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In an April 16 letter to President Trump and other U.S. government officials, the Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) formally called for the end to the war in Iran, stating that the conflict “violates all the commitments that we as Unitarian Universalists hold sacred” and “sets a dangerous precedent that threatens the religious liberties that UUs have fought and died for throughout our history.”
Signed by UUA President Rev. Dr. Sofía Betancourt and multiple other UU leaders, the letter was addressed to Trump, House Speaker Mike Johnson, and Senate Majority Leader John Thune.
“We feel compelled to write today because this country has entered into a military conflict with another nation, the Islamic Republic of Iran, and according to published reports, those leading this war ‘have been invoking extremist Christian rhetoric about biblical “end times” to justify involvement in the Iran war to troops,’” it states.
“In other words, this conflict is being justified by fundamentalist religious traditions that are antithetical to the values of millions of American believers, including those of Unitarian Universalists across this country,” the letter asserts.
“On behalf of the tens of thousands of UUs, their families, and their congregations, we call on you to end this war and end military interventions based on a radical religious ideology that most Americans do not share,” it adds.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has repeatedly invoked his Christian evangelical faith in his role as head of the U.S. military, including claiming God was on the side of the military. During a March 25 worship service at the Pentagon, Hegseth prayed for “overwhelming violence of action against those who deserve no mercy.”
Hegseth, who belongs to the Communion of Reformed Evangelical Churches, a conservative network co-founded by self-described Christian nationalist Doug Wilson, has instituted monthly prayer sessions at the Pentagon, at least three of which have been presided over by CREC pastors, including Wilson. And, voicing concerns about “political correctness and secular humanism,” Hegseth reduced the number of faith code identifiers within the military’s chaplain corps that identify a serviceperson’s religious affiliation from about 200 different faith codes to thirty-one, according to the Christian Post and other media, and the federal government.
On Sunday, April 12, Trump posted an image of himself on Truth Social dressed in red and white robes with an orb of light in one hand as he lay his other hand on a bedridden man, appearing to heal him, while surrounded by military images and other people, all of whom were white. Interpreted by many as Trump likening himself to Jesus, the post was removed on Monday after significant backlash, including from many conservatives. Trump claimed he thought the image showed him as a doctor. That controversial image came shortly after a post by Trump criticizing Pope Leo XIV, who has criticized the war in Iran.
The UUA letter emphasizes that “Congress has not authorized this recent military intervention, and that this war is being prosecuted without the legal authority the Constitution sets out for such actions.”
The letter notes that John Adams, second president of the United States, was a Unitarian, and that “Unitarians and Universalists signed the Declaration of Independence, supported the ratification of the U.S. Constitution, and were Presidents and legislators.”
The UUA “has long opposed any intervention into Iran by the U.S. military and supported the pursuit of diplomatic resolutions in the region that protect innocent life and global human rights,” including that “in 2008, UUs voted in favor of an Action of Immediate Witness that called upon UU congregations to urge Congress to prohibit an attack on Iran without specific congressional authorization and discourage an attack by an ally, and to urge Iran to cooperate with inspections of its nuclear program.”
The letter adds that in June 2025, the UUA reiterated its opposition to such military action. “And we renewed that opposition yet again on the first day of this new war,” and in 2010, “UUs voted to adopt a Statement of Conscience called ‘Creating Peace” that reflects our religious beliefs when it comes to military conflict and peacemaking,” that, among other things, “repudiated aggressive and preventive wars, the disproportionate use of force, covert wars, and targeting that includes a high risk to civilians.”
It continues, “It is important to note that for decades, the Iranian people have courageously protested the brutality they have experienced from their own government,” adding, “This illegal and destructive use of military force cannot be justified on the grounds of human rights.”
Moreover, it says, “we recognize that merely opposing military intervention itself is not enough when our government is acting in a way that violates our foundational religious beliefs and longstanding theological commitments. Grounded in a generations-long witness for religious pluralism, we count ourselves among many American religious people whose faith lies in opposition to imperialist aims masquerading as faithful commitments.”