Showing posts with label separation of Church and state. Show all posts

09 March 2026

Members of Congress Request Investigation into Alleged Reports that Military Leaders Claim War in Iran Part of Biblical End-Times Prophecies & 28 Democrats just demanded an investigation into Pete Hegseth after hundreds of troops reported commanders pushing end-times Christian fascism as justification for the Iran war. 6&9MAR26

THERE is nothing Christian about "christian" nationalism, it is a perversion of Christianity and the teachings of Jesus Christ. These representatives are right to demand an investigation of Sec of Defense fascist fotze trunt petie lola hegseth's violations of the US Constitution's and the Department of Defense's separation of church and state law and regulations. And to be clear hegseth has not enshrined Evangelical Christianity into the upper levels of the US Military. He is indoctrinating US Military leadership into the apostasy of Christianity while promoting fascist "christian" nationalism. He is one of the false prophets we are warned about in the New Testament. I do know for a fact that God the Father does not need the help of drumpf / trump, hegseth, the US Military or anyone else to bring about Armageddon, he is the only one who knows when the events leading to Jesus Christ's return will happen. I urge, no matter your faith or no faith, to e mail your representative and senators and tell then to support the demand for an investigation by DoD IG Platte B Moring into hegseth's extreme "religious" rhetoric being forced on members of the US Military by officers in the military chain of command. My e mails will be at the end of this post. This from Rep Jared Huffman D-CA & The Other 98%.....

Members of Congress Request Investigation into Alleged Reports that Military Leaders Claim War in Iran Part of Biblical End-Times Prophecies

March 06, 2026

Washington, D.C. – Today, Congressional Freethought Caucus Co-Chairs Representative Jared Huffman (CA-02) and Jamie Raskin (MD-08) and House Armed Services Subcommittee on Military Personnel Ranking Member Chrissy Houlahan (PA-06) led 27 of their colleagues in requesting U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) Inspector General Platte B. Moring III open an investigation into reports that servicemembers have lodged anonymous complaints about military commanders invoking religious prophecy and apocalyptic theology to justify the United States’ military actions in Iran.

“At a time when billions of dollars and untold numbers of lives hang in the balance while the Trump administration wages a war of choice in Iran, the imperative of maintaining strict separation of church and state and protecting the religious freedom of our troops is especially critical. We must ensure that military operations are guided by facts and the law, not end-times prophecy and extreme religious beliefs,” the lawmakers wrote.

The members went on to note the pervasive issue of extremist religious encroachment inside the military under the Trump administration, saying: “These allegations are also part of a broader political climate in which Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and senior civilian officials have publicly framed Middle East policy in explicitly religious terms.”

They then requested the DOD conduct an independent investigation to determine the accuracy of these reports and to “assess whether Secretary Hegseth’s extreme religious rhetoric has metastasized into segments of the military chain of command in ways that contravene constitutional protections, departmental rules and standards, or professional military norms.”

The members requested the DOD investigate and report back to Congress on several matters, including:

Whether military commanders or other officers have made statements to subordinates asserting that U.S. military operations against Iran are part of a religious prophecy, divine plan, or apocalyptic religious event, and if so, where such communications originated within the chain of command.
Whether any such statements constitute violations of Department of Defense policies, including DoD Instruction 1300.17 “Religious Liberty in the Military Services,” regarding religious neutrality, improper proselytizing, or abuse of command authority.
The scope and geographic distribution of complaints received within the Department of Defense regarding religiously framed messaging related to the Iran conflict.
Whether servicemembers who reported these concerns experienced retaliation or fear of retaliation within their units.
What training, guidance, or oversight currently exists to ensure commanders maintain religious neutrality in operational briefings, command communications, and other official settings.
Whether additional guidance or action is warranted to ensure that personal religious beliefs are not used to justify or frame U.S. military operations.

A full copy of the letter can be found HERE.

In addition to Huffman, Raskin, and Houlahan, the letter was signed by Representatives Becca Balint (VT-AL), Nanette Barragán (CA-44), Suzanne Bonamici (OR-01), Julia Brownley (CA-26), Sean Casten (IL-06), Steve Cohen (TN-09), Lloyd Doggett (TX-37), Veronica Escobar (TX-16), Lizzie Fletcher (TX-07), Jesús “Chuy” Garcia (IL-04), Sara Jacobs (CA-51), Pramila Jayapal (WA-07), Mike Levin (CA-49), Zoe Lofgren (CA-18), Dave Min (CA-47), Kelly Morrison (MN-03), Eleanor Holmes Norton (DC-AL), Ilhan Omar (MN-05), Nancy Pelosi (CA-11), Mark Pocan (WI-02), Emily Randall (WA-06), Andrea Salinas (OR-06), Eric Swalwell (CA-14), Rashida Tlaib (MI-12), Norma Torres (CA-35), Derek Tran (CA-45), and Bonnie Watson Coleman (NJ-12).

