Black candidate + wacko black preacher = long, loud attacks
White candidate + wacko white preacher = silence
Hmmm….
The All-White Elephant in the Room
Mr. McCain has been shocked to learn that his clerical ally has made many other outrageous statements. Mr. Hagee, it’s true, did not blame the American government for concocting AIDS. But he did say that God created Hurricane Katrina to punish New Orleans for its sins, particularly a scheduled “homosexual parade there on the Monday that Katrina came.”
Mr. Hagee didn’t make that claim in obscure circumstances, either. He broadcast it on one of America’s most widely heard radio programs, “Fresh Air” on NPR, back in September 2006. He reaffirmed it in a radio interview less than two weeks ago. Only after a reporter asked Mr. McCain about this Katrina homily on April 24 did the candidate brand it as “nonsense” and the preacher retract it.
Mr. McCain says he does not endorse any of Mr. Hagee’s calumnies, any more than Barack Obama endorses Mr. Wright’s. But those who try to give Mr. McCain a pass for his embrace of a problematic preacher have a thin case. It boils down to this: Mr. McCain was not a parishioner for 20 years at Mr. Hagee’s church.
I don’t think that attention given to Obama’s preacher was entirely race driven. The primary rallying point in the media was that his views of American foreign policy over the past 30 years was hypercritical and self defeating. Therefore, they called him “unAmerican” and put him on a pedestal (which he gladly sported the dunce cap for the teacher to banish him with). This preacher Hagee is a doomsday Christian apocalyptical nutt. Christianity a religion of peace – yet, needs the worst war in the history of history to end for a good life of death. Fancy pantsy charts.
I’m always horrified to note these religious wackos never get any less stupid or crazy as the years go by and I’m always even more horrified to note people feel it necessary to film their insane rants and raves and then broadcast them to the world at large.
I ask myself, what kind of person could watch and listen to this sort of thing, let alone believe it to be true?
It’s one thing to have an absolute moron come up with a load of silly, self-serving crap, directly out of his/her fertile imagination, with absolutely no connection to reality but it’s something else again to recognize other post Dark Ages humans actually pay attention to the nonsense.
On the other hand, these idiots might be correct to doubt Darwin. If ‘survival of the fittest’ was a valid concept, we would have killed all these ‘preachers’ when they were young and long before they had any sort of chance to reproduce.
This is why Politics should be SEPARATED from Religion !!! The Founding Fathers rightly PROHIBITED THE ESTABLISHMENT OF ***ANY*** RELIGION, leaving Religion to the individual’s private decision … And we should all be wary of any politician who wears he religion on his sleeve – like Bush, who claims to talk to God, for Christ’s Sake !!! Any Religious Fanatic seeking to attach himself to a Political Candidate is angling to get HIS Religion “established”, despite the Constitution, and become the “Mullah” of Amerika !!!
When it comes to “Religion” – STAY AWAY, KEEP YOUR CHILDREN AWAY, AND KEEP YOUR WALLET CLOSED !!!
I think because McCain actually sought the endorsement of Hagee. This is probably actually worse given that he likely knew the problems surrounding Hagee when he went to him.
Was it a surprise to learn some preachers preach that God punishes sin?
Does McCain Have A Preacher Problem, Too?
You wish.
RBG
Hillary has a preacher problem too
Hillary’s Nasty Pastorate
A fairly illogical and desperate try to link this to race.
Candidate (#1) + a 20 year-long personal family relationship with his wacko preacher mentor = long, loud attacks from the general public on the candidate’s sense of good judgment, character, and interpersonal skills.
Candidate (#2) + a connection to a wacko preacher supporter = loud attacks from the far left.
Hmmm….
#6, RBG,
That depends upon your definition of “sin”. I don’t think most people believe those who claim to have a personal phone line to “god”. Unfortunately, there still are the extremely naive that still think lightening is “god” hurling bolts of electricity, hurricanes and subsequent damage is “god” punishing the wicked, and “god” will heal the injured if you pray hard enough.
Putting your own spin on what “god” thinks is extremely silly. If “god” wants us to do something I’m sure he would tell us directly instead of having assholes like Hagee do the telling for us.
But, … religions are not governed by the laws of rationality or intelligence.
christ, 7 seconds was all i needed to see that that video is a waste of time – probably swallowed by “morans” everywhere.
McCain went to this guy to get some support for evangelicals, but Hagee’s rants will hurt him with Catholics. He isn’t even McCain’s preacher!
the real problem is that sheep still follow these crazy preachers
The truth is all preachers are nuts and any candidate that associates with these unAmerican agents of intolerance should be disqualified for office.
All preachers worship God and subservience to his rules and give lip service as required to local governments just sufficient to maintain their tax exempt status/state support mechanisms.
The only reason our system works, is the worshipping public buys it hook, line, and sinker that believing in god is a good thing unless the flavor is too wrong and the non-believing public know that politicians are either lying panderers or all consumed by their love of power.
