Mikey Weinstein Joins Ian Masters on “Background Briefing” to Discuss “Theocrat Versus Theocrat” Iran War

Wednesday Afternoon, April 8, 2026

MIKEY WEINSTEIN JOINS IAN MASTERS

ON “BACKGROUND BRIEFING” TO DISCUSS

“THEOCRAT VERSUS THEOCRAT” IRAN WAR —

MRFF COVERED BY FOREIGN POLICY

“Detailing the survival and daring rescue of a downed U.S. Air Force colonel in Iran over the weekend, U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth likened it to the Christian story of Jesus Christ’s death, entombment in a cave, and resurrection.

“‘Shot down on a Friday—Good Friday. Hidden in a cave, a crevice, all of Saturday. And rescued on Sunday. Flown out of Iran as the sun was rising on Easter Sunday. A pilot reborn, all home and accounted for, a nation rejoicing. God is good,’ Hegseth said during a press conference on Monday.”

— Foreign Policy, “Hegseth’s Divine War”

(AI-generated image)

MRFF’S MIKEY WEINSTEIN

ON “BACKGROUND BRIEFING”

Tuesday, April 7, 2026

Segment description from nationally-syndicated Background Briefing with Ian Masters:

“We discuss what is becoming a theocrat versus theocrat war as a man whose White House spiritual advisor likens him to Jesus, with victory over Iran as part of God’s plan, facing off against a theocratic regime encouraging its people to be human shields at power plants and other civilian infrastructure to be martyred if Trump unleashes hell tonight because the Strait of Hormuz is not opened. Joining us is Michael Weinstein, the founder and president of the Military Religious Freedom Foundation and a leader of the movement to restore the constitutionally mandated separation of church and state in the United States military.”

Click to listen to (19:48) segment on Background Briefing

FOREIGN POLICY

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Hegseth’s Divine War

By: Rachel Oswald and John Haltiwanger

Wednesday, April 8, 2026

Article excerpts (emphasis added):

[…]

“‘He has provided, among other things, a propaganda bonanza’ for terrorist recruiters, said Mikey Weinstein, the founder and president of the Military Religious Freedom Foundation, who said he is deeply concerned about the long-term implications for American society and the U.S. military resulting from Hegseth’s promotion of hard-right Christian views.

“Weinstein said his organization, which works to protect U.S. troops’ right to freedom of religion, has fielded numerous complaints since the start of the Iran war from service members accusing their military superiors of injecting religious war rhetoric and quoting biblical scriptures in their briefings to them.

“One such service member, a human resources sergeant deployed overseas with an Army combat brigade who was introduced to Foreign Policy by the Military Religious Freedom Foundation, said in an email that ‘since the war started there have been multiple instances of commanders in the Middle East telling their soldiers that Trump has been ordained by god and that this is a war to bring their bloodthirsty version of Jesus back even though Jesus preached love of others and forgiveness.’ The service member was granted anonymity because of retaliation fears.”

Click to read on Foreign Policy

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The Rapture Lobby: Christian Zionism and America’s Holy War in Iran

Tuesday, April 7, 2026

Article excerpt (emphasis added):

“The commander of a US combat unit opened his Monday morning readiness briefing on March 2, 2026, with the Book of Revelation. U.S. and Israeli jets had been hitting Tehran since Saturday. He told the Non-Commissioned Officers (NCOs) the strikes were ‘all part of God’s divine plan.’ The NCOs let that slide. What got 15 of them to file a complaint was the next part: Trump, the soldiers were told, had been ‘anointed by Jesus to light the signal fire in Iran to cause Armageddon and mark his return to Earth.’

“A Christian himself, the NCO who reported it filed his complaint on behalf of 15 troops, at least one of them Muslim and at least one Jewish, and within 48 hours, the Military Religious Freedom Foundation had logged more than 200 near-identical complaints from every branch of the armed forces, spanning roughly 50 installations. Commanders, the watchdog reported, spoke with what service members called ‘unrestricted euphoria’ about how bloody the campaign would need to become to fulfill fundamentalist Christian prophecy.”

Click to read on GPAHE

SKEPTIC MAGAZINE

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Is Iran America’s Holy War?

By: Tim Callahan

Tuesday, April 7, 2026

Article excerpt (emphasis added):

“So, if the United States isn’t intent on democratizing Iran, and Iran’s military capabilities aren’t an issue, what is our government’s motivation for attacking Iran, even bringing it to its knees in what President Trump characterized as ‘unconditional surrender’? While Trump’s motives may be a bit murky and unfocused, those of Secretary Hegseth are not.

“Sporting on his chest, among his many other tattoos, is a Jerusalem cross—a favored emblem of the medieval crusaders. Hegseth, author of the 2020 book, American Crusade, told CBS reporter, Major Garrett: ‘I mean, obviously, we’re fighting religious fanatics who seek a nuclear capability in order for some religious Armageddon.’ Troops, he later added, ‘need a connection with their almighty God in these moments.’ A couple of days later, not long after returning from a dignified transfer of soldiers killed in action, Hegseth quoted Psalm 144 at a Pentagon press conference, ‘Blessed be the Lord, my rock, who trains my hands for war and my fingers for battle.’

“This view—that we are involved in a holy war against Islam—is not Hegseth’s alone. The Military Religious Freedom Foundation (MRFF) has received over 110 complaints from enlisted personnel that their officers, referencing the Book of Revelation, have been essentially preaching to them, telling them this war was part of a divine plan. In one such complaint, a noncommissioned officer (NCO) explained that his commander even said President Trump was divinely anointed to carry out this plan: ‘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,’ the NCO wrote. ‘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,’ the NCO continued. ‘He had a big grin on his face when he said all of this which made his message seem even more crazy.’”

Click to read on Skeptic Magazine

Read letter from 30 Democratic members of Congress to DoD Inspector General urging investigation into MRFF clients’ complaints of commanders pushing end-times prophecy as reason for Iran war

Fundamentalist Christian commanders pushed same claims of biblical prophecy being fulfilled at the beginning of the Israel-Hamas war and the last time the U.S. and Israel attacked Iran

10/13/23 – Disturbing But Not Surprising: Fundamentalist Christian U.S. Military Commanders Gleefully Proclaiming Israel-Hamas War is Fulfilling Prophecy

6/24/25 – Dominionist Military Commanders Giddy Over Israeli-Iran-U.S. War Ushering in the End Times — MRFF’s Mikey Weinstein Hits Back in New Video and Op-Ed