At Pentagon Christian service, Hegseth prays for violence 'against those who deserve no mercy'

[mahatmakanejeeves]

groundloop posted this story in LBN last night just before mdnight. I had just gone to bed. I did not see it until after I started this thread.

https://www.democraticunderground.com/10143638841

Religion

At Pentagon Christian service, Hegseth prays for violence ‘against those who deserve no mercy’

By TIFFANY STANLEY
Updated 3:58 PM EDT, March 25, 2026

WASHINGTON (AP) — Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, hosting his first monthly Christian worship service at the Pentagon since the Iran war began, prayed Wednesday to have “every round find its mark.” ... “Every month it is fitting to be right here,” he told the gathered civilian employees and uniformed military personnel. “All the more fitting this month, at this moment, given what tens of thousands of Americans are doing right now.”

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.”

{snip}

Advocacy group files lawsuit

Hegseth belongs to the Communion of Reformed Evangelical Churches, a conservative network co-founded by the self-described Christian nationalist Doug Wilson. CREC pastors have appeared at Hegseth’s Pentagon services at least three times, including Wilson who preached there in February.

A lawsuit was filed Monday over the services by Americans United for Separation of Church and State. The advocacy group filed a similar suit against the Labor Department, where Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer hosts monthly prayer gatherings inspired by Hegseth. ... The suit seeks to enforce a public records request from December, asking the Pentagon for internal communications about the worship services, their cost, guests and any complaints received from employees.

{snip}

[Dunc]

1. Christian nationalism.

Kill them all.

[COL Mustard]

2. Kill them all

God knows His own.

I forget who said it but that’s where we’re headed.

[The_REAL_Ecumenist]

9. I agree with you, Dunc, 10000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000%! I watched these types growing up

AND the first minister I can remember who would regularly warned us to learn about what we SHOULD be doing on our journey and that was to read the Bible YOURSELF so that you know what's right and wrong. Noone will be able to LIE you into to joining a cult.

I saw these racist "Christian" types growing up because we were enrolled into what turned out to be a fundy school. Yeah, I remember, Rex & Rexella Van Impe, (before they woke up to common sense and what it meant to actually be a Christian), Oral Roberts, Falwell, & all the rest of the hypocritical folks, just like the so called "xtian national" types who REALLY only use that term as a MARKETING term. My maternal grandmother who was so sweet & kind that we used to tease that she could come up with something nice to say about the devil, (she didn't actually but I hope you get the point) but she HATED ORAL ROBERTS! She & Grandpa moved from Navarro County TX to Tulsa Ok when OK was still commonly known as Oklahoma IT, (IT=Indian Territory) and OMG did she loathe Roberts for hypocrisy, greed, misogyny & racism.

[democrank]

3. Hope the Separation of Church and State group is successful with their law suit.

Hegseth praying for violence while members of our military await orders is beyond sickening. His distortion of standards and principles should cause every decent member of Congress to call for the end of his Pentagon “career” and to be sent back to chest-beating at Fox News.

[Whip-poor-will]

4. Christian my ass

That's nothing that came out of Christ's mouth Satan maybe but certainly not the Christ

[Ray Bruns]

5. Hegseth is a psychopath.

[SergeStorms]

6. Take a look in a mirror, Pete.

You found your enemy.

[Mtnmama]

7. Christian hypocrisy.

All the righteous Christians should pray for justice, justice for all the criminals in power, all the"christians" who are outwardly "good" but inwardly evil. Justice to those who show no mercy to others, but take delight in hurting others. These people have no clue what Christianity really is.

[Dr. T]

8. Is this a veiled hint of a boots-on-the-ground operation in Iran?

It wouldn't surprise me. Everyone in this regime is bad at keeping secrets, especially Signal App Hegseth, known for disseminating classified info on unsecured platforms.

[Native]

10. He prayed for "overwhelming" violence

[LetMyPeopleVote]

11. Hegseth has 'threatened' military chaplains who refuse to back his Iran war plans: report

Hegseth does not believe in the First Amendment. Hegseth believes that his version of radical christianity is the only acceptable religion. Jews, Muslims, Hindus and any other religions do not belong in Hegseth's military.

Hegseth has 'threatened' military chaplains who refuse to back his Iran war plans: report

— Raw Story (@rawstory.com) 2026-03-29T14:00:23Z

https://www.rawstory.com/hegseth-iran-2676634943/

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.

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.".....

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."