When the war between the United States and Israel was tense, I thought that Trump would repeat his old trick and find a bunch of pastors to "pray" around him, which was abstract enough. Unexpectedly, things developed in an even more unexpected direction.
According to a report on the US "Military.com" website on the 6th, more than 20 Democratic members of Congress called for the launch of an internal investigation into the US Department of Defense, accusing top military officials of allegedly citing Christian "Bible prophecies" and "Doomsday Judgment" arguments to justify military actions against Iran. The Pentagon has so far not responded directly.
The original complaint to the Military Religious Freedom Foundation (MRFF) came from an anonymous noncommissioned officer. This person claimed that superiors instilled in the non-commissioned officers that the war with Iraq was part of "God's plan." Trump is the so-called "Chosen One", that is, the person "anointed by Jesus to light the signal fire in Iran, trigger the end of the world, and mark the return of Jesus."
The noncommissioned officer is outside the war zone in Iran but could be redeployed at any time to support operations against Iraq. He claimed to be a Christian and filed a joint complaint on behalf of 15 soldiers, including at least 11 Christians, 1 Muslim and 1 Jew.
This is not an isolated case. Mitch Weinstein, founder of the foundation, revealed to "Military.com" that from last Saturday to Tuesday afternoon, more than 200 similar complaints had been received from 50 US military bases.
On March 5, local time, Trump prayed with pastors from all over the United States in the Oval Office.
On Friday local time, Reps. Jared Huffman and Jamie Raskin, co-chairs of the U.S. Congressional Free Thought Caucus, and Krissy Holahan, ranking member of the House Armed Services Committee’s Military Personnel Subcommittee, and 27 Democratic colleagues sent a letter to the Inspector General of the Department of Defense Pratt Morin, requesting an investigation into relevant complaints and checking whether there is any behavior that “cites religious prophecies and doomsday theology to justify U.S. military operations in Iraq.”
The signatory members include moderates and progressives in the Democratic Party, including Pelosi, Ilhan Omar, Rashida Tlaib, Mark Pocan and others.
The report pointed out that members of the U.S. Armed Forces take an oath to uphold the secular constitution rather than specific religious doctrines, and service members have the right to perform their duties without forced religious indoctrination by the chain of command.
The lawmakers said in a two-page letter: "If the relevant remarks are true, using biblical prophecies to justify war and telling soldiers that they die for a specific religious vision not only constitutes a serious constitutional issue, but also violates the Department of Defense's religious neutrality regulations and violates the professional obligations and standards of military leadership."
