Rev. John Hagee with his wife Diana
Posted on 12/21/2007 6:19:32 AM PST by NYer
According to Mike Huckabee’s campaign website, the controversial stop at Cornerstone Church in San Antonio, Texas will take place this Sunday, December 23. He will speak at the church's two Sunday services at 8:30 and 11:00 a.m.
The Catholic League’s president, Bill Donahue, told CNA that the pastor of the church, Rev. John Hagee, is militantly anti-Catholic.
As the senior pastor of Cornerstone, Rev. Hagee is best known for his “End-Time” writing but also focuses on bringing evangelical Protestants and Jews together.
The Catholic League asserts that John Hagee has another goal as well, “slandering the Catholic Church.”
John Hagee’s Anti-Catholic Record
It’s not hard to find evidence that Rev. Hagee does not think highly of Catholics or the Catholic Church. In a video discussing the biblical book of Revelation, John Hagee suggests the Pope is the anti-Christ, and that the Catholic Church is "The Beast" (17:30 and following) mentioned in the book.
Another cause for concern is the pastor’s latest book “Jerusalem Countdown”, which has recently been revised and updated. “Though most of his rantings in this book are directed at Muslims, he just can't help but take another shot at Catholicism,” says Donahue.
“In one chapter, ‘Centuries of Mistreatment,’ he misrepresents the history of the Catholic Church so badly,” explains Donahue, “that it would be hard for any anti-Catholic bigot to beat.”
Hagee sees anti-Semitism as being born out of the Catholic Church.
“Anti-Semitism in Christianity began with the statements of the early church fathers, including Eusebius, Cyril, Chrysostom, Augustine, Origen, Justin, and Jerome .... This poisonous stream of venom came from the mouths of spiritual leaders to virtually illiterate congregants, sitting benignly in their pews, listening to their pastors. They labeled the Jews as 'the Christ killers, plague carriers, demons, children of the devil, bloodthirsty pagans who look for an innocent child during the Easter week to drink his blood, money hungry Shylocks, who are deceitful as Judas was relentless,'" writes Hagee.
At another point, Rev. Hagee says, "The Roman Catholic Church, which was supposed to carry the light of the gospel, plunged the world into the Dark Ages.... The Crusaders were a motley mob of thieves, rapists, robbers, and murderers whose sins had been forgiven by the pope in advance of the Crusade ....The brutal truth is that the Crusades were military campaigns of the Roman Catholic Church to gain control of Jerusalem from the Muslims and to punish the Jews as the alleged Christ killers on the road to and from Jerusalem."
"The Spanish Inquisition was perhaps the most cynical plot in the black history of Catholicism,” relates Hagee, “[it was] aimed at expropriating the property of wealthy Jews and converts in Spain for the benefit of the royal court and the Roman Catholic Church."
The influential preacher’s historical narrative even goes so far as to depict Adolf Hitler as being taught anti-Semitism by the Catholic Church. "Adolf Hitler attended a Catholic school as a child and heard all the fiery anti-Semitic rantings from Chrysostom to Martin Luther.”
According to Mr. Hagee, the Church even implicitly supported the Nazi dictator. “When Hitler became a global demonic monster, the Catholic Church and Pope Pius XII never, ever slightly criticized him. Pope Pius XII, called by historians 'Hitler's Pope,' joined Hitler in the infamous Concordat of Collaboration, which turned the youth of Germany over to Nazism, and the churches became the stage background for the bloodthirsty cry, 'Pereat Judea'.... In all of his [Hitler's] years of absolute brutality, he was never denounced or even scolded by Pope Pius XII or any Catholic leader in the world. To those Christians who believe that Jewish hearts will be warmed by the sight of the cross, please be informed—to them it's an electric chair," wrote the pastor.
Bill Donahue did not rule out debate with John Hagee and added that “as long as the debate is civil, that is all that matters.” Yet, the Catholic leader does not view Hagee's teaching in that light, but rather as instruction that “clearly distorts Catholic teachings, or misrepresents its [the Church’s] history”.
CNA attempted to reach the Huckabee campaign for comment, but a phone call and an email were not returned before press time.
“Adolf Hitler attended a Catholic school as a child and heard all the fiery anti-Semitic rantings from Chrysostom to Martin Luther.”
They teach Luther in Catholic Schools? Who’d a thunk it? LOL
John Hagee is one of the biggest buffoons in American Christianity, and that’s saying a lot. In addition to being an anti-Catholic, he is a heretic, saying recently that Jesus was not the Messiah.
Umm, oh really? I thought I had heard all the arrogant RC claims, but the RC church is God now???? Unbelievable!
www.sing365.com/music/lyric.nsf/National-Brotherhood-Week-lyrics-Tom-Lehrer/625DBDA1F04F231148256A7D0025A2FC
And in my state, also Iowa Hawkeye fans. But bashing liberals usually catches most of the Hawkeye types.
That’s what I used to say about the polls that showed Clinton’s high approval ratings during the worst days of his Presidency. It was unbelievable, and yet, apparently true.
“Well, when you are running for office, you must address crowds that you do not agree with 100%. Just because Huck is speaking there does not mean that he shares Hagee’s views.”
Sorry, that won’t cut it. If this guy’s anti-Catholic sentiment is that strong, and I have no reason to doubt Bill Donahue (” The Catholic League’s president, Bill Donahue, told CNA that the pastor of the church, Rev. John Hagee, is militantly anti-Catholic.”), as a practicing Catholic I find this deeply offensive. I wasn’t going to vote for Huckabee in the primaries anyways, but if he actually wins I would have real reservations voting for him in the general election. I imagine a lot of fellow Catholics feel the same.
Actually, I have Hagee’s book but haven’t had a chance to read it yet. In Defense of Israel. I can’t find it at the moment, but I’ll track it down and see what it says about Pope Pius XII. I’d like to read his words for myself.
“If you can’t stand up to a crowd who might be unfriendly to you...”
Since when is an evangelical church an unfriendly venue for Huckabee? We don’t call Bill Clinton courageous when he goes to a liberal black church, and for the same reason. He’s among his own. This isn’t courage on Huckabee’s part, it’s preaching to the choir.
Now if Huckabee goes from there and preaches at a cathedral...
Will you vote for Mitt?
Well, when people lie about you, that’s bashing.
Is it playing the “victim” to correct slanders by telling the truth? Or is that against the rules?
LOL...no kidding. The stuff some of these people come up with is just mind-boggling.
Do you think he’ll distance himself in any way from Hagee’s lying, offensive, anti-Catholic bigotry? Hmm-mmm?
It's a bit different from that; as far as I know, Romney and Bush are not "ordained" ministers.
In the long run, sure...it probably doesn't make much difference, as there is a wide array of other reasons to oppose Huckabee.
“Will you vote for Mitt?”
I will, why? You’re going to try and tell me he’s anti-Catholic too?
There’s really no one we can vote for in this horrid election. Finding a “lesser evil” will be a neat trick.
Isn’t this Hagee guy the one who goes on Glenn Beck’s TV show all the time?
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