Endorse This!
Being a presidential candidate is nasty business. You live on a bus, you don't sleep, and you're force fed fatty local food so voters will know that you, like them, don't care how big your ass gets. But that's nothing compared to fending off endorsements and support of psychos who happen to like you, namely religious figures. Like persistent stalker girlfriends, these bunny-boiling preachers and pastors turn on the men who have courted them.
Let's look at the comments of Texas preacher John Hagee. Here's a guy who makes Reverend Wright look like Sidney Poitier.
Hagee told his congregation that God sent Hitler to send the Jews back to Israel. Here's what I don't get. If God is so powerful, why didn't he just skip the middle-man and tell the Jews himself to go to the promised land? The guy is sitting up there on a cloud watching everything. Why didn't he just yell down, "Hey Jews, go back to Israel! Don't make me create some guy to kill you and then, in a very unclear and roundabout way, make whoever is left go to Israel. Or Florida."
And why did such a powerful force need to create Hitler to do his dirty work? He could have sent the Jews back to Israel any number of ways. Why didn't he just send a hurricane, like he did with Katrina, which Hagee claims was sent by God to punish homosexuals? And if God did create Katrina to punish homosexuals, why did all the black people get caught in the middle? Talk about killing a mosquito with a shotgun. Damn, God, be a little more specific, would you? Hagee also called the Catholic Church "the great whore." Again, not to pick nits, but how can a religious institution be a whore?
And then there's the pastor in Ohio, Parsely, who is all up in arms about Islam. He called it an anti-Christ religion. Technically, Parsley is right. Islam is not pro-Christ. So, by definition, it IS anti-Christ. But even a semi-truth surrounded by hateful speech is too much for a candidate to bear. McCain was quick to point out that these pastors were not spiritual advisors to him and he is not a member of their churches. The tiny detail he so conveniently omits is that he spent a year kissing up to the evangelical right. So these endorsements were hard-earned victories for McCain that he then kind of, sort of rejected before he was forced to reject them outright.
As recently as April, he was trying to have it both ways as evidenced by his statement on ABC's This Week. McCain said, "I'm glad to have this endorsement. I condemn remarks that are, in any way, viewed as anti-anything."
A candidate can't be anti-anything? That is rich.
The good news from all this is that each candidate has a few loose cannons supporting them. It's a Mexican standoff, except instead of holding guns, Obama and McCain each have a Religious Nut pointed at the other. Candidates, step away from your preachers.
And perhaps a more pressing question is, how much would you pay to watch Reverend Wright debate John Hagee? Are you listening, ABC News?
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This sort of moral equivalency between Wright and Hagee is completely wrong. In fact they are the opposite in their interpretation of Christianity, Wright represents liberation and Hagee represents domination.
Wright is correct in 95% of the things he says. Wright works for the poor, the downtrodden, the troubled, and the hopeless in the Southside of Chicago. Wright condemns America for its imperial behavior and sense of exceptionalism that rationalizes its worst war crimes. He is also right in saying that he'll go after Obama when he becomes president, because the state is still responsible for grinding people down at home and especially abroad.
On the other hand, Hagee rails against America's minorities and has teamed up with right-wing Zionists to bring about Armageddon in the Holy Land. He has powerful friends and allies in government. The same is true of all those other wealthy fundamentalist pastors whose obsession with supposed carnal sins, masks their alliance with big money.
"Islam is not pro-Christ
Not to pick a nit here but this is not accurate.
"We Muslims believe, that Jesus was one of the mightiest messengers of God that he was the Christ, that he was born miraculously without any male intervention (which many modern-day Christians do not believe today), that he gave life to the dead by God's permission and that he healed those born blind and the lepers by god's permission. In fact, no Muslim is a Muslim if he or she does not believe in Jesus!"
The Koran accepts Jesus as a prophet, and as a messenger sent by God, and as "Word" of God without definition, and as a "spirit of God" (sura 4,171*), "created like Adam" (suras 2, 3, 5* ...). This is more than what some modern Christian theologians accept, who only see Jesus as a social reformer. Only Jesus as God's Son - Christians in the time of Mohammed imagined this very physically - in the context of the later doctrine of the trinity, was not accepted by the Koran.
THe Quoran has a high place for Jesus' teachings; it is modern day Christianity that has shunned all other religions.
How can a religious institution be a whore? When you come in the aspe and leave money! (chuckle, chuckle)
I like it. Not to mention "take this and eat it, for this is my body. "
This past week, Hagee boasted about his prominence on the world stage. Here is the quote:
"I've had lunch alone with President George Bush. I've met his father. I've met the secretary of state, Condoleezza Rice. I've met the vice president of the United States. I've met and talked with every Israeli prime minister since Menachem Begin. I've met Mikhail Gorbachev, premier of the Soviet Union. I've even met Rush Limbaugh and Larry King, but the point is, I've met them--I don't know them, and they don't know me."
You can see and hear him saying it at:
http://www
Comanch non-hero, Newsflash: God didn't write the bible, except for 10 sentences we like to call Commandments. Biased, sexist imperfect men wrote how they thought people should behave. By the way, what language are you reading he bible in? Yeah, one translated again and again and again, so you're not even reading the original ideas/guidelines, etc. I know, people; I'm probably wasting my time with people like Comanch (please tell us you're not a Native American--are there Native American Christians--was Sitting Bull a Baptist?!), but I still have hope for America--when money, greed and power aren't the priorities of society. Comanch and Chimp can jump on McBush's bus w/ Hagee, Dobson, etc.
