?ve taken over our government, and certainly
our US military,? Mikey Weinstein, MRFF?s president, who is an air force
veteran, told the Guardian.
?Military members are not really able to stand up for themselves, because your
military superior is not your shift manager at Starbucks,? he added.
In a statement, Weinstein suggested the reports indicate an increase in
Christian extremism in the military, noting that the complainants ?report the
unrestricted euphoria of their commanders? who perceive a
??biblically-sanctioned? war that is clearly the undeniable sign of the
expeditious approach of the fundamentalist Christian ?End Times?.?
He said that the complaints show a clear violation of the separation of church
and state.
Pete Hegseth, the US defense secretary, is known for his embrace of Christian
nationalism. He previously endorsed the doctrine of ?sphere sovereignty?, a
worldview derived from the extremist beliefs of Christian reconstructionism
(CR). The philosophy calls for capital punishment for homosexuality and
strictly patriarchal families and churches.
In August 2025, Hegseth reposted a CNN segment on X focusing on pastor Doug
Wilson, a Christian nationalist who co-founded the Idaho-based Communion of
Reformed Evangelical Churches (CREC). In the segment, Wilson says he does not
believe women should hold leadership positions in the military or be able to
fill high-profile combat roles.
?I would like to see this nation being a Christian nation, and I would like
this world to be a Christian world,? Wilson said.
In response to a request for comment on the complaints, the Pentagon did not
reply, instead sharing public clips of Hegseth discussing the operation in Iran.
--
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