March 06, 2026

The members requested the DOD investigate and report back to Congress on several matters, including:

Whether military commanders or other officers have made statements to subordinates asserting that U.S. military operations against Iran are part of a religious prophecy, divine plan, or apocalyptic religious event, and if so, where such communications originated within the chain of command.
Whether any such statements constitute violations of Department of Defense policies, including DoD Instruction 1300.17 “Religious Liberty in the Military Services,” regarding religious neutrality, improper proselytizing, or abuse of command authority.
The scope and geographic distribution of complaints received within the Department of Defense regarding religiously framed messaging related to the Iran conflict.
Whether servicemembers who reported these concerns experienced retaliation or fear of retaliation within their units.
What training, guidance, or oversight currently exists to ensure commanders maintain religious neutrality in operational briefings, command communications, and other official settings.
Whether additional guidance or action is warranted to ensure that personal religious beliefs are not used to justify or frame U.S. military operations.

A full copy of the letter can be found HERE.

LETTER FROM CAUCUS:

March 6, 2026 The Honorable Platte B. Moring III

Inspector General

U.S. Department of Defense 4800 Mark Center Drive Alexandria, VA 22350

Dear Inspector General Moring: We write regarding recent reports of disturbing discourse within the military that the current war in Iran is justified by biblical end-times prophecies. We write to request a full investigation into any alleged incidents to reassure the American people that their military officers are serving as professionals accountable to the Constitution. Some commanders have reportedly told subordinates that the American and Israeli attacks will hasten the return of Jesus Christ, and have cited passages from the Book of Revelation and instructed officers to tell their troops that current combat operations are all part of God’s divine plan.1 If accurate, these outrageous statements—justifying a war based on interpretations of biblical prophecies, and informing troops that they are risking their lives to advance a specific religious vision—raises not only glaring Constitutional concerns, but potential violations of Department of Defense regulations regarding religious neutrality and breaches of professional obligations and standards expected of military leadership. Members of the United States Armed Forces swear an oath to support and defend our secular Constitution—not any specific religious doctrines—and servicemembers must be able to carry out their duties free from coercive religious messaging by their chain of command. Our military, like our nation, reflects a diversity of religious beliefs and perspectives including many non-Christians and non-religious individuals. The Department of Defense has long recognized that proselytizing by commanders can undermine trust within units and erode the professionalism that is essential to effective military operations.2 These allegations are also part of a broader political climate in which Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and senior civilian officials have publicly framed Middle East policy in explicitly religious terms.3 Public statements by administration officials and allies invoking biblical claims about Israel and the region—along with rhetoric suggesting a prophetic or religious dimension to geopolitical conflicts—risks emboldening similar messaging within military ranks. We urge you to assess whether Secretary Hegseth’s extreme religious rhetoric has metastasized into segments of the military chain of command in ways that contravene constitutional protections, departmental rules and standards, or professional military norms. We specifically request that the Department of Defense Office of Inspector General investigate the following:

1 https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/mar/03/us-israel-iran-war-christian-rhetoric

2 https://cdn.factcheck.org/UploadedFiles/2013/08/General-Order-1B1.pdf

3 https://jonathanlarsen.substack.com/p/us-troops-were-told-iran-war-is-for? utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&triedRedirect=true

1. Whether military commanders or other officers have made statements to subordinates asserting that U.S. military operations against Iran are part of a religious prophecy, divine plan, or apocalyptic religious event, and if so, where such communications originated within the chain of command.

2. Whether any such statements constitute violations of Department of Defense policies, including DoD Instruction 1300.17 “Religious Liberty in the Military Services,” regarding religious neutrality, improper proselytizing, or abuse of command authority.

3. The scope and geographic distribution of complaints received within the Department of Defense regarding religiously framed messaging related to the Iran conflict.

4. Whether servicemembers who reported these concerns experienced retaliation or fear of retaliation within their units.

5. What training, guidance, or oversight currently exists to ensure commanders maintain religious neutrality in operational briefings, command communications, and other official settings.

6. Whether additional guidance or action is warranted to ensure that personal religious beliefs are not used to justify or frame U.S. military operations.

At a time when billions of dollars and untold numbers of lives hang in the balance while the Trump administration wages a war of choice in Iran, the imperative of maintaining strict separation of church and state and protecting the religious freedom of our troops is especially critical. We must ensure that military operations are guided by facts and the law, not end-times prophecy and extreme religious beliefs.

Thank you for your attention to this matter and for your commitment to accountability within the Department of Defense.

