639 - Pete Hegseth Destroys Military Religion List

Pete Hegseth, U.S. Secretary of War, has sparked outrage by drastically shrinking the military’s religious affiliation list from over 200 to just 31 categories—a move framed as 'streamlining' but widely condemned as a weaponized act of Christian nationalism. The new list erases nuanced identities like humanist, deist, and agnostic, while forcing Mormons into a vague 'Other' category despite their self-identification as Christian. This isn't just bureaucratic nonsense—it's a deliberate effort to erase non-dominant religious identities and marginalize non-Christians, especially in a military that claims to be merit-based and inclusive. The episode also exposes a deeper pattern: the weaponization of religious identity by right-wing forces. The FBI’s 2023 internal memo warning of a violent extremist linked to a radical traditionalist Catholic church was leaked and twisted into a conspiracy theory that the FBI was targeting Catholics. In response, Kash Patel fired five analysts who had successfully prevented a potential mass attack. Meanwhile, a 23-year-old Republican candidate in Connecticut, Jaden McCormick, gained notoriety for his virulent anti-LGBTQ rhetoric, Holocaust denial, and a gospel album titled *Battles and Blessings*, all while being endorsed by the state GOP—only to be condemned by them after public backlash.