U.S. President Donald Trump and Pastor Paula White attend the annual National Prayer Breakfast at Hilton hotel in Washington, U.S., February 6, 2025. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque
While Republicans are trying to ban "Sharia Law," President Donald Trump's administration is trying to bring its own version of it to force on the U.S. military.
Sharia is Islamic religious law derived from the Quran and the teachings of the Prophet Muhammad. It guides Muslims’ personal conduct, worship and ethics and, in very few countries, it can control aspects of civil or criminal law. Retired Gen. Mark Hertling can't help but think that Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth is bringing his own brand of Christianity and forcing it down the throats of every soldier for what he believes is some kind of holy war.
On MS NOW, the conversation turned to Hegseth's recent announcement that he's creating a new Pentagon office to “elevate spiritual readiness." Hegseth has a "menu of options" listing out various religions that military members must identify as.
In a memo in May, Military.com reported that 180 faiths were cut from the list of "recognized religions" in the military. Things like Humanism, Deists, Spiritualists and Unitarian Universalists were cut. While there were once 211 acceptable religions to identify as, there are now 31.
“The Department of War protects the constitutional right of every service member and civilian employee to practice their faith without coercion or discrimination,” Pentagon press secretary Kingsley Wilson told MS NOW. “Despite the Left’s efforts to remove our Christian heritage from our great nation, Secretary Hegseth is among those who embrace it.”
Hertling said the whole thing made him confused.
"I've commandedsoldiers of every religiousbackground, including thosewith no religious beliefs atall. And one of the mostimportant things a leader hasresponsibilities to do was tomake sure every single soldier,sailor, airman, marine feelsrespected and valued as membersof the team," said Hertling.
"Faith is importantto soldiers, and so is if theydon't have any faith at all.And it's particularly true incombat," the retired general explained. "The military has alwaysprotected their right topractice the faith of theirchoosing. But there's aprofound difference betweenreligious freedom and religiousfavoritism. And that's what thesecretary of defense seems tobe doing right now. He has away of worshiping, and godbless him for it. You know, I'ma Christian, and I don't know ofanyone who's trying to getChristianity out of themilitary."
He said that every member of the U.S. armed forces deserves to practice whatever faith they want.
"And Ithink that we're seeing a reallien by the secretary ofdefense, one individuals who istrying to persuade people to doa certain kind of faith, whichhe agrees with. And that'sreally unfortunate," Hertling continued.
Host and reporter Ayman Mohyeldin sees it as an extension of the Trump administration's agenda to invoke Christian nationalism into government strategy and philosophy.
"They have invoked thiskind of white nationalistimagery in the way theyrecruited people to theDepartment of Homeland Security," he recalled. "They've tried to characterizeand evoke this imagery with theimmigration operations thatthey're using here domestically.We've all seen the pictures ofthe president with the prayerservices and the variousevangelical pastors with theirhands on him. He's tried toanoint himself as a messengerof God, acting on behalf of Christianity in this country,which I think is very dangerousto the larger issue."
Hertling added that the whole thing plays right into the hands of Islamic extremists who believe they are in a holy war against the Christian West. When Trump and Hegseth try to craft the military into some kind of soldier for Jesus it is quickly used by the extremists to recruit into terrorist groups.
"And it also makes the job of our allies in the region who are predominantly Muslim that much harder," he added.
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