Pete Hegseth’s Dangerous Holy War Rhetoric Echoes Mark Twain’s Century-Old Warning

Pete Hegseth, a prominent conservative commentator and former “Secretary of War” figure, is doubling down on a dangerously familiar script: framing war as a righteous crusade blessed by God. In his 2020 book American Crusade, Hegseth urged Americans to pray “in the name of Jesus Christ” for victory in the Middle East, casting the U.S.-Israeli conflict against Iran as a holy war. This fusion of patriotism and piety is not new—it’s a replay of the jingoism Mark Twain excoriated over a century ago.

Twain’s The War Prayer was a scathing parable written during the Spanish-American War, exposing the hypocrisy of prayers for triumph that simultaneously call down devastation on innocent civilians. Twain understood that invoking God as a combatant sanctifies suffering—the shattered homes, orphaned children, and blood-soaked fields that war inevitably brings. So damning was this truth that Twain believed his parable could not be published in his lifetime.

Fast forward to today, and we see the same dangerous rhetoric fueling conflicts. Hegseth’s unapologetic use of “crusade” language echoes President George W. Bush’s infamous post-9/11 declaration, which sent shockwaves through the Muslim world. While the U.S. claims a secular government, religious fervor often underpins its military ventures, blurring the line between church and state in the most lethal ways.

Meanwhile, Iran’s own decades-long “holy war” against America cloaks violence in divine sanction, promising glory and paradise to fighters. Different words, same deadly appeal to sacred authority. Both sides weaponize faith to justify bloodshed, leaving civilians trapped in a cycle of violence.

Mark Twain’s warning is more urgent than ever. His call to acknowledge the full cost of war—the suffering hidden behind prayers for victory—demands our attention. As the U.S. edges deeper into conflict framed as a holy mission, we must confront the brutal truths behind the rhetoric. Only by stripping away the veneer of glory can we hope to break the cycle of violence sanctified by false piety.