Iran, US and Religion
Good morning, afternoon, or whenever it is that you read this.
I've been reading Jesus and John Wayne, and so I've been more sensitive to issues surrounding Christian nationalism. Potential content warning.
Whatever I am reading in the nonfiction realm has a habit of appearing in the news while I'm reading it. Confirmation bias.
But themes from the book were on my mind when I read this testimony from the Military Religious Freedom Foundation:
"This morning our commander opened up the combat readiness status briefing by urging us to not be “afraid” as to what is happening with our combat operations in Iran right now. He 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."
This rhetoric feels so much like those guys I used to see on Right Wing Watch back in college. I didn't grow up in the culture conservative Evangelicals. However, I grew up steeped in the part of the south that votes Republican every single election cycle. Islamophobia ran rampant after 9/11. It still runs rampant in many counties around Texas. I didn't grow up in the worst of it, but I had family who did. The mainline view I was around was one of Christianity versus Islam, West versus East, Us versus the Other.
After reading the testimony, I decided to go to Right Wing Watch, the top story was hardly surprising: 'The Return Of Jesus Is Back On The Menu': MAGA Evangelicals Celebrate The Attack On Iran'.
From that post, Right Wing Watch checked in on nationalist pastors. In a 'Bible Prophecy sermon', Jack Hibbs uses contrasting Islamic and Gregorian calendars to say how the US Strikes were on the 11th Day of the 9th Month (Ramadan) in the Islamic Calendar. Hibbs attributes this planning to God. He goes on to mock the concept of 'symbolic' dates when used by Muslims without a hint of self-awareness.
From the same article, Faith Leader Sean Feucht claims that the endgame doors are going to open in Iran.
This led me to check the Guardian, where I found the original story again under their Middle East Crisis stories. This reminded me that Defense secretary Pete Hegseth is an open and avowed Christian nationalist who openly wants to shape the military to be exclusively male, Christian, cisgender, and heterosexual.
Thoughts
Do I think that starting a war in Iran is motivated by a desire to bring about a end times event and, with it, the Second Coming? I doubt it.
Like any major event in history, there's many causes that come together to bring about the winds of change. The officially cited reason of Aiding Israeli attacks is part of the equation, I'm sure. Desires for an imperialist legacy, resources, control of the Strait of Hormuz, the toxic masculinity driving US policy, good old fashion jingoism, distraction from the Epstein files, and even national defense concerns - I think all of these play a larger role in the decision to attack Iran late last month.
But I do think that the pursuit of the end times is a motivation for some of the people who are driving US policy. And that is terrifying.
I decided to try something new, and bring you down some of my news thoughts. Hope you enjoyed the ride~