Sincerely,

Jared Huffman Member of Congress, Jamie Raskin Member of Congress, Chrissy Houlahan Member of Congress, Emily Randall Member of Congress, Becca Balint Member of Congress, Julia Brownley Member of Congress, Derek T. Tran Member of Congress, Mark Pocan Member of Congress, Sean Casten Member of Congress, Steve Cohen Member of Congress, Rashida Tlaib Member of Congress, Andrea Salinas Member of Congress, Eleanor Holmes Norton Member of Congress, Dave Min Member of Congress, Lizzie Fletcher Member of Congress, Suzanne Bonamici Member of Congress, Mike Levin Member of Congress, Veronica Escobar Member of Congress, Nanette Diaz Barragán Member of Congress, Lloyd Doggett Member of Congress, Bonnie Watson Coleman Member of Congress, Nancy Pelosi Member of Congress, Sara Jacobs Member of Congress, Kelly Morrison Member of Congress, Norma J. Torres Member of Congress, Pramila Jayapal Member of Congress, Zoe Lofgren Member of Congress, Eric Swalwell Member of Congress, Ilhan Omar Member of Congress, Jesús G. "Chuy" García Member of Congress

Sec of Defense fascist fotze trunt petie lola hegseth's "christian" nationalist justification for the US war on Iran

28 Democrats just demanded an investigation into Pete Hegseth after hundreds of troops reported commanders pushing end-times Christian fascism as justification for the Iran war.

Reps. Jared Huffman, Jamie Raskin, and Chrissy Houlahan led the charge, requesting DoD Inspector General Platte B. Moring III investigate reports of commanders "invoking religious prophecy and apocalyptic theology to justify the United States' military actions in Iran."

Lawmakers want to know whether Hegseth's "extreme religious rhetoric has metastasized into segments of the military chain of command" in ways that violate the Constitution and DoD regulations.

What triggered this? Over 200 service members across 50 installations and every military branch filed complaints with the Military Religious Freedom Foundation reporting that their commanders told them the Iran war is divinely ordained, that Trump was chosen by Jesus to bring about Armageddon.

Seriously.

Hegseth sponsors a weekly White House Bible study and has enshrined evangelical Christianity at the uppermost levels of the U.S. military.His monthly Pentagon prayer gatherings have featured Doug Wilson, a far-right Christian nationalist who has defended slavery and called for America to become a theocracy.

The Democrats laid out six specific areas for investigation, from whether commanders violated DoD religious neutrality policies to whether whistleblowers faced retaliation. The Pentagon offered no direct response when asked about the complaints.

The Constitution is crystal clear: service members swear an oath to defend a secular republic, not to carry out anyone's end-times fever dream.

If the Secretary of Defense is turning the world's most lethal fighting force into a Christian dominionist project, that's not just a policy failure, it's a national security crisis, potentially even a global one.

MY E MAIL TO REP SUBRAMANYAM D-VA 10TH, SEN MARK WARNER D-VA AND SEN TIM KAINE D-VA

Please join the Congressional Freethought Caucus in requesting U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) Inspector General Platte B. Moring III open an investigation into reports that servicemembers have lodged anonymous complaints about military commanders invoking religious prophecy and apocalyptic theology to justify the United States’ military actions in Iran. Sec of Defense hegseth's extreme "religious" rhetoric being forced on members of the US Military by officers in the military chain of command is a violation of the 1st Amendment and must be stopped. Please work with the entire Virginia congressional delegation to get everyone to support this requested investigation and stop the violations of the Establishment Clause. Thank you.

02 October 2025

Oklahoma Education Chief Who Promoted Bibles in Schools Will Resign 25SEP25

AND it seems he brought PORN into the office, though he feels it wasn't porn because it was just a Jackie Chan movie with some nudity in it ( self-righteous clarification ). ryan walters has a history of authoritarianism, fascism, lying, deception, manipulation and hypocrisy, some might even suggest apostasy, that is typical of self-righteous"christian" nationalist. Fortunately for Oklahoma's children he is leaving them to be raised by their parents as they see fit, not indoctrinated in "christian" nationalism as mandated by the state government. From the New York Times.....

Oklahoma Education Chief Who Promoted Bibles in Schools Will Resign

Ryan Walters had drawn criticism from liberals and conservatives alike over his push to place Bibles in classrooms and bring more prayer into public schools.

By Dana Goldstein

Sept. 25, 2025

Ryan Walters, a right-wing educator who drew criticism from across the political spectrum for his efforts to inject religion into public schools, will resign from his post as Oklahoma’s school superintendent.

He will join the Teacher Freedom Alliance, a nonprofit that seeks to limit the influence of teachers’ unions, as its chief executive.

“We’re going to destroy the teachers’ unions,” he said in a Fox News appearance Wednesday. “We have seen the teachers’ unions use money and power to corrupt our schools.”

The resignation is expected to take effect by the end of the month.

