I am sometimes amazed at the hypocrisy of how Republican supply-side pseudo-Christians express love and support for Israel. Lurking just behind most are highly anti-Semitic. Here’s the key. In extreme fundamentalist eschatological dogma, Israel must occupy the holy land and rebuild the temple before Jesus can return. However, they believe that, when he does, the majority of the Jews will become crispy critters. So their so-called love for Israel does not extend to Jews. Currently, Republican candidates for President are fighting tooth and nail for the endorsements of the most extreme anti-Semites, such as Mike Bickel.
Has the GOP primary gone off the rails before the first vote has even been cast?
In 2008, Sen. John McCain rejected the endorsement of John Hagee, a far-right pastor who had called the Catholic Church the "Great Whore" and said that Hitler was sent by God to be a "hunter" of Jews who had not yet moved to the land that would become Israel. McCain wasn’t exactly running as a moderate – look who he chose to be his vice president – but he knew, at least this time, that a line had been crossed.
Today’s GOP presidential candidates seem to have no such scruples.
Compare Hagee’s statements to this passage from a 2004 sermon by Mike Bickle, megachurch pastor, big-time evangelical, and star speaker at Rick Perry’s August prayer rally-cum-campaign launch. In a video found by Brian Wilson of Talk to Action, Bickle prophesies that in the End Times 2/3 of all Jews "will die in the rage of Satan and in the judgments of God." He goes on to discuss a disturbing and ultimately dangerous theory of the Holocaust even more outrageous than that pushed by Hagee:
The Lord says, "I’m going to offer two strategies to Israel, to these 20 million." He says, "First, I am going to offer them grace, I am going to send the fisherman." Do you know how a fisherman lures? I mean do you know how a fisherman does their thing? They have the bait in front, luring the fish. It’s a picture of grace. … And he says, "And if they don’t respond to grace, I’m going to raise up the hunters." And the most famous hunter in recent history is a man named Adolf Hitler. He drove them from the hiding places, he drove them out of the land.
Mike Bickle is not just any radical pastor preaching End Times scripture. He was a key organizer of Perry’s The Response rally this summer, lending a number of staff members of his International House of Prayer (yes, IHOP) to the event and emceeing the proceedings himself… [emphasis original]
Inserted from <Huffington Post>
Let me correct one detail. Before McConJob and Mooseolini rejected Hagee’s endorsement, they actively sought it out. McConJob even visited Hagee’s church to do obeisance. Once the story broke, McConJob defended Hagee. He only rejected Hagee’s endorsement after the story refused to go away and was hurting his campaign.
McConJob is a model of tolerance, compared to the current crop of ideologues seeking the GOP nomination. That he considered it so important to get such an endorsement identifies the level of moral bankruptcy to which the Republican Party has fallen. The notion that Presidential candidates are aligning themselves with people who glorify Hitler for his treatment of Jews puts me at a loss for words.
14 Responses to “The GOP and Extreme Anti-Semitism”
Sorry, the comment form is closed at this time.
Nothing they do or say surprises me anymore. Am I appalled by them? YES!
…as should we all be.
You have hit an important nail in their platform ; These people are deadly serious ; this is their belief system and their intent ; to bring about ‘the end” of the “End Times” — for this if for no other reason they really scare the hell out of me–For many years they have been a crazy under note in Christianity as we have known it– what is going on now is appalling and a distortion!! “by their works you shall know them ” — a line from a book I read —(lol)
I fully agree. That’s one of the several reasons I call them pseudo-Christians. The claim faith, but deny everything Jesus taught.
JESUS WAS BORN A JEW. AND ACCORDING TO JEWISH HISTORY,WAS LIKE A JEWISH HIPPIE.
Welcome Siouxz. 🙂
You call him a Jewish Hippie. I call him a Jewish revolutionary. I think we’re saying the same thing.
When I happen to run across one of them, and they get on a rant. I listen politely for a couple of minutes and then I look them dead in the eye and say “Did you know Jesus was a Jew? Yep He was. Talked with Rabbi’s. Cleaned out the synagog, must have went there or He wouldn’t have knowen about those money changers. Even had a big sign on His cross that said King of the Jews. Mary, wasn’t she releated to King David somehow, I’m pretty sure he was a Jew. Born in Bethleham. Bet He wasn’t a blonde like all the paintings either.” By this time they are inturupting or chokeing or have tears welling up. Then I smile and say Blessed Be. Turn and walk away.
Welcome Karin. 🙂
That’s funny. When they bug me about being pro-life, I thank them for opposing capital punishment.
If your Blessed Be is serious, you demonstrate that most Wiccans are far moreChristian than they are.
And I have these walking, talking freak shows all around me in this town I exist in……sigh.
Poor Terrie!! 🙁
When I first saw this picture of Perry, I was quite taken aback and horrified. I literally could hear hundreds or thousands of boots pounding pavement in lock-step. Then my computer packed it in for a while (guess it didn’t like the picture either) so I didn’t respond to the story.
From The Huffington Post — “, , , Perry said “I appreciate anyone who’s going to endorse me, whether it’s on The Response, or whether it’s on a potential run for the presidency of the United States. Just because you endorse me doesn’t mean I endorse everything that you say or do.” That’s true. But Perry did more than accept Bickle’s help: he trotted him out to promote the event that served as a de facto launch of his presidential campaign. ” . . . “Neither Bickle nor Hagee has officially endorsed Perry. In fact, it’s the other way around: by placing them on the stage at a nationally televised event, you could say that Perry endorsed Bickle and Hagee. ”
To accept endorsement from anyone, Perry just proves how morally and ethically bankrupt he is. And then he proves it again by placing Hagee and Bickle on the stage.
These are not Christians! They are no different that the fundamentalists of any religion — bigoted, closed, despicable, death personified. And the thought that GOP should align themselves with such filth is beyond belief.
One Republican/Teabagger is one too many.
Note as well that all the other Republicans have tried to get Dominionist endorsements and all have some except for Mitt. They rejected him, because he Mormon.
Well they might reject him because he’s Mormon, but he isn’t missing anything! Now me, if I were an American voter, I’d reject him too, but not for his religion! I’d reject him for what he’d do to the country in the way of medicare, SS, education, the economy etc.
Because you know that those things, not his religion, are the right reasons to reject him.