Common Thread
It was, what, all of last week↑ when Right Wing Watch↱ pointed out, "Just a reminder that electing a president surrounded by people clamoring for the End Times might have been a bad idea."
Today, social media joker Liam Nissan↱ observed, "We should probably stop putting people who are preparing for the rapture in charge of anything."
A few hours earlier, social media commentator John Collins↱ made the same point in response to news of servicemember complaints about war as part of God's divine plan: "Maybe it’s a bad idea to put people in charge of government who are eager for the rapture."
And in between, journalist and compulsive bear-poker Jeet Heer↱ wondered as if to poke a bear: "Where are my new atheist and skeptic buddies at -- Bill Maher, Sam Harris, Dawkins. I'm sure they very vocal about how this is dangerous."
Heer's provocation actually runs deeper than, say, Bill Maher, but that discussion depends on recognizing the antiliberal malaise associated with the rise of rightist extremism. We've known these people were coming¹, but for whatever reason folded their argument into a range of sacred speech that needed especial protection against political correctness, shaming, silencing, and on through cancel culture. See, these people apparently never intended to legitimize what they were protecting, it's just that they needed to object to the objection or else injustice would prevail.
It's one thing, perhaps, if religionists run afoul of science, but the same basic switch that wasn't good enough for, say, intelligent design, did well enough for other godless reformulations of religious expectation.
Meanwhile, calling out the New Atheists remains an exercise in futility. The metadiscussion, though, such as the relationship of certain attitudes to the advancement of extremism, will eventually become necessary in the course of understanding this history.
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Notes:
Rhett Miller, Joshua. "US commander said Trump ‘anointed by Jesus’ to attack Iran: Report". Newsweek. 3 March 2026. Newsweek.com. 3 March 2026. https://www.newsweek.com/us-commander-said-trump-anointed-by-jesus-to-attack-iran-report-11615046
It was, what, all of last week↑ when Right Wing Watch↱ pointed out, "Just a reminder that electing a president surrounded by people clamoring for the End Times might have been a bad idea."
Today, social media joker Liam Nissan↱ observed, "We should probably stop putting people who are preparing for the rapture in charge of anything."
A few hours earlier, social media commentator John Collins↱ made the same point in response to news of servicemember complaints about war as part of God's divine plan: "Maybe it’s a bad idea to put people in charge of government who are eager for the rapture."
And in between, journalist and compulsive bear-poker Jeet Heer↱ wondered as if to poke a bear: "Where are my new atheist and skeptic buddies at -- Bill Maher, Sam Harris, Dawkins. I'm sure they very vocal about how this is dangerous."
Some U.S. military leaders are telling troops that the Iran war is part of "God's divine plan" featuring President Trump and Jesus, according to a religious freedom advocacy group. In response to Newsweek's request for comment on the matter, the Pentagon boasted Trump's action in Iran.
Mikey Weinstein, founder and president of the Military Religious Freedom Foundation, said the nonprofit group has received more than 200 complaints from roughly 50 military installations since Saturday involving reports of U.S. commanders linking Christianity to the "biblically sanctioned" war in Iran.
"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," one complaint reads. "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. 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.'"
Weinstein, a former Air Force officer, said the complaints represent the "unrestricted euphoria" of some U.S. military commanders who believe the ongoing conflict in Iran represents Christian fundamentalism as described in the New Testament Book of Revelation.
"This is a national security threat — not just to our country, but to the world," Weinstein told Newsweek during a brief interview on Tuesday. "No one should be surprised that commanders are doing this, but when you tell someone they lack courage, character, bravery, honesty and intrepidity because of their chosen religious faith — or lack thereof — there's no difference between saying that and telling someone they're stupid because of the color of their skin or because they were born female."
Mikey Weinstein, founder and president of the Military Religious Freedom Foundation, said the nonprofit group has received more than 200 complaints from roughly 50 military installations since Saturday involving reports of U.S. commanders linking Christianity to the "biblically sanctioned" war in Iran.
"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," one complaint reads. "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. 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.'"
Weinstein, a former Air Force officer, said the complaints represent the "unrestricted euphoria" of some U.S. military commanders who believe the ongoing conflict in Iran represents Christian fundamentalism as described in the New Testament Book of Revelation.
"This is a national security threat — not just to our country, but to the world," Weinstein told Newsweek during a brief interview on Tuesday. "No one should be surprised that commanders are doing this, but when you tell someone they lack courage, character, bravery, honesty and intrepidity because of their chosen religious faith — or lack thereof — there's no difference between saying that and telling someone they're stupid because of the color of their skin or because they were born female."
Heer's provocation actually runs deeper than, say, Bill Maher, but that discussion depends on recognizing the antiliberal malaise associated with the rise of rightist extremism. We've known these people were coming¹, but for whatever reason folded their argument into a range of sacred speech that needed especial protection against political correctness, shaming, silencing, and on through cancel culture. See, these people apparently never intended to legitimize what they were protecting, it's just that they needed to object to the objection or else injustice would prevail.
It's one thing, perhaps, if religionists run afoul of science, but the same basic switch that wasn't good enough for, say, intelligent design, did well enough for other godless reformulations of religious expectation.
Meanwhile, calling out the New Atheists remains an exercise in futility. The metadiscussion, though, such as the relationship of certain attitudes to the advancement of extremism, will eventually become necessary in the course of understanding this history.
____________________
Notes:
¹ If we consider our own community, we've known since at least 2007↗. It's also true that Americans can count fifteen years before that, at least; depending on the telling, we can also look back to 1974↗, in the aftermath of Roe v. Wade.
Rhett Miller, Joshua. "US commander said Trump ‘anointed by Jesus’ to attack Iran: Report". Newsweek. 3 March 2026. Newsweek.com. 3 March 2026. https://www.newsweek.com/us-commander-said-trump-anointed-by-jesus-to-attack-iran-report-11615046
