Does God want America to kill as many of our enemies as we can--in as violent a fashion as possible?

[mahatmakanejeeves]

Reposted by Kevin M. Kruse
https://bsky.app/profile/kevinmkruse.bsky.social

David Rothkopf
‪@djrothkopf.bsky.social‬

Important thread. Hegseth has blown a gasket. He needs to go. ASAP.

‪Greg Sargent‬
‪@gregsargent.bsky.social‬
· 2h

Pete Hegseth just held a prayer service in which he appealed for God's help in killing our "enemies" with maximal violence and brutality. Hegseth's bloodlust and sadism are drawing sustenance from his particular brand of far-right Christianity. 1/

(new piece from me)
https://newrepublic.com/article/208322/pete-hegseth-religion-war-iran-sadism-rage

Pete Hegseth Just Revealed the Real Roots of His Sadism and Rage
Does God want America to kill as many of our enemies as we can—in as violent a fashion as possible? We have a defense secretary who apparently thinks so.
newrepublic.com
8:31 AM · Mar 30, 2026

Important thread. Hegseth has blown a gasket. He needs to go. ASAP.

— David Rothkopf (@djrothkopf.bsky.social) 2026-03-30T12:31:08.541Z

Greg Sargent
‪@gregsargent.bsky.social‬

Pete Hegseth just held a prayer service in which he appealed for God's help in killing our "enemies" with maximal violence and brutality. Hegseth's bloodlust and sadism are drawing sustenance from his particular brand of far-right Christianity. 1/

(new piece from me)
https://newrepublic.com/article/208322/pete-hegseth-religion-war-iran-sadism-rage

Pete Hegseth Just Revealed the Real Roots of His Sadism and Rage
Does God want America to kill as many of our enemies as we can—in as violent a fashion as possible? We have a defense secretary who apparently thinks so.
newrepublic.com
7:30 AM · Mar 30, 2026

Pete Hegseth just held a prayer service in which he appealed for God's help in killing our "enemies" with maximal violence and brutality. Hegseth's bloodlust and sadism are drawing sustenance from his particular brand of far-right Christianity. 1/

(new piece from me)
newrepublic.com/article/2083...

— Greg Sargent (@gregsargent.bsky.social) 2026-03-30T11:30:27.070Z

[gab13by13]

1. Didn't god tell Joshua

to go into Jericho and kill every man, woman, and child with the sword?

[lees1975]

5. This is a huge theological dilemna for Evangelicals who believe each word of the Bible is inspired literally

and requires literal interpretation. The fact of the matter is that there is a context, that Jericho, if it were a historical event and not a legendary one, took place in a day and time when the motivation for most war and bloodshed was defending the honor of the country's gods or God. Almost 1500 years passed between the battle and the time when God revealed his true nature through Jesus Christ, according to Christian tradition. I tend to think that the Old Testament stories are less actual accounts and more object lessons about what happens when God is obeyed than actual narrative accounts of the battles.

[RussBLib]

2. Oh, right

Let’s argue over what “god” wants us to do and how to do it. And if our “enemies” also think god is on their side, well we got us a Dark Ages conflagration going. Yeee ha! Kill ‘em all, and let god sort ‘em out.

Why do we have nukes if we can’t use them?

[Intractable]

3. Isn't God all good? Aren't we all God's children?

God wants some of his children to kill other children?

It must take some serious mental gymnastics to be religious.

I've been an atheist since I was a kid.

[mahatmakanejeeves]

4. The West has also made important contributions to the idea that there are moral limits on what we can do in war,.

Reposted by Kevin M. Kruse
https://bsky.app/profile/kevinmkruse.bsky.social

Jake Grumbach
‪@jakemgrumbach.bsky.social‬

100% of the people who claim to be “defending Western civilization” think Western civilization is Christian ethnonationalism

‪Greg Sargent‬
‪@gregsargent.bsky.social‬
· 4h

Hegseth imagines himself defending "Western civilization." But the West has also made important contributions to the idea that there are moral limits on what we can do in war, from Cicero through Augustine, Grotius, Kant and more. He discards this inheritance. 6/

https://newrepublic.com/article/208322/pete-hegseth-religion-war-iran-sadism-rage


11:18 AM · Mar 30, 2026

100% of the people who claim to be “defending Western civilization” think Western civilization is Christian ethnonationalism

— Jake Grumbach (@jakemgrumbach.bsky.social) 2026-03-30T15:18:41.059Z

Greg Sargent
‪@gregsargent.bsky.social‬

Hegseth imagines himself defending "Western civilization." But the West has also made important contributions to the idea that there are moral limits on what we can do in war, from Cicero through Augustine, Grotius, Kant and more. He discards this inheritance. 6/

https://newrepublic.com/article/208322/pete-hegseth-religion-war-iran-sadism-rage


8:09 AM · Mar 30, 2026

Hegseth imagines himself defending "Western civilization." But the West has also made important contributions to the idea that there are moral limits on what we can do in war, from Cicero through Augustine, Grotius, Kant and more. He discards this inheritance. 6/

newrepublic.com/article/2083...

— Greg Sargent (@gregsargent.bsky.social) 2026-03-30T12:09:12.689Z