The Trump War on Iran is fast becoming a modern-day version of the Crusades with US military and others framing the war in deeply religious terms.

Middle East Eye (MEE) has reported that a number of US military commanders have told soldiers that Trump is “anointed by Jesus” and would bring about his return to Earth as part of Armageddon.

More than 200 complaints have been received by soldiers from 40 units and 30 military installations.

A US NCO complained that one combat unit commander had told the unit that the Israeli-US attacks were “all part of God’s divine plan” and that Donalda Trump was “anointed by Jesus to light the signal fire on Iran to cause Armageddon” – the story about the battle between good and evil in which Jesus triumphs and establishes a lasting peace on Earth.

The MRFF (an organisation dedicated to ensuring all US military members are guaranteed religious freedom) said there had been more than 200 complaints from personnel serving in the army, air force, marine corps and space force.

The complaints came from more than 40 units and at least 30 military installations.

Michael L. Weinstein – the founder of MRFF – and a veteran of the US Air Force and Reagan White House – said his organisation was being inundated with US military personnel complaining that they were being told to be excited to be party of the war on Iran as it would bring back the return of Jesus Christ.

Weinstein said this was not an isolated case of one rogue commander but caused by the growing influence of Christian nationalist and fundamentalism in the US military.

The US Secretary of War, Pete Hesgeth, is an ultra-conservative Christian nationalist who has been described by The Atlantic as the Pentagon’s “holy warrior” who sponsors a weekly Bible Study that preaches support for Israel.

Hesgeth’s Bible study leader, Ralph Drollinger, teaches that Israel should be supported because God blesses Israel’s allies and curses its enemies.

This is part of a common belief amongst fundamentalists that biblical prophecy requires Israel to exist for Jesus to return.

Weinstein also said that back in October 2023 in the wake of the Hamas-led attacks on southern Israel an air force commander said at a briefing that “war between Isreal and Hamas has all been foretold by the Book of Revelation in the Gospel of Jesus Christ and no-one can do anything about it.”

It seems unbelievable that all these fervent Christians are busy following a President who is a liar, a molester of women and someone filmed boasting about clutching women by “the pussy”.

But then over many centuries Christians have believed many things and have used those beliefs as justification for wars, torture and murder.

Australia- which revels in a no b-s approach to life – is also facing challenges for the religious in the country – this time it seems because they are at the receiving end of the growing secularisation of Australia.

Si Gladman, Executive Director of the Rationalist Society of Australia, wrote in the Society’s newsletter (5/3) that non-religious people are “significantly less likely to vote for the Liberal Party.”

Gladman said the Liberal Party report on the 2025 election said there was a “clear divide on voting intention based on religious affiliation.”

Research company, Redbridge, whose analysis was included in the report, said voters who identified as Christian – Catholic and Protestant – were slightly more likely to vote for Liberal rather than Labor. It also found that non-religious voters were far more likely to vote for Labor with the split at 63% to 37%.

People of non-Christian faith backgrounds were also more likely to vote for Labor (54% to 37%?

Gladman said: “Over the past decade, in particular, non-religious Australians have been turned off by an apparent hard-right Christian infiltration into politics across the country and also by the general privileging of narrow religious interests.”

It may well be that come this year’s Census No religion may overtake Christianity. As the Rationalist Society has been pointing out for some years – the Census question on religion is biased.

You can choose a religion option but there is no provision for ticking a No Religion box.

The author’s experience with religion in the military in the 1960s was also limited by the seemingly compulsory need for recruits to have a religion.

On arriving on a bus at the training base all the recruits were divided into religious groups.

After confessing to no religion, a loud and aggressive NCO became very hostile and demanding.

In the end after fessing up to having Jewish grandmother the NCO sent me off to the Rabbi. After explaining the situation and pointing out that while my grandmother was Jewish my mother was not, so I couldn’t really qualify, we had a good chat.

The Rabbi said that the problem with having no religion is that on the compulsory weekly church parades the non-believers would be condemned to latrine duties every Sunday.

He then suggested it might be preferable to say you were an Anglican as you didn’t seem to need belief in God to be one.

Sadly, there was no room for atheist on any of your military documentation so Anglican seemed as good as anything else. Equally sadly, there is still no box for No religion on our forthcoming Census paper.