"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."
"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."
The Military Religious Freedom Foundation has received more than 200 complaints from service members across all US armed forces branches regarding commanders using extremist Christian rhetoric about biblical end times to justify military involvement in Iran. One noncommissioned officer reported their commander urged troops to view potential Iran operations as part of God's divine plan, referencing the Book of Revelation and Armageddon. The commander allegedly stated President Trump was anointed by Jesus to initiate conflict in Iran to trigger Armageddon and Christ's return. The complaint represented 15 troops with diverse religious backgrounds. MRFF leadership attributes these reports to increased Christian extremism and Christian nationalism within the military, noting that service members face difficulty challenging superior officers due to military hierarchy constraints.
#military-religious-freedom #christian-extremism #iran-military-operations #religious-rhetoric-in-military #christian-nationalism
Read at www.theguardian.com
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