Who Put God on the Bomb?
Pope Leo XIV says there is no such thing as a holy war, while reports say the U.S. may launch a new campaign against Iran after the midterms. Don Jackson and Daysha Voss ask who put God on the bomb: the Pentagon's prayer services, Israel's and Iran's religious framing, Russia's 'holy war,' and a long history from Deus vult to the Slave Bible. They give just-war thinking a fair hearing, name the savior reflex, and land on Source: nobody can sell you a holy war once you know what you are.
Story Anchor
The question isn't whether this war is right or wrong. People of good faith disagree about that. The question is who gets to say God is on their side of a war, and what it costs the rest of us to believe them. A holy war can't be questioned. That's the whole point of making it holy.
The Pattern
Every Side Has God on Its Side
Since the Iran war began on February 28, Pope Leo XIV has repeatedly said God does not bless war: on Palm Sunday ('your hands are full of blood'), on April 10 ('God does not bless any conflict'), on April 11 ('the holy Name of God... is being dragged into discourses of death') and on October 27 ('there is no such thing as a holy war'). Cardinal Pizzaballa called using God's name for war 'the gravest sin.' Meanwhile Defense Secretary Hegseth cited Psalm 144 at a briefing and, at a Pentagon worship service, prayed for 'overwhelming violence of action against those who deserve no mercy,' as reported by the AP. Israel's prime minister invoked Purim and the Amalekites; Iran's leaders speak of martyrdom and 'sacred duty'; Russia's Orthodox Church called the Ukraine invasion a 'holy war.' Lincoln saw it in 1865: 'Both read the same Bible and pray to the same God.' The pattern runs from Deus vult and Gott mit uns to Manifest Destiny and the 1807 Slave Bible that cut out Exodus.
Consciousness Questions
This guide doesn't ask you to decide whether this war is right or wrong, or to reject self-defense. It asks you to notice when God's name is used to stop questions, and to keep asking them.
- When you hear a leader say God is on our side, what do you feel first: comfort, pride, fear or doubt?
- If every side in a war is praying for victory, what does that tell you about the prayers?
- Where did you learn that God picks sides, and who benefited from you believing it?
- What is the difference between asking whether a war can be justified to God and announcing that God is with you?
Community Context
Community voices gathering.
Academy Pathways
Pathways being curated.
Transformation Practice
The Altar
Write down one group of people you have been taught to think of as an enemy. Then write three things you know they love, fear or hope for.
The next time someone says God is on their side of a conflict, pause and ask: Who benefits from me believing this? What question is it designed to stop?
Ask someone you trust whether they were taught that God takes sides in wars, and where that teaching came from. Listen without correcting.
Picture the altar from the episode's closing meditation. Imagine lifting what doesn't belong there and carrying it outside. Notice what you feel when the altar is empty.
Refuse the language that turns human beings into 'those who deserve no mercy.' Practice calling people by what they are: a mother, a father, a child.
Open the Transformation HubCampaign Opportunity
Campaign connections being identified.
Open the Campaign DashboardContinue Your Journey
Four pathways forward. Which one calls to you?
Credits & Transparency
Methodology
Companion guide built from the Episode 42 script and Substack deep dive.
Sources referenced
- America Magazine: Pope Leo's Assisi message (Oct. 27, 2026)
- AP: Palm Sunday homily (March 29, 2026); 'God does not bless any conflict' (April 10, 2026); April 11 vigil
- America Magazine: Cardinal Pizzaballa (March 2026)
- AP via PBS and Word&Way: Hegseth's March 25 Pentagon service
- Forbes: Hegseth's April 15 service
- Toby Matthiesen, University of Bristol, via The Conversation (April 1, 2026)
- The Times of Israel and The New Arab, citing WSJ and NYT (Oct. 28, 2026)
- Abraham Lincoln, Second Inaugural Address (1865)
- Frederick Douglass, Narrative (1845)
- The Bible: Psalm 3:7, 18:37, 144:1; Isaiah 1:15; Ezekiel 25:17; Matthew 5:9, 26:52