It won’t change soon.
[somewhat off topic]
I’ve been highly insulted before — several people have told me what a great “TV evangelist” I’d make after giving outdoor lectures on astronomy. Creeped me right out.
What is it about TV preachers whose morals are such that they can take money from mental adolescents? And want all that attention?
The Right Reverend BubbaRay — maybe that is a good name for a TV evangelist. Har!
Well I think that summs things up well. 🙂
When it comes to Jesus, (i.e. God) you really only have 3 choices.
a) Liar
b) Lunatic
c) Lord
🙂
>>The truth is all preachers are nuts
Aw, Bob. You dearly do love to hear yourself type, don’t you? Do you really think all preachers are like Ted Haggard, Obie’s boy, and Hillary’s cult/ worship club?
Sheesh. You ought to get out more.
#16–Mustard, in essence you ask: “Are all preachers alike?” /// Yes, they all believe in god and like you they all see no inconsistency in a god that creates hell for those who disagree with him, and yet still remaining an all loving god.
When you observe such dysfunctional thinking on a subject a lifetime has been spent thinking about (sic!)==they cannot be trusted on any other issue. Kind of leaves us with the first two choices from #15.
Do some churches do good community work? Certainly.
>>they all see no inconsistency in a god that
>>creates hell for those who disagree with him
Bobbolina, you REALLY need to get out more.
#18–Mustard==and if I got out more, how would I benefit?
Always amazing how red-neck US ‘priests’ interpret the faith. Sorry to destroy your mythology but Christianity is NOT about the Jews. It s about all people.
First of all I think that he mis-quoted Hitler. I have studied Hitler extensively and I don’t recall any such statement and it just doesn’t seem like something that he would say but I suppose it is possible. I would like to see that citation.
Second, who cares what this guy says, other than the insanity of the core belief what he says has no bearing on the social rest of our country, not like Wright’s comments do.
-Erik
>>and if I got out more, how would I benefit?
You would recognize a higher power. There’s more to the world than Mister Bobbolina. Much as the adherents to the Church of Atheism would like to deny that.
Try it. You’ll like it.
#22–Mustard==how does recognizing a higher power benefit me?–or since you don’t “know me”, how does recognizing a higher power benfit those who do?
Bobster, today is Sunday, the Lord’s day of rest. I’m not letting you talk me to death. Try again later.
#24–Mustard==I note your posting directly to me, offering a naked counterpoint without facts or analysis, and when asked to defend your counterpoint, you defend with complete vagueness or ambiguity followed up by “If I only knew what you know” and when asked what that is you conclude with “stop badgering me.”
Gee, I feel like I’m in church already.
I could have sworn I brought up Hagee (and Parsley) earlier last week.
And hell, I’ve got friends going back five decades, when one of them on their last visit decided to proudly call himself a neo-conservative, I thought he had lost his mind. Just because you know somebody for a certain length of time doesn’t necessarily mean that you agree with it. Hell, it doesn’t even necessarily mean that you even KNOW what they are thinking.
Go to bed, Mr. Bobbolina.
“Does McCain Also have a Preacher Problem?”
I don’t know. What this guy his pastor for 20 years with McCain attending his church? Was this McCain’s personal spiritual adviser? If so, he has a problem. If it’s just someone who McCain got an endorsement from, not a big deal.
Would be the same for Obama.
Wright was Barack’s spiritual mentor… he named a book after him, had him marry him and Michelle, baptized his kids, prayed with him before announcing and many times thereafter…
Hagey is just some moronic born again preacher, not McCain’s preacher. Hagey’s followers support the Iraq war because they want to bring about the second coming of christ and the end of days when all Jews will convert to Christianity, hence McCain wanting his endorsement. The truth is it’s all about AIPAC for McCain. He’s a lobbyist whore.
#9 Mr. Gawd Almighty
So let’s hear how an atheist considers God should work for the religious types. Does He sit around all day with nothing to do? Or do you think He’s more of a hands-on kind of Guy, ensuring equal rights for homosexuals and basically working hard as any god can to help protect other rights enshrined in the US Constitution?
RBG
#30, RBG,
I’ll bite.
If “god” gave man free will, he would just leave them the hell alone. He wouldn’t ask them to worship him (her). If this is some great experiment to see what mankind does then by demanding we also worship him points to failure.
If “god” want us to be his servants, then he should have told each of us what our job in this great experiment is. It isn’t good enough that we worship him as that would not supply our individual needs including eating, sleeping, elimination of waste, and production of goods for others.
Either scenario suggests a lack of purpose. Doing anything without a purpose is stupid. Lack of evidence that a “god” even exists shows how delusional all the religious believers of all religions are.
NOTE: McCain sought out Hagee for his endorsement and hasn’t distanced himself from Hagee’s bigotry.