Mr. Walters was elected state superintendent in 2022. Throughout his tenure, he staked out conservative positions that often drew national controversy. In June 2024, for example, he issued a directive that all Oklahoma public schools must teach the Bible, including the Ten Commandments.

He recently said that all Oklahoma high schools would have a chapter of Turning Point USA, the right-wing youth group founded by Charlie Kirk, who was assassinated earlier this month. And during his tenure, the state adopted social studies learning standards that echoed President Trump’s claims of voter fraud in the 2020 presidential election.

When President Trump was assembling his current cabinet, Mr. Walters was discussed as a possible nominee for secretary of education. He has also indicated interest in running for governor. He was clearly politically ambitious, but consistently drew criticism from liberals and also some conservatives. They worried that his policies blurred the separation of church and state, and injected ideology into the classroom.

He announced this year that Oklahoma would require teacher job candidates from out of state to pass a test meant to screen for what he called “woke indoctrination.”

Mr. Walters, 40, is the son of an Oklahoma minister. He began his career as a celebrated Advanced Placement history and government teacher in his hometown, McAlester, Okla. At the time, he kept his personal beliefs fairly quiet. He ascended into politics after taking a role leading an education nonprofit focused on issues like expanding access to charter schools and private-school vouchers.

In his political career, he has been a champion of a rising movement of younger Christian conservatives who seek to inject religion into public life. He has spoken about his own churchgoing and his belief in traditional family structures. He has also said that he was shaped by the experience of seeing social studies educators across the country push liberal ideas into the classroom, including critiques of the nation’s founding.

His tenure as state superintendent has been rocky, and his policies have regularly put Oklahoma’s schools at the center of the nation’s culture wars.

Mr. Walters promoted prayer in schools and sought to remove classic works of literature from libraries, deeming them pornographic. He supported a plan for a publicly funded religious charter school in Oklahoma, but the Supreme Court rejected the plan earlier this year.

He has also been accused of running a disorganized state education department, and has had trouble holding onto staff.

Most recently, he has had a tense relationship with members of the state Board of Education, the body he leads. The board met without him several weeks ago, after he was accused of having inappropriate material playing on his office television during an official meeting. After an investigation, the Oklahoma County sheriff called the incident “purely an accident,” and said the images were from a Jackie Chan movie.

The organization Mr. Walters is joining, the Teacher Freedom Alliance, was founded this year by the Freedom Foundation, a conservative group that seeks to limit the influence of public sector unions.

Aaron Withe, chief executive of the Freedom Foundation, said Mr. Walters would help raise up a grass-roots movement of teachers hoping to stop paying union dues, in part because of the unions’ support for liberal politics.

He said the Teacher Freedom Alliance would provide its members with liability coverage and access to alternative professional development opportunities aligned with conservative goals, like maintaining stricter classroom discipline.

He declined to name the group’s financial backers.

Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, the nation’s second-largest teachers’ union, pointed out that education remains the nation’s most heavily unionized profession.

She celebrated Mr. Walters’ resignation as “a good day for Oklahoma’s kids.”

“It’s no surprise that Mr. Walters, after failing on the job, is leaving the state,” she added.

In Oklahoma, many of the battles Mr. Walters waged are not over.

Summer Boismier was teaching high school English in Norman, Okla. in 2022 when a parent complained about her effort to refer students to books that the state had banned, by providing them with a QR code for the Brooklyn Public Library in New York.

Ms. Boismier resigned, and Mr. Walters called for the state Board of Education to revoke her teaching certificate, which the board did last year. Ms. Boismier is suing to have her certification reinstated, and said she hopes to teach again in Oklahoma.

She said Mr. Walters’ leadership had been “symptomatic of a larger coordinated effort to dismantle public education and silence dissent.”

The state law she was accused of violating, HB 1775, limits what educators can teach about race and gender, and is similar to dozens of laws in other states.

Debates over free speech and the school curriculum have become increasingly national in scope. The Trump administration is withholding funding from schools and colleges that have diversity programs that the administration opposes, and it has sought to drive television personalities who are critical of the president off the air.

Dana Goldstein covers education and families for The Times.

A version of this article appears in print on Sept. 26, 2025, Section A, Page 17 of the New York edition with the headline: Education Chief Who Pushed Bibles in Schools Will Resign. Order Reprints | Today’s Paper | Subscribe

12 September 2025

VERSE AND VOICE FROM SOJOURNERS 12SEP25

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Verse of the day

The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to till it and keep it.
- Genesis 2:15

Voice of the day

I care about climate change because I’m a Christian, I believe that we have responsibility to everyone on the planet, and that we are to care about the least of these.
- Katharine Hayhoe, “Despite Hate From Evangelicals, Katharine Hayhoe Sees Climate Hope”