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Jørgen Watne Frydnes
Chairman
Norwegian Nobel Committee
Henrik Ibsens gate 51
NO-0255 Oslo, Norway
September 19, 2025
Dear Chairman Frydnes and Norwegian Nobel Committee Members:
Just eight months into the second presidential administration of Donald Trump, the world finds itself facing peril and uncertainty echoing the moments that preceded many of the worst instances of suffering and death in global memory. A resurgent, reactionary religious right has ridden a wave of populism and discontent into positions of power around the world, most recently and prominently in the United States.
No single institution bears more responsibility for our current precarity than a United States military led by unchecked Christian Nationalism. The most technologically advanced, nuclear armed entity ever devised by humankind is presently under the command of religious extremists, led by the shamefully unqualified Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth. Hegseth sees himself as a crusader, as evidenced by the literal crusader cross tattooed across his chest–and he’s clearly looking to fight a holy war using the U.S. military.
Among the recent incontrovertibly illegal actions under this Christian Nationalist regime: unconstitutional troop deployments across American cities; purges of women, people of color, transgender people, and others deemed disloyal or undesirable from throughout the ranks; and the shameful abandonment of our allies in NATO and beyond in favor of aligning with the very worst aggressors and strongmen across the globe. And now, in a shocking shift in posture, the Department of Defense (DoD) has illegally refashioned itself as the Department of War (though this letter will continue to bear its legal name) and apparently committed one of the most brazen examples of extrajudicial murder of foreign citizens in recent memory.
What many do not realize is that the project to infiltrate, corrupt, and co-opt the might of the United States armed forces into an extremist religious entity is far from a new phenomenon; in fact, Christian Nationalists have been working toward these regressive goals for decades with varying levels of success.
Far fewer know that one organization has been at the vanguard of the fight against this abominable mission: the Military Religious Freedom Foundation (MRFF), founded 20 years ago by U.S. Air Force Academy (USAFA) honor graduate, lawyer, former White House legal counsel and businessman Michael L. “Mikey” Weinstein.
MRFF has worked tirelessly under Weinstein’s leadership to protect American servicemembers and veterans from the extreme, virulent strain of evangelical, dominionist Christian Nationalism infecting every corner of the U.S. armed forces, and has directly served just under 100,000 clients to date and growing rapidly – the overwhelming majority of whom are Christians themselves. This has come at great personal risk to Weinstein and his family, as they deal with daily violent threats and have experienced antisemitic vandalism to their home; however, this has not dampened MRFF’s resolve to defend the Constitutionally-guaranteed separation of church and state in the United States military.
Since its inception in 2005, the Military Religious Freedom Foundation’s relentless advocacy, intervention, and legal action have resulted in thousands of positive results. Selected highlights from the last two decades include: top Pentagon brass were disciplined over their in-uniform participation in a video for the Christian Embassy organization; the DoD was forced to remove Bible inscriptions from countless rifle scopes after MRFF exposed the “Jesus Rifles” scandal; MRFF successfully pressured the Pentagon to disinvite Islamophobic evangelist Franklin Graham from a National Day of Prayer event; the Air Force removed Christian “Just War” theology content colloquially known as “Jesus Loves Nukes” from nuclear missile launch officer training curriculum; Islamophobic Christian Nationalist Lt. Gen. (Ret.) Boykin withdrew from his planned speech at West Point following MRFF pressure; illegally-used military emblems were removed from Holman Bibles; the Air Force enacted a new “Standards of Conduct” Air Force Instruction (AFI) 1-1; the Veterans Administration (VA) updated their policy on religious exercise and expression; military emblems were removed from a Christian Nationalist megachurch; the VA removed swastika-adorned headstones from veteran cemeteries; and the U.S. Army Band was canceled from playing at a blatantly-sectarian religious event. Those examples only scratch the surface of the impact that MRFF and Mikey Weinstein’s tireless efforts have had protecting U.S. servicemembers from unconstitutional religious coercion. Hundreds more successes are listed at MilitaryReligiousFreedom.org/achievements
In late 2023, MAGA House Representative Mike Turner attempted to literally eradicate MRFF via a flagrantly unconstitutional amendment to the following year’s National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). The proposed legislation–which was eventually quietly dropped after Democratic Senate intervention–would have forbidden all members of the military from communicating with or taking any action in response to MRFF. Ultimately, Rep. Turner’s failed gambit only ended up highlighting MRFF’s extensive track record of efficacy and impact.
A retired General recently shared the following message with MRFF supporters and military leaders: “The Military Religious Freedom Foundation plays a critical role in the defense of America. It is a first-rate force multiplier for the nation’s military defense, and it is the warfighter’s ally. It is just that important to our combat capabilities. It’s my love of country and its military that compels me to support MRFF’s mission.”
In recognition of its decades of impactful civil rights advocacy and continuing vitally important work as the lone dedicated bulwark standing in the way of total Christian Nationalist domination of the United States military, it is my honor and privilege to nominate the Military Religious Freedom Foundation for the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize.
Thank you for your consideration,
(Name, Nobel Peace Prize-winning organization, and year awarded Nobel Peace Prize withheld)
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