Since becoming defense secretary, Pete Hegseth has found no shortage of ways to bring his strand of conservative evangelicalism into the Pentagon.

He hosts monthly Christian worship services for employees. His department’s promotional videos have displayed Bible verses alongside military footage. In speeches and interviews, he often argues the U.S. was founded as a Christian nation and troops should embrace God, potentially risking the military’s secular mission and hard-won pluralism.

Now the defense secretary’s Christian rhetoric has taken on new meaning after the U.S. and Israel went to war with Iran, an Islamic theocracy.

  • BarneyPiccolo@lemmy.today
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    1
    ·
    9 hours ago

    Whenever I hear some “leader” start extolling any religious nonsense, I immediately conclude that they are either a lying conman, or have a lukewarm IQ. There can’t be any in between.

    • Lushed_Lungfish@lemmy.ca
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      3
      ·
      9 hours ago

      If I recall, the first crusade was called because the Byzantine empire wanted help getting some stuff back from the Turks. Alexius Comnenus just wanted some military assistance, I don’t think there were crazy religious undertones at that point (at least not beyond what was normal for that time). Then the Pope got involved and some wackos in Western Europe took things WAY too far.

    • SabinStargem@lemmy.today
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      1
      ·
      22 hours ago

      Hopefully the crusaders go into the desert, and never return. Alas, the likes of Pete Hegseth wouldn’t dare to set foot in any place where he could lose it.

  • Itdidnttrickledown@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    6
    ·
    1 day ago

    A fake christian who just uses it to manipulate. I’m not christian but I recognize a manipulator and the soft brained snowflakes who blindly follow anyone making the right grunts and hoots of their faith.

      • waddle_dee@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        1
        ·
        1 day ago

        Religion, government, business, a non profit, it doesn’t matter what it is, people will assume a position of authority in whatever power structure that has space, and corrupt it. It’s not unique to religion. It’s only because religion has been corrupted by people desiring power, that people hate religion. But in that same vein, the fight should be about dismantling power structures and creating equality. Which, would be in line with some religions, ironically.

        • atomicbocks@sh.itjust.works
          link
          fedilink
          English
          arrow-up
          0
          ·
          1 day ago

          No, in your list only religious people told me I was going to hell when I was 12 because I wouldn’t disown my lesbian parents. The kind of corruption and evil entitlement that people get is indeed unique to religion.

          • waddle_dee@lemmy.world
            link
            fedilink
            arrow-up
            0
            ·
            1 day ago

            What role did religion play when my sisters ex partner, who was an atheist, beat the shit out of her and raped her? Please explain, as my life experiences are clearly limited.

              • waddle_dee@lemmy.world
                link
                fedilink
                arrow-up
                0
                ·
                1 day ago

                I’m sorry, I thought we were interjecting personal experience as conjecture.

                In direct response to your original comment, you have proven my point exactly. People who were in a position of power/authority abused it. It doesn’t matter what the modus operandi is when the fundamental consequence is the same. People want power, people get it, people abuse it. It’s not inherently unique to any one thing in humanity, it’s ubiquitous.

                • atomicbocks@sh.itjust.works
                  link
                  fedilink
                  English
                  arrow-up
                  0
                  ·
                  1 day ago

                  You made a list. I was commenting on the list elements vs each other, not anything that wasn’t on the list. My comment was not intended to prove or disapprove any point since yours and mine were both opinions.

              • Jax@sh.itjust.works
                link
                fedilink
                arrow-up
                0
                ·
                1 day ago

                I’m sure he’d pivot away to something else, considering that he pivoted from talking about trans rights to try and say “I shouldn’t have to worry about walking with my daughters down the street and walking into two dudes making out.” Basically suggesting that gay and trans people are the source of moral decay in the U.S.

                The guy is the literal poster child of boomer moral decay, by the way. Digustingly obese, entitled, racist, MAGA.

      • givesomefucks@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        0
        arrow-down
        1
        ·
        1 day ago

        Religion exists solely to manufacture consent for authority. That’s it.

        No…

        It was a way to instill morals before public education existed.

        We don’t use religion for morals, and we don’t use public education for it either.

        And people still act fucking shocked people don’t have morals.

        They’re not innate, humans aren’t better than other animals.

        And insisting that attempting to teach morals is pointless is only going to cause issues.

        You might not need religion, I know I don’t, but that’s human variation. Some people fucking need it or they’re problems for the rest of us.

        Like, your comment is the most ironic thing I’ve seen in a very long time. You don’t understand that your the problem and a complete lack of human empathy prevents you from understanding not everyone is like you.

        It would be like someone with 20/20 vision spending their time trying to outlaw prescription eyeglasses.

        You don’t need it, and you just can’t fucking imagine anyone is different than you.

        Absolutely stunning.

        • waddle_dee@lemmy.world
          link
          fedilink
          arrow-up
          0
          ·
          1 day ago

          Honestly, that’s it in a nutshell. The complete lack of human empathy is the issue. Whatever tools are available for someone to take advantage of, will be. Humans are animals. We like to act like we’re some superior species, advanced so far, but in the grand scheme of the universe and knowledge, we’re so young. We know absolutely nothing. The arrogance of humanity.

          • givesomefucks@lemmy.world
            link
            fedilink
            English
            arrow-up
            0
            arrow-down
            1
            ·
            1 day ago

            The complete lack of human empathy is the issue

            No, the problem is there is no innate human empathy for humans…

            Just for “us” which was likely the reason every species close to us, isn’t around anymore.

            Oxytocin is pivotal neurotransmitters for group bonding, it’s why we get lonely, fall in love, and think babies are adorable despite being disgusting.

            But oxytocin also makes us hate “them”

            Where “them” is anything we weren’t exposed to as toddlers.

            Racism/bigotry is baked into humans, and it takes effort to teach every generation that “us” is a very very wide group. Where “them” is basically just billionaires and people doing their building. That’s already where the wealthy have been drawing the line for centuries.

            It’s like socializing a puppy around cats so that when the puppy grows up it doesn’t have a prey instinct kick in and chase cats.

            We need to socialize kids so that when they grow up they don’t freak out over diversity.

            And we’ll never be able to stop, every single generation till the end of humanity will need that step

  • leaky_shower_thought@feddit.nl
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    2
    ·
    1 day ago

    “We’re fighting religious fanatics who seek a nuclear capability in order for some religious Armageddon,” Hegseth said of Iranian leaders. “But from my perspective, I mean, obviously I’m a man of faith who encourages our troops to lean into their faith, rely on God.”

    i believe more that he is a man of spirits than faith.

  • thefluffiest@feddit.nl
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    1
    ·
    1 day ago

    So we have American Christian zealots and Israeli Jewish zealots together fight Iranian Muslim zealots.

    Meanwhile the rest of the world just watches this circus of idiots and wonders how we ever ended up here

  • Soulphite@reddthat.com
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    1
    ·
    1 day ago

    Pete Kegsbreath is as Christian as Kenneth Copeland… which is to say exactly nill. It’s a facade. They’re both exactly opposite of Christian.

    Anti-Christ.

    • CXORA@aussie.zone
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      0
      arrow-down
      2
      ·
      22 hours ago

      All these millions of Christians who believe what they believe and support them must be fake christians too, huh? Sure is lucky youre here to tell us who is and isnt a real Christian.