History Listory

A chronological record of major political events in modern American history.

☰ Menu

Weaponizing God

1973

1973-10-01 Pinochet with the help of the U.S. funding carried out Operation Condor charged with eliminating perceived opponents of the military regime. An estimated 50,000 were killed, 30,000 missing, and 400,000 were imprisoned and tortured. In 1974-12-15 Pinochet personally attended the Jotabeche Pentecostal Methodist Church in Santiago Chile two days after those evangelicals pledged their support for Pinochet. Billy Graham personally praised Pinochet as a “great Christian leader”.

https://nsarchive.gwu.edu/briefing-book/southern-cone/2016-05-27/operation-condor-verdict-guilty

https://www.wola.org/multimedia/uncovering-operation-condor-a-50-year-fight-for-accountability/

https://www.christianitytoday.com/1975/01/worlds-largest-congregation-cathedral-in-chile/

1982

1982-03-23 Self-proclaimed born-again Pentecostal Efrain Rios Montt carried out one of the largest genocides against the Maya, with financial backing from the US. He was convicted of genocide in 2013. Ronald Regan called him “a man of great personal integrity”. Jerry Falwell supported him, and Pat Robinson interviewed him on the 700 Club. Christianity Today’s Luis Palau said, “It’s great to have a Christian president as a model…the hand of God appears to be on him”.

https://nsarchive.gwu.edu/guatemalan-genocide-case

https://www.nytimes.com/1983/06/13/world/special-envoy-praises-guatemala.html

https://digitalcommons.trinity.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1023&context=hist_faculty

https://www.thenation.com/article/society/pat-robertson-obituary/

https://www.christianitytoday.com/2021/03/died-luis-palau-evangelist-argentina-portland-latin-america/

LEARN SOMETHING NEW https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hePRA9yVdQE&list=WL&index=9&t=519s

2023

2023-09-09 OPINION: Christian Nationalism is not Christianity – it is a polarizing extremist group bent on pushing political agendas and greed and promotes political violence.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vZukWuT9lcA&list=WL&index=6&t=66s

https://www.aclund.org/news/danger-christian-nationalism/

https://www.au.org/the-latest/church-and-state/articles/origin-story-the-history-of-christian-nationalism-is-littered-with-hate-and-extremism/

https://www.christiansagainstchristiannationalism.org/learn-more

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8724742/

https://faith.yale.edu/media/violence-fascism-and-christian-nationalism

https://www.middlebury.edu/institute/academics/centers-initiatives/ctec/ctec-publications/white-christian-nationalism-after-january-6

2026 March

2026-03-26 Hegseth delivered a Pentagon sermon invoking God’s role in war, prayed for eternal damnation and overwhelming violence in the name of God and claimed the United States was righteous.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gsqVj3G0cmA&list=WL&index=11&t=215s

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2NrJU2aqGvQ

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=erZ6A5Wmy00

https://www.the-independent.com/news/world/americas/us-politics/pete-hegseth-christian-worship-prayers-pray-for-violence-pentagon-b2945765.html

https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/at-pentagon-christian-service-hegseth-prays-for-violence-against-those-who-deserve-no-mercy

https://www.thedailybeast.com/pentagon-pete-hegseth-prays-for-overwhelming-violence-at-christian-service/

2026 April

2026-04-01 Pope Leo condemned the war in Iran, saying leaders who start wars have hands full of blood. He said, “Even though you make many prayers, I will not listen. Your hands are full of blood”. This came after Pete Hegseth prayed for “overwhelming violence” against his enemies, invoking the name of Jesus Christ for bloodshed.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hyPPkp36nso&list=WL&index=2

https://ewtnvatican.com/articles/pope-leo-xiv-god-does-not-hear-prayers-for-war

https://www.lgbtqnation.com/2026/04/pope-says-that-god-doesnt-listen-to-donald-trumps-prayers/

https://www.ms.now/opinion/pete-hegseth-pope-leo-iran-war

2026-04-01 Franklin Graham framed the Iran conflict in biblical terms and likened Trump to Queen Esther.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=an9D8G1BtjY&list=WL&index=3

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/9lmpBqaiGtI

2026-04-01 The Chicago Bulls cut ties with Jaden Ivey for expressing anti-LGBTQ views. After Ivey’s separation, TreVeyon Henderson posted, “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” – Matthew 5:10.

https://dailycitizen.focusonthefamily.com/jaden-ivey-nba-religious-discrimination/

https://dailycitizen.focusonthefamily.com/tag/religious-discrimination/

https://x.com/TreVeyonH4/status/2038786657608941846

https://www.nj.com/sports/2026/03/patriots-star-doubles-down-on-lgbtq-controversy-with-persecuted-line.html

2026-04-03 Leader of the Archdiocese for Military Services Timothy Broglio rebuked Hegseth for invoking Jesus to stoke war with Iran.

https://www.thedailybeast.com/militarys-top-catholic-rebukes-pentagon-pete-for-war-boasts/

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/apr/03/us-military-archbishop-iran

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/Nru2b0Iz5qo

https://www.msn.com/en-in/news/insight/pope-us-catholic-leaders-rebuke-hegseth-s-war-prayers/gm-GM8798F056

https://www.osvnews.com/archbishop-broglio-war-in-iran-likely-not-justified-under-catholic-teaching-on-legitimate-defense/

https://www.mediaite.com/media/tv/military-archbishop-to-condemn-iran-war-in-easter-sunday-interview-not-sponsored-by-the-lord/

