American Atheists doesn’t always weigh in on presidential cabinet nominations, so when we do, you can trust enough evidence has mounted to warrant a response. For example, last month, we issued a statement regarding the selection of Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. to lead the Department of Health and Human Services. We received some flak for that, but as an organization that values reason and science, ignoring his long history of spreading dangerous misinformation is not an option. Similarly, we cannot remain silent about the nomination of former Fox & Friends weekend co-host Pete Hegseth to head the Department of Defense. It is the federal government’s largest agency, with an annual operating budget of $900 billion and over two million civilian workers and troops. If confirmed, Hegseth would be the least experienced defense secretary in American history. We’re compelled to oppose Hegseth’s appointment not because his résumé is short but because his reputation is long in religious extremism, and we have grave concerns about the consequences of elevating a person who unabashedly romanticizes Christian warfare. Facing allegations of rape, sexual assault, excessive drinking, and financial mismanagement, Hegseth has, in recent days, made an effort to rehabilitate his public image. Only a month ago, he said, “I’m straight up saying, we should not have women in combat roles.” On Monday, he said, “Our best warriors out there are women.” (Though he couldn’t help but observe women have inferior bone density and lung capacity.) In his media appearances and books, Hegseth has long asserted the military is being weakened by “woke” policies as part of a “Marxist agenda.” Besides women, Hegseth also takes issue racial integration and the inclusion of gay and transgender troops. He has said, “The dumbest phrase on planet Earth in the military is ‘our diversity is our strength,’” supported convicted war criminals, and endorsed committing war crimes. As he attempts to recast some of his most offensive statements about war, women, people of color, and the LGBTQ community, it’s notable he’s remaining an unabashed and unapologetic religious extremist. Hegseth has several tattoos that have been flagged by the Global Project Against Hate and Extremism for their adoption by far-right extremists, including mass murderers Mauricio Garcia and Anders Breivik. “Deus Vult,” for instance, is associated with militant white supremacist groups who, like Hegseth, revere the myth of a white Christian medieval past and romanticize the Christian slaughter of Jews and Muslims during the Crusades. One expert on religious violence said, “There is no version of ‘Deus Vult’ that means anything other than a call for violence.” In his books The American Crusade and The War on Warriors, Hegseth wrote openly and at length about his bigotry toward Muslims and his belief that domestic extremism is “fake.” A veteran of the Army National Guard, Hegseth was himself flagged by a fellow service member as a possible “Insider Threat” and was one of a dozen members removed from serving at the Capitol during President Biden’s inauguration for “questionable behavior,” including extremism. A day after his nomination, the Communion of Reformed Evangelical Churches (CREC) confirmed Hegseth is “a member in good standing.” Scholars […]
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