Maybe when you come right down to it, fundamentalist forms of various religions are more alike than they are different. Joe Lieberman is an Orthodox Jew and John Hagee is a fundamentalist Christian. Under normal conditions, never the twain shall meet.
These are not normal conditions. John Hagee is more than just a fundamentalist Christian, he is an extremist crackpot who sees the future in the scribbles of ancient Middle Eastern scribes writing about their particular god who, they believed, was the best god of all. Joe Lieberman, who happens to believe in the same god the ancient Middle Eastern scribes wrote about, is not the sharpest knife in the drawer. He isn't able to discern that what Hagee sees in those ancient writings is completely contradicted by what his current tribal scholars see. Nor does he understand Hagee has determined that what those ancient scribblings reveal to be Israel's future is terminally detrimental for the Jewish people in the 21st century.
Hagee's outfit, Christians United for Israel, is holding its third annual "Washington-Israel" summit in Washington, D.C., July 21-24. According to their brochure, CUFI plans to bring "together some of the most influential leaders and thinkers in Washington to update you on recent developments in the Middle East and in Washington. We're holding a Night to Honor Israel down the street from the Capitol with Senator Joseph Lieberman and Pastor John Hagee. And we're going to Congress so that each of you can share your support for Israel directly with your elected officials."
If you should attend this so-called "summit," you'll hear John Hagee and Gary Bauer (another far-right wingnut) discuss the topic, "Supporting the Jewish State - Now or Never?" on Monday, July 21.
That afternoon, Gary Bauer, president of an organization called "American Values," along with Charles Jacobs of The David Project Center for Jewish Leadership and Liz Rothstein of StandWithUs, will discuss "Israel 101: The Basics of the Arab Israeli Conflict."
Other topics being reviewed during the day include "Iran: Eye of the Storm" and "Radical Islam: In Their Own Words."
Other speakers and leaders are Frank Gaffney of the Center for Security Policy, Clifford May, of The Foundation for the Defense of Democracies, Robert Satloff, of The Washington Institute, Daniel Pipes, of the Middle East Forum, former Senator Rick Santorum, among others.
Monday night offers a "Chairman's Club Donor Banquet," for those who've donated $1,000 to CUFI since July 2007. This will get you a speech by Denis Prager, and a private concert by Randy Travis!
Some folks think that in light of Pastor Hagee's obvious insanity, Joe Lieberman should opt out of his speaking engagement on a "Night to Honor Israel." Max Blumenthal in an article posted on Talk 2 Action, says that "On May 13, Fox News' Megyn Kelly asked Lieberman to respond [to] the gathering criticism of Hagee's remarks. But instead of distancing himself from Hagee's views as McCain had, Lieberman launched into a spirited defense of the televangelist, describing him as someone who 'represents a lot of people in this country, particularly Christians who care about the state of Israel.'"
According to Christopher Beam, writing for Slate, Lieberman has posted a statement explaining his decision to speak at CUFI.
(As you read this, remember that Hagee is convinced the Bible clearly says that at the end of time, (which is due to arrive very soon!) Jesus will return, and the end result will be that all Jews who fail to accept him as the Messiah will suffer an unimaginable holocaust of eternal hellfire.)
Here's Lieberman's statement:
"I believe that Pastor Hagee has made comments that are deeply unacceptable and hurtful. I also believe that a person should be judged on the entire span of his or her life's works. Pastor Hagee has devoted much of his life to fighting anti-Semitism and building bridges between Christians and Jews. The organization that he has helped build, Christians United for Israel, is a vital force in supporting the war against terrorism and defending our ally, Israel. I will go to the CUFI Summit in July and speak to the people who have come to Washington from all over our country to express their support of America and Israel, based on our shared eternal values and our shared contemporary challenges in the war against terrorism. At that conference, I will also make it clear that it is imperative that our language is always respectful and tolerant of all of our fellow citizens."
There are many ways to respond to this statement, but I don't think anything sums it up better than what Mr. Beam said:
"I can't think of any good explanation for this, other than Hagee has naked photos of Joe Lieberman ... eating shellfish."
1 comment:
I can understand Lieberman’s acceptance of help re anti Semitism and Israel from people like Hagee. He might not agree with his end goal, which I believe sees the conversion of Jews once Jesus returns. An enemy of my enemy can be my friend, but I will keep both eyes open at all times. Israel has few friends and few others that fight anti Semitism. Why not accept any good these people do until Jesus does return as long as they do no harm? There are more than enough people that do not accept Jews now and are not in favor of Israel’s survival. Hagee is supportive while others are destructive. I think much of what Hagee says is nonsense but he will continue to spout it regardless of what I think. In the meantime his followers visit and support Israel while few others do. Israel needs all the help it can get. Not too long ago, it was difficult to find a Jewish tourist in Jerusalem but Hagee’s people were there and they helped Israel by visiting.
Personally I believe that when Jesus returns to earth, He will not spurn his fellow coreligionists, the Jews, I suspect the anti Semites will burn in Hell for their mistreatment of Jews. If Jesus does not return to earth during my lifetimes, I will never know what will transpire. In the meantime, Israel is still doing fine with whatever help it can get. What if Jesus does not return to Earth during this century?
Bob Poris
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