Hegseth’s Mormon Diss Reveals Christian Nationalism’s Incoherence and Immorality
Pete Hegseth’s attempts to “simplify” the military’s religious coding system have inadvertently exposed the exclusionary nature of Christian nationalism. By reducing religious designations to 31 from 211, and granting Christians multiple subcategories while others receive only one, Hegseth signaled a hierarchy that marginalized non-Christian faiths and even excluded Mormons from the “Christian” label. This move, driven by Christian nationalist inclinations, backfired by revealing the deep divisions within Christianity itself, a stark contrast to the unified “Christian nation” often promoted by its proponents. Ultimately, this episode demonstrates that the pursuit of Christian nationalist power is not only about excluding non-Christians but also about the potential marginalization of various Christian factions.
John Q. Hosedrinker