Friday Morning Bible Study

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth just prayed over the Iran war; and he used a fictional Bible verse.

From the previously unknown Book of Pulp Fiction.

At the Pentagon's monthly worship service on Wednesday, April 15, the Secretary of Defense stood up, told military leaders what they hear in worship should  'inform' their war decisions and then read a prayer calling for 'great vengeance and furious anger' on Iran. He said the prayer was called  'CSAR 2517,' which stands  for Combat Search And Rescue, and was based on Ezekiel 25:17.

Only it wasn't.

It was from Pulp Fiction. Specifically, it was the speech Samuel L. Jackson's character recites before executing an unarmed man.

The actual Ezekiel 25:17 has one sentence. The rest, including 'the path of the righteous man is beset on all sides by the inequities of the selfish and the tyranny of evil men,' was invented for Tarantino's 1994 film.  

The path of the righteous man is beset on all sides by the inequities of the selfish and the tyranny of evil men. Blessed is he who, in the name of charity and good will, shepherds the weak through the valley of darkness, for he is truly his brother's keeper and the finder of lost children. And I will strike down upon thee with great vengeance and furious anger. And you will know my name is the Lord when I lay my vengeance upon thee.

- Quentin Tarantino 

The Secretary of Defense read a fictional hit man's execution speech to bless an actual war.

And then he said this: 'Fifteen minutes ago I was talking about blockades with Admiral Cooper, and now we're going to study the Lord's word. May what we talk about, how we worship today, inform the remainder of our day and the remainder of our week.'

The man coordinating a naval blockade and potential strikes on Iran is citing Bible verses that don't exist. 

From Hollywood. 

To bless a war that has killed men and women in service to our country, thousands of Iranians and threatens order, security and the entire global economy.  

In Jesus' name.

Amen.

Pope Leo responded to Hegseth's earlier violent prayers on Palm Sunday. The Pope quoted actual scripture, Isaiah 1:15:'  Even though you make many prayers, I will not listen. Your hands are full of blood.' 

Archbishop Reinhard Marx of Munich called Hegseth's sermons 'shameless blasphemy.

This is the man in charge of American military.  You know; the good guys.

The Crusader-tattooed former Fox News host who prayed for 'overwhelming violence' at his confirmation.  Who has fired Army leadership out of paranoia. Who invoked a movie as scripture to justify killing more civilians.

Too be clear, I have no sympathy for the Iranian Mullahs.  But this mash-up of God, guns and country implies Hegseth belongs back in rehab.  

Why your ask?

Because you can’t make this shit up.

Choosing Your Battles

'Let those who have the power to unleash wars choose peace.  Not a peace imposed by force, but through dialogue.  Not with the desire to dominate others, but to counter them.  We are growing accustomed to violence, resigning ourselves to it and becoming indifferent.  Indifferent to the deaths of thousands of people.'

-Pope Leo XIV 

In the abstract these words might apply to any number of the world's leaders, including Iran's Mullahs.  Nevertheless, I suspect that the Pope was taking a shot at Donald Trump. Why do I think so you ask? 

Because of the response.  In relatively short order Cardinal Christophe Pierre, the Holy See's ambassador to the US, was summoned to the Pentagon and given a lecture warning that the United States has the military power to do whatever it wants and that the church had better get on board with American foreign policy.  Yup, like hoodlums shaking-down a neighborhood shopkeeper.  

Catholic leadership is attempting to frame the conflict in Iran in terms of Augustinian just war theory including civilian protection and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has infused the war with Christian nationalist rhetoric and a maximal lethality approach.

Is it just me, or does the the notion of going to war with a blood-soaked collection of nutty clerics who believe God is on their side all the while invoking God is on our side seem a bit nutty?  The irony is not lost on me.  It's the same God after-all.

What I know is this.  President Trump is losing support among Catholics - even white, non-Hispanic Catholics who supported him only a short couple of years ago.  Furthermore, The Pope's favorability rating overshadows that of the President's. 

Just between you and me I wouldn't pick a fight with the Vatican.  This blogger ain't dying on that hill.  And I'm not gonna embrace any God is only on my side bullshit dogma either.

Just like Pope Leo is a Sox fan, Jesus was a peacemaker.  These are known facts.