You might have noticed, but I'm not religious. In fact, I'm areligious, atheist.
Kudos to the American Pope Leo XIV, though, for calling out all sides in the US-Israel-Iran war, but particularly those who claim to be Christian (his turf), for invoking God in support of their cause. Warmongerers have been doing it since long before the Crusades,
Leo (I can call you "Leo", can't I?) made his position clear: that no-one can use religion to justify war, least of all Christians who worship "Jesus, King of Peace, who rejects war, whom no-one can use to justify war". Furthermore, "He does not listen to the prayers of those who wage war, but rejects them".
Well, that's pretty clear.
So, when the likes of Secretary of War Pete Hegseth use pseudo-biblical language about US forces raining death and destruction from above "in the name of Jesus Christ", he might want to reign it in and tone it down a little. I know he is not strictly Catholic (Hegseth is an Evangelical Protestant), but still... Hegseth even has a "Deus Vult" tattoo - "God wills it" - echoing the war cry used by the Crusaders. The guy is distinctly creepy.
And who can forget that image of Donald Trump (a self-declared non-denominational Protestant) deep in prayer with various "faith leaders" in the early days of the war. Equally creepy.
Several Republican holy rollers got in on the act. Senator Lindsey Graham called the conflict "a religious war", and Senator Kevin Cramer declared that the United States has "a biblical responsibility to Israel", whatever that might mean.
At least one commander of US troops in Iran was reported as waxing religiously lyrical about the Americans' incursion, saying that it was "all part of God's divine plan" and that "President Trump has been annointed by Jesus to light the signal fire in Iran to cause Armageddon and mark his return to earth". Yow!
Benjamin Netanyahu is also fond of invoking the scriptures in support of his wars against Palestine and Iran, quoting some pretty obscure stuff about the Amalekites (ancient enemies of the Jews in biblical times) and "wicked Haman" (a Persian official in the Book of Esther, who planned to kill all the Jews).
Of course, the Iranians are just as bad, declaring Ayatollah Ali Khamenei a martyr for being killed by the Americans, making reference tonthe "Hidden 12th Iman" who is supposed to return on the day of judgement. *Yawn*
And then there's Vladimir Putin, who has often used religious imagery in justifying Russia's war on Ukraine. In particular he has co-opted Patriarch Kirill, head of the Russian Orthodox Church, to his cause, a man who is happy to declare it a "holy war" against the West which has "fallen into Satanism". Early in the war, the Patriarch vowed, "I'm going to bless the troops, I'm going to bless the tanks and bombs, and I'm going to declare that anyone who dies in the process of this war will immediately go to heaven and have their sins forgiven".
Wow. Clearly the Americans have a thing or two to learn from the Russians.