Hegseth prays at service for violence against 'those who deserve no mercy' |
Hegseth prays at service for violence against ‘those who deserve no mercy’
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth prayed at a Wednesday service in the Pentagon for violence against those “who deserve no mercy” and for god to “break the teeth of the ungodly.”
Hegseth read a prayer that he said was first delivered by a chaplain to troops ahead of an operation to capture Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro in January.
“Behold now the wicked who rise against your justice and the peace of the righteous. Snap the rod of the oppressor, frustrate the wicked plans and break the teeth of the ungodly. By the blast of your anger, let the evil perish,” Hegseth said at a monthly Christian worship service on Wednesday.
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“Grant this task force clear and righteous targets for violence. Surround them as a shield, protect the innocent and blameless in their midst, make their arrows like those of a skilled warrior who returned not empty-handed. Let every round find its mark against the enemies of righteousness and our great nation,” he continued, speaking to uniformed military personnel and civilian employees.
“Preserve their lives, sharpen their resolve and let justice be executed swiftly and without remorse, that evil may be driven back and wicked souls delivered to the eternal damnation prepared for them.”
The advocacy group Americans United for Separation of Church and State filed a lawsuit on Monday related to Hegseth’s monthly Christian worship services.
“Even if these prayer services are presented as voluntary, there is pressure on federal employees to attend in order to appease their bosses,” the group wrote.
Hegseth often invokes faith as the Pentagon head and is a part of the Communion of Reformed Evangelical Churches (CREC), a conservative network of Christian congregations.
“And again to the American people, please pray for them every day on bended knee with your family, in your schools, in your churches, in the name of Jesus Christ. To the troops, keep going and Godspeed,” Hegseth said at the most recent press briefing at the Pentagon last week.
The CREC network is co-founded by the self-described Christian nationalist Doug Wilson, who, along with other pastors, has preached at the Pentagon.
Brooks Potteiger, pastor of the Pilgrim Hill Reformed Fellowship in Tennessee, whose parishioners have included Hegseth, made news this week when he said James Talarico, a Democrat running for Senate in Texas, should be crucified.
Talarico responded to Potteiger in a statement, writing, “I love you more than you could ever hate me.”
Typically, U.S. military chaplains provide faith services at the Pentagon.
On Tuesday, Hegseth announced two major changes to the group: Chaplains will no longer wear their rank insignia but instead show insignia reflecting their religious affiliation, and chaplains, who have been part of the military since 1775, will use 31 faith codes instead of more than 200.
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