What Does John Hagee Really Want?

[Psalm 51:17]

What Does John Hagee Really Want?
June 27, 2013
Chuck Baldwin
http://chuckbaldwinlive.com/Articles/tabid/109/ID/1042/What-Does-John-Hagee-Really-Want.aspx

John Hagee, and many other evangelical preachers, constantly beat the war drums. Without ceasing, they encourage America’s political leaders to wage non-stop wars of aggression--especially in the Middle East. They constantly trumpet America’s unconstitutional interventions in the Middle East with terms not unlike those used by militant Muslims. Hagee’s pro-war fanaticism is so extreme one must wonder how much he is being paid by the Israeli lobby. My guess is it’s a bunch.

Much of this Christian war fever is due to a convoluted interpretation of Scripture--especially prophetic Scripture. While I will leave most of this discussion for another day, let me simply say that whatever God plans to do in regard to the reestablishment of the Davidic Kingdom, it has precious little to do with the atheistic, apostate government currently headquartered in Tel Aviv. And Hagee, himself, teaches apostasy when he declares that Jewish people today have a special covenant with God and do not need to come to faith in Jesus Christ in order to be saved, and when he says that Jesus never even claimed to be Christ (Messiah).
Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life; no man cometh unto the Father but by me.” (John 14:6 KJV) Now, either Jesus or John Hagee told the truth. I’ll take the word of Jesus. Plus, Mr. Hagee apparently forgot Simon Peter’s confession, which Jesus said was due to a revelation from God the Father, “Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.” (Matthew 16:16 KJV)

So, what is it that Hagee and the rest really want? Perpetual war? Total genocide? A global New World Order with the likes of G.W. Bush or Barack Obama at the helm? What do they really want? Do they really have such an inflated view of themselves that they truly believe that they are going to manipulate what God does or doesn’t do regarding the fulfillment of end time events? Is God their servant? Is God Israel’s servant? Is God America’s servant? Balderdash! God is no man’s (or country’s) servant.
I wonder what these warmonger-preachers think about all the “blowback” from these illegal and immoral wars of aggression that G.W. Bush (and now Barack Obama) has led us into. Not only are these wars provoking people all over the world against us and doing more to recruit volunteers for militant extremists in the Middle East than anything Al Qaeda could do on their own, they are having catastrophic results on missionary work.

Now think this through: these warmongering evangelicals beat the war drums; they encourage the young men from their churches to go off and fight these “holy” wars; they work tirelessly to elect pro-war politicians; and they twist Old Testament Scripture to fit these modern crusades. Then, the politicians whom the warmongers helped elect send the US military to invade, bomb, and kill hundreds of thousands of people, the vast majority of whom are innocent people. After which, these same warmonger-preachers get up in their pulpits and cry and weep about how we need to send missionaries to preach the Gospel to the same people they just got done trying to annihilate.
Exactly who is it that the missionaries are supposed to reach? The ones lucky enough to escape death and destruction from US bombers and drone attacks, I guess. And exactly what is the message our missionaries are supposed to deliver? “I’m from America, and I’m here to tell you about the love of God.” Oh, that is going to play really well with the loved ones of those family members we just destroyed.

I’ve had so many missionaries tell me how difficult it is for them to try to minister to people around the world today; and the chief reason is the bully reputation that America has built over the past several decades.
Furthermore, do these warmongering evangelicals really want to deal with the fact that we now have over 23 veterans and active-duty military personnel committing suicide EVERY DAY? That equates to more fighting men dying from self-inflicted wounds than from wounds received in the wars they are asked to fight. This is a first in US history. Is John Hagee interested in why so many of our fighting men are killing themselves?

Just recently, an Iraq War veteran killed himself and left a sad and compelling suicide-letter explaining why he ended his life. The letter was posted with the family’s permission. This young soldier was engaged in over 400 combat missions as a machine-gunner in the turret of a Humvee.  He was also involved in the interrogation of countless Iraqis. In the letter, the soldier said, “The simple truth is this: During my first deployment, I was made to participate in things, the enormity of which is hard to describe. War crimes, crimes against humanity. Though I did not participate willingly, and made what I thought was my best effort to stop these events, there are some things that a person simply can not come back from. I take some pride in that, actually, as to move on in life after being part of such a thing would be the mark of a sociopath in my mind. These things go far beyond what most are even aware of.
“To force me to do these things and then participate in the ensuing coverup is more than any government has the right to demand. Then, the same government has turned around and abandoned me. They offer no help, and actively block the pursuit of gaining outside help via their corrupt agents at the DEA. Any blame rests with them.”

The distraught soldier went on to say, “Is it any wonder then that the latest figures show 22 veterans killing themselves each day? That is more veterans than children killed at Sandy Hook, every single day. Where are the huge policy initiatives? Why isn’t the president standing with those families at the state of the union? Perhaps because we were not killed by a single lunatic, but rather by his own system of dehumanization, neglect, and indifference.
“It leaves us to where all we have to look forward to is constant pain, misery, poverty, and dishonor. I assure you that, when the numbers do finally drop, it will merely be because those who were pushed the farthest are all already dead.

