Pete Hegseth Slammed as 'Insane' by Critics After Announcing Office of Religious Affairs: 'So Much for Separation of Church and State'

Americans criticized Pete Hegseth after he announced the new Office of Religious Affairs.

The Secretary of War revealed the addition to the Pentagon in a speech on Wednesday, September 30, at the Marine Corps Base in Quantico, Va.

According to Hegseth, the latest of his faith-based initiatives will offer "first-class religious support" to the American people.

"Our department is, you might say, putting on the full armor of God, because while we wage physical war, we all know the real battle is spiritual," he told the crowd.

Hegseth's new office will reportedly advocate for military chaplains and religious support "at the highest level."

The office will not, however, "compel religious participation, favor one faith or diminish the rights of personnel of any faith or lack thereof," according to a statement from Hegseth.

However, the American people aren't as excited about the idea as Hegseth seems to be. Many of them have taken to social media to ridicule his latest initiative as a lapse in the separation of church and state.

"So much for separation of church and state," one person wrote, as another added, "Doesn’t this violate the First Amendment?"

"And these people have the audacity to label the Iranians as 'radical religious fanatics,'" a third wrote, referring to the United States' current military presence in Iran.

"So in direct violation of the Constitution…sounds about right for this administration and party," a fifth commented.

"In the name of God, a lot of nasty things have happened," yet a sixth alleged.

Others criticized the idea that Hegseth specifically would spearhead such a project, even pointing to the irony that the Secretary of War would make himself responsible for the spiritual health of the nation.

"This is the most f----- thing I've heard from a Secretary of Defense (not War!)," someone wrote. "This dude is literally insane and doesn't understand that our Constitution protects against government sanctioning of Christian Nationalism."

"The offices of religion and war should be kept far apart from each other," a second assessed.

"So we’re blending Christianity, the government and the military together in one office," another noted. "Holy s---."

"I'm very excited that Pete Hegseth is starting the Department of Religious Affairs," Representative Jack Kimble spoke out. "Since he married two of his mistresses and his family still seems very religious, I assume his own affairs were very wholesome and religious."

Despite the backlash, Hegseth doubled down on the announcement, reposting his speech on social media with religious captions alluding strictly to Christianity.

"Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD. — Psalm 33:12," he quoted the Bible in one. "God is good. Evil is not. And America’s military must know the difference," he added in another.

As the inspiration for this project, the government official cited chaplains in the military dating back to 1775 and the founding motto of the country: "In God We Trust."

"We are placing spiritual health on the same level as physical health," he gushed.