The Freedom From Religion Foundation is decrying the growing influence of Christian nationalism at the Pentagon following disturbing revelations about a senior adviser to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.
A new CNN investigation reveals that Ryan Higgins, Hegseth’s senior adviser on religious matters, has spent years promoting conspiracy theories, spreading racist and homophobic rhetoric and openly rejecting the separation of church and state. For example, Higgins has declared that the “Separation of Church and State does not exist” and proclaimed, “THIS IS A CHRISTIAN NATION.” His social media history includes describing LGBTQ Americans as “the satanic cult of LGBTQ,” condemning same-sex marriage as “abominable,” and attacking Muslims with the claim that “Islam teaches death to all who do not comply.” He also defended a deplorably racist video depicting Barack and Michelle Obama as apes and promoted baseless conspiracy theories about the 2020 election.
Even more alarming, multiple sources have told CNN that Higgins has helped shape Hegseth’s Christian nationalist messaging and has played a significant role in establishing the Pentagon’s new (and unconstitutional) Office of Religious Affairs.
“These revelations expose the danger of allowing Christian nationalist extremism to take root in our military,” says FFRF Co-President Annie Laurie Gaylor. “Someone who openly rejects the separation of church and state and posts disgusting disparagements of religious, sexual and racial minorities has no business shaping policy at the Pentagon. Our military exists to defend the Constitution, not impose Christianity.”
The disclosures come as Hegseth continues injecting Christianity into military leadership. He has hosted monthly Christian worship services at the Pentagon, including one featuring Christian nationalist Pastor Doug Wilson, who has advocated for repealing women’s voting rights and criminalizing homosexuality. Hegseth also declared last month that the military was putting on the “full armor of God” (citing a New Testament bible verse meaningful to Christian nationalist extremists) and described the Pentagon’s mission as a spiritual battle. He additionally announced in September the creation of the Office of Religious Affairs, which reports directly to him.
FFRF warns that the Pentagon’s increasing embrace of explicitly Christian messaging threatens the constitutional rights and domestic security of non-Christian and nonreligious service members. The military serves Americans of every religion and no religion, and no service member should face religious pressure from the secular government they have sworn to defend. FFRF has called on Hegseth to resign.
“Atheists, agnostics, Muslims, Jews and Americans of every belief or nonbelief serve our country honorably,” says FFRF Co-President Dan Barker. “They deserve military leaders who respect their rights, not Christian nationalist ideologues who treat religious hegemony as patriotism.”
FFRF is insisting on congressional scrutiny of Hegseth, the new Office of Religious Affairs and Higgins’ role in promoting religious favoritism and coercion in the military.
“The Pentagon is supposed to defend the Constitution, not wage a crusade for Christianity,” concludes Barker.
The Freedom From Religion Foundation is a U.S.-based nonprofit dedicated to defending the constitutional principle of separation between state and church and educating the public on matters relating to nontheism. With about 40,000 members, FFRF is the largest association of freethinkers (atheists, agnostics and humanists) in North America. For more information, visit ffrf.org.