2026-04-10 Headline “Pete Hegseth’s holy war: the militant Christian theology animating the US attack on Iran”. According to a professor of religious studies at the University of North Florida, The Communion of Reformed Evangelical Churches followers (i.e. Hegseth) don’t “believe in social equality among people. They think that God created the world and that some people are destined to have authority and to rule over other people, and other people are destined to be followers…legitimate authority comes directly from God”.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/ng-interactive/2026/apr/10/pete-hegseth-christianity-iran-war-crusade

2026-04-12 Trump posted – then deleted – an AI image of himself as Jesus Christ. After backlash, he claimed it was a picture of himself as a doctor healing people.

https://www.cnbc.com/2026/04/13/trump-jesus-truth-social-pope-leo.html

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/4/13/trump-draws-backlash-over-posting-image-depicting-him-as-jesus-like-saviour

https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/trump-faces-backlash-over-post-144400174.html

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c17v8y0z9z2o

https://abc7.com/post/trump-takes-down-image-social-media-depicted-jesus-like-figure/18880184/

https://www.cnn.com/2026/04/13/politics/trump-jesus-post-pope-feud

https://www.reuters.com/business/media-telecom/trump-posts-ai-image-himself-jesus-like-figure-drawing-outrage-2026-04-13/

SUB WALL https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/13/us/politics/trump-jesus-pope-leo-truth-social-post.html

SUB WALL https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2026/04/13/trump-jesus-religious-conservatives/

2026-04-15 JD Vance and Mike Johnson lashed out at the Pope for criticizing Trump’s elective war in Iran. Vance threatened the Pope should “be careful talking about theology,” while Johnson cited “Just War Doctrine.” The Pope later warned against manipulating religion for political, economic, or military purposes and condemned a world “ravaged by a handful of tyrants.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=taNi3btpaLs&list=WL&index=1

https://www.americamagazine.org/vatican-dispatch/2026/04/16/pope-leo-cameroon-peace/

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2026-04/pope-bamenda-woe-to-those-who-manipulate-religion-military.html

https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/news-wrap-pope-warns-of-tyrants-spending-billions-on-wars https://catholicreview.org/us-bishops-doctrine-chair-defends-churchs-just-war-tradition-after-vance-comments/

SUBSCRIPTION WALL https://www.thedailybeast.com/catholic-bishops-deliver-brutal-slap-down-to-convert-jd-vance-after-lecturing-pope-leo-xiv-on-theology/

PAY WALL https://www.forbes.com/sites/conormurray/2026/04/15/us-bishops-rebuff-jd-vance-after-he-says-pope-should-be-careful-talking-about-theology/

https://catholicreview.org/us-bishops-doctrine-chair-defends-churchs-just-war-tradition-after-vance-comments/

SUBSCRIPTION WALL https://www.thedailybeast.com/catholic-bishops-deliver-brutal-slap-down-to-convert-jd-vance-after-lecturing-pope-leo-xiv-on-theology/

PAY WALL https://www.forbes.com/sites/conormurray/2026/04/15/us-bishops-rebuff-jd-vance-after-he-says-pope-should-be-careful-talking-about-theology/

2026-04-16 Hegseth compared reporters covering the Iran war to the Pharisees, the biblical Jewish group that opposed Jesus.

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/trump-administration/hegseth-attacks-unpatriotic-media-compares-reporters-jewish-biblical-g-rcna332227

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/national-security/hegseth-says-iran-digging-missile-launchers-rcna332161

https://x.com/gretchencarlson/status/2044752887029358926?s=46&t=qjA9BAv6BhOCNlxoiZWFbw

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/trump-administration/hegseth-attacks-unpatriotic-media-compares-reporters-jewish-biblical-g-rcna332227

2026-04-16 Pete Hegseth quoted a fake bible verse from the movie Pulp Fiction during a prayer, then compared Trump to Jesus.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lZdkRiTs_4w&list=WL&index=4

https://au.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-news/hegseth-fake-pulp-fiction-bible-verse-pentagon-93810/

https://thehill.com/policy/defense/5834822-hegseth-pulp-fiction-bible-reference/

https://apnews.com/video/pete-hegseth-reads-prayer-adapted-from-movie-pulp-fiction-during-pentagon-service-081ed3c235d24f379ccf02c473392604

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/pete-hegseth-pulp-fiction-bible-verse_n_69e0e4d2e4b09c96f93e9391

https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/hegseth-bible-pulp-fiction/

PAYWALL https://www.forbes.com/sites/maryroeloffs/2026/04/16/pete-hegseth-quotes-violent-prayer-from-pulp-fiction-references-bible/

2026-04-19 The Trump administration announced an 84-hour public Bible reading from Genesis to Revelation.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yp6bb8SC_Cs&list=WL&index=1&t=56s

https://www.cnn.com/2026/04/19/politics/trump-bible-reading-oval-office

https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefings-statements/2026/04/presidential-message-commemorating-250-years-of-the-bible-in-america/

https://www.politico.com/news/2026/04/17/trump-scripture-angering-christians-00879747

https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/5837716-trump-bible-reading-pope-leo-feud-ai-jesus/

https://www.foxnews.com/politics/trump-set-read-scripture-oval-office-america-reads-bible-event-starting-sunday

2026 May

2026-05-07 Marco Rubio met privately with Pope Leo XIV at the Vatican after months of public disagreements between the administration and the Pope

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kYDam-6Xgro&list=WL&index=7

2026 July

2026-07-01 During a bible school session for Mount Olivet Baptist Church in Lexington Kentucky students watched as the pastors put on an “Antifa execution” skit in front of little kids and mocked an execution.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4g9xdwfoGk8&list=WL&index=3&t=9s

https://www.yahoo.com/news/us/articles/fact-check-video-mock-execution-230000202.html

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=guwQj-uwRiM

https://www.ksnt.com/news/national/church-faces-pushback-over-skit-depicting-devil-executed-by-firing-squad-at-youth-event/