Rather than a debate about the relative nastiness of one politician's preacher over another, what might be more consequential is a debate over what part of the Constitutional injunction that "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion" that Congress apparently doesn't understand when it passes appropriation and spending laws granting money to churches in the form of so-called "Faith-based Initiatives?"
actually islam is not anti-christ at all...and it's pro-christ in the sense that jesus christ is highly revered in islam as being a messenger from god...as being the messiah. mary is also immensely revered...
parsley is either ignorant or just exploits the current political situation to his benefit...
I was just going to say the same thing. Saying that Islam is anti Christ is like saying that Judaism is anti Moses.
If I may add, other than Christianity, Islam is the only faith that actually endorses that miraculous birth of Jesus Christ and the miracles that he performed. Muslims just do not view Christ as the son of God or God. But it does not mean that Muslims and Christians are not talking about the same person.
In any case, any faith that believes that an omnipotent, omnipresent God has a challenge explaining the will of God. Technically speaking, anything that happened, happening and will happen in the future is within God's will. That includes the Holocaust, 9/11, the Iraq War, Bush being elected twice, Clinton saying stupid things and me writing this. Why he does thing this or that why is beyond our comprehension. The easiest answer is always "God has his own mysterious ways of doing things". But the truth is, we can never find out the reason. It is beyond science and logic most of the times. But what is within our comprehension and logic is knowing what is right and what is wrong. And when wrong is being done, we are supposed to stop it. And if we fail to stop it, this too falls under God's will.
Someone said that our incomprehension of how God works is in itself understanding God.
And if you are still confused, then you are closer to understand than you think you are.
I think the problem these "pastors" have with Islam is twofold:
(1) Islam denies the divinity of Christ (and as well the Trinity). As you point out, Christ is acknowledged as one of the messengers/prophets sent by God - and this group includes Moses, Aaron, Abraham, et al. Basically the OT prophets plus some others (Shu'aib).
(2) Islam - by virtue of its existence - implies a defect in previous revelations. That is, if the previous versions were OK, God wouldn't have needed to send another messenger.
(The defect cited by Muslims is mis ascribing divinity to Christ).
That being said, "people of the book" (Christians, Jews, Zoroastrians) are recognized as having received a revelation from God and therefore are to be left to practice their faiths without interference.
Why didn't 'god' tell the Jews to go back to Israel? Because 'god' doesn't exist. Beliefs in deities are manifestations of mild psychoses.
Oh, but you see "the Lord" (should I have capitalized the "t" in "the" as well?) works in mysterious ways and we aren't allowed to question "Him", hallelujah! So, can one of "His" spokespeople attribute anything to "Him" and anything else to the degenerate non-believers, and Presto! authority has spoken, hallelujah!
At least Islam and Christianity have this in common (the interpretation of "The Word" for the convenience of those doing the interpreting). By the way, Jesus Christ is in fact a recognized prophet in Islam. I think you should say rather that Islam is "anti Christ is the son of God". But then again, so are the Jews. Can I get an "amen!" ?? Praise Jesus!
To elaborate on a comment I made in a previous post;It will be a happy day when any candidate.
His/her position is within the dictates of the first amendment of the constitution,and he/she intends to adhere to this amendment.
If the average voter had the intelect or knowledge or desire to learn history they would find every politician,just like every human being has his
I wish I was drinking coffee just so I can claim I spit it out at the monitor or it came back out through some orifice or another while I read your insanely funny take on the "Pastor Problems" Mr. Case. Seriously funny stuff!
JOHN MCCAIN IS AGAINST BEING ANTI-ABORTION - YOU HEARD HIM SAY IT!
What kind of name is Limbaugh? Is it Irish? Does Rush ever discuss the topic of just how easy it was for his Irish grandparents to immigrate to America? I never hear these hatemongers discuss the history of America's racist immigration policies that denied entry to most Latino applicants, yet allowed tens of millions of Western Europeans -- including their own grandparents -- to legally immigrate here with no restrictions. The Western European immigrants, like Rush and Lou's grandparents, thus avoided the stigma of being labeled "illegal aliens" while "stockng" this land with their own kind, ensuring their racial dominance that has enabled them to control the economic and political power of America. How convenient.
It must be nice to enjoy the privileges annointed to those Western European immigrants and their posterity. They are so privileged, in fact, that many of them cannot recognize their privileges and have even developed a troubling sense of entitlement. They really and truly need to be called on the carpet about that one. Since I am descended from the "true" natives of this land, I would gladly debate Rush or Lou on that topic anytime.
sorry...wr
In all orthodox religions it is axiomatic that god interacts with humanity via homocidal maniacs or natural disasters. God just can't figure out how to work the space in between murder and natural mayhem. Seems that's just too much fine tuning for any deity to master.
Of course, you can attribute this point of view to utter insanity and inanity on the part of the religious leaders.
How about "America's Next Crazy Preacher"?
"This week pastors, your assignment is to write and deliver a sermon condeming the Jews and simultaneously supporting Israel. Be sure to explain Israel's role in the rapture because this is for immunity people".
This highlights the whole ridiculousness of religion in general, and the problems that exclusivity, xenophobia, and basing your core beliefs on some ancient superstitions, dreamed up by people who thought the earth was flat, lightning was HIS spears, etc. causes.
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