Pentagon defends Trump official quoting fake Bible verse from cult crime-comedy - BERITAJA

The Pentagon moved to take sides Secretary of War Pete Hegseth aft he recited a dream astatine a Pentagon believe work that intimately resembled a fictional speech from Quentin Tarantino’s 1994 movie Pulp Fiction, a transition that has ne'er appeared successful the Bible.

Chief Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell addressed the contention successful a connection connected X, writing, “Secretary Hegseth connected Wednesday shared a civilization prayer, referenced arsenic the CSAR prayer, utilized by the brave warfighters of Sandy-1 who led the daylight rescue ngo of Dude 44 Alpha retired of Iran, which was evidently inspired by speech successful Pulp Fiction. However, some the CSAR dream and the speech successful Pulp Fiction were reflections of the verse Ezekiel 25:17, arsenic Secretary Hegseth intelligibly said successful his remarks astatine the dream service. Anyone saying the Secretary misquoted Ezekiel 25:17 is peddling clone news and ignorant of reality.”

Secretary Hegseth connected Wednesday shared a civilization prayer, referenced arsenic the CSAR prayer, utilized by the brave warfighters of Sandy-1 who led the daylight rescue ngo of Dude 44 Alpha retired of Iran, which was evidently inspired by speech successful Pulp Fiction. However, some the CSAR prayer… https://t.co/KMRNQ9MBcc

— Sean Parnell (@SeanParnellASW) April 16, 2026

That defense, however, sidesteps the halfway issue: the matter Hegseth recited is not a existent scripture passage. The King James Bible type of Ezekiel 25:17 reads, “And I will execute awesome vengeance upon them pinch furious rebukes; and they shall cognize that I americium the Lord, erstwhile I shall laic my vengeance upon them.” The longer type delivered astatine the Pentagon is simply a Hollywood invention.

What Hegseth said astatine the Pentagon

During the believe work astatine the Pentagon, Hegseth said the prayer, known arsenic “CSAR 25:17,” had been utilized by “Sandy-1” combat search-and-rescue crews earlier missions, including a caller cognition involving 2 U.S. Air Force personnel, who were changeable down complete Iran.

He told attendees the dream came from the mission’s lead planner and was titled “CSAR 2517,” aliases “Combat Search and Rescue 2517,” adding, “I deliberation it is meant to bespeak Ezekiel 25:17.”

JUST IN:

Pete Hegseth quoted a clone Bible verse from Pulp Fiction during a Pentagon sermon.

Comedy… pic.twitter.com/HgwBITYwhJ

— Megatron (@Megatron_ron) April 16, 2026

Hegseth past led the assemblage successful prayer, reading, “The way of the downed aviator is beset connected each sides by the iniquities of the selfish and the tyranny of evil men. Blessed is he who, successful the sanction of camaraderie and duty, shepherd the mislaid done the vale of darkness, for he is genuinely his brother’s keeper and the finder of mislaid children. And I will onslaught down upon thee pinch awesome vengeance and furious anger those who effort to seizure and destruct my brother. And you will cognize my telephone motion is Sandy 1 erstwhile I laic my vengeance upon thee. Amen.”

Hegseth’s shape of Pentagon dream services

This was not an isolated incident. Hegseth has held regular Christian believe services astatine the Pentagon successful caller months, drafting disapproval from church-state separation advocates.

For the 2nd consecutive month, he delivered a convulsive dream echoing Pulp Fiction while blessing U.S. subject action against Iran. He besides suggested belief teachings should power argumentation decisions, saying, “Fifteen minutes ago, I was talking about blockades pinch Admiral Cooper and now we’re going to study the Lord’s word. And whitethorn what we talk about, really we believe coming pass the remainder of our time and the remainder of our week.”

In the past, Hegseth asked God to “let each information find its people against the enemies of righteousness and our awesome nation.”

Earlier successful April, he called for “overwhelming unit of action against those who merit nary mercy” and announced changes to the military’s chaplain corps, saying it had been “infected by governmental correctness and secular humanism.”

Religious leaders push back

Religious leaders quickly responded. Four days aft the March service, Pope Leo XIV appeared to cull Hegseth’s framing of religion and war.

“Brothers and sisters, this is our God: Jesus, King of Peace, who rejects war, whom nary 1 could usage to warrant war. He does not perceive to the prayers of those who costs war, but rejects them, saying: ‘Even though you make galore prayers, I will not listen: your hands are afloat of blood,'” Leo said, quoting Isaiah 1:15.

Archbishop Reinhard Marx of Munich was much nonstop successful his Easter sermon, calling Hegseth’s actions “shameless blasphemy.” He besides criticized akin “holy war” rhetoric elsewhere, saying the world needs “Easter people.”

Legal challenges complete church-state separation

The contention has besides triggered ineligible action. Americans United for Separation of Church and State revenge lawsuits against the Department of Defense and the Department of Labor complete government-hosted believe services.

AU President and CEO Rachel Laser said, “The national government’s domiciled is to service the public, not to proselytize.” John E. Jones III, a erstwhile national judge and existent president of Dickinson College, told The Conversation that the services whitethorn break the First Amendment’s constitution clause. He said they are held connected authorities property, whitethorn create unit to participate and look to beforehand a circumstantial belief viewpoint.