“And for what? Bush’s religious lunacy? Cheney’s ever growing fortune and that of his corporate friends? Is this what we destroy lives for?”
See the report and the soldier’s complete suicide-letter at:

Iraq Vet Kills Himself After Being Ordereed To Commit War Crimes
What was the soldier’s lament? He was forced to commit war crimes and crimes against humanity. He was forced by the government to cover up these crimes. His government abandoned him in his hour of need. His pain and guilt was more than he could bear. The soldier’s own words were that his was “Not suicide, but a mercy killing.”

Mr. Hagee and the rest of you warmongering evangelicals out there, is this soldier’s suicide (and the suicides of over 23 active-duty and military veterans every day) what you had in mind when you beat the drums for America’s undeclared, unconstitutional wars of aggression? This young soldier saw the reality of these wars up close and personal--and he didn’t like what he saw. And don’t try to brush this off by saying it’s always been this way. No it hasn’t! We didn’t have suicides like this during World War I or World War II. Whatever the politics back then was or wasn’t, those were lawfully declared wars in which our men knew what they were fighting for. They went in; they fought; they came home.
The war we are fighting in the Middle East is now America’s longest war, and there is no end in sight. Bush and Obama have made perpetual war an official US policy. In addition, this “War on Terror” has transformed the American people from citizens into suspects--every last one of us. Military drones by the tens of thousands are, or soon will be, flying over the skies of America. The American citizenry is being spied on relentlessly. Two super spy centers are currently being built: one in southern Utah and one near San Antonio, Texas. These super spy centers are designed primarily to spy on the American people. Liberties once protected by the Constitution and Bill of Rights are now publicly and blatantly abused. And evangelicals such as John Hagee say nary a word of protest. Instead, they continue to support and promote this so-called “War on Terror.” At what cost, Mr. Hagee? At what cost?

Hundreds of thousands of innocents are being killed; animosity against the United States is growing exponentially; in an effort to keep our country at war, our economy is being overburdened and overtaxed to the point of no return; in the name of the “War on Terror,” America is on the verge of becoming a giant police state; we are inciting China and Russia into nuclear war; and America’s military veterans are killing themselves more frequently than are enemy bullets. Is this what you want, Mr. Hagee? Is this really what you want?

[Kilika]

Now think this through: these warmongering evangelicals beat the war drums; they encourage the young men from their churches to go off and fight these “holy” wars; they work tirelessly to elect pro-war politicians; and they twist Old Testament Scripture to fit these modern crusades. Then, the politicians whom the warmongers helped elect send the US military to invade, bomb, and kill hundreds of thousands of people, the vast majority of whom are innocent people. After which, these same warmonger-preachers get up in their pulpits and cry and weep about how we need to send missionaries to preach the Gospel to the same people they just got done trying to annihilate.

He just described the RCC! Only for protestants, they're called Churchianity. Same wolf, different color sheepskin.

These people outright ignore when Jesus says, "Love your enemies..."

[Mark]

Former House Majority Leader: God Has Called Me to Spark Spiritual, Constitutional Revival

Former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay announced this week that he believes that God has given him the mission to spark spiritual and constitutional revival in the United States of America.
 
At an appearance this past Sunday at John Hagee’s Cornerstone Church in San Antonio, Texas, he explained that he believes that an awakening is on the horizon, but that American pastors must not ignore their duty to be salt and light.
 
“I’ve been spending a lot of my time trying to talk pastors and churches into getting involved in the fight,” he stated. “The way I see it, as you say it, Jesus died for our freedom. And Jesus destroyed Satan so that we could be free.”

“And that is manifested in what is called the Constitution of the United States,” Delay continued. “God created this nation and God created the Constitution; it is written on biblical principles.”

He stated that he “came to realize that pastors have given up their responsibility for civil government.”
 
“God created three institutions–the family, the church and civil government,” DeLay explained. “It’s all throughout the Bible. Unless you have all three of those institutions working well together, your culture and the people suffer.”
 
“For many, many years—60 or more years—pastors don’t even realize it is their responsibility to have a ministry of civil government in their church and be involved in the community around them,” he continued. “You can spew that salt out there and that light out there so that people understand who Christ is, that Christ has destroyed Satan, because of the cross and his resurrection.”

DeLay stated that during a flight home from a retreat this past August, as he was reading the devotional My Utmost for His Highest, he believed that God had a “conference call” of sorts with him to show him what he is to do.
 
“He told me two things,” he said. “You’re coming out of the wilderness; you’re going to write a book—it’s going to be called ‘Shut it Down’ and it’s going to be about constitutional revival.”
 
“The second things was, ‘I’ve heard My people,’” DeLay outlined, pointing to 2 Chronicles 7:14. “My awakening is beginning, and you’re going to be a part of it.”
 
The former majority leader then began to become tearful, stating that he did not feel worthy of the calling, but was looking forward to what God had in store.
 
According to the Dallas Morning News, the week prior, DeLay spoke at a Tea Party gathering and urged attendees to join him in an effort to shut down every department or facet of the federal government that is not delegated by the Constitution.
 
“It’s time for a constitutional renewal, a constitutional revival,” he said, again noting that he believes a spiritual revival is imminent. “It’s time for a revolution.”
 
DeLay served as House Majority Leader from 2003 to 2005. He had been convicted in 2010 of money laundering charges, but was cleared of all counts in September by the 3rd District Texas Court of Appeals.



http://christiannews.net/2013/11/02/former-house-majority-leader-god-has-called-me-to-spark-spiritual-constitutional-revival/

]“The way I see it, as you say it, Jesus died for our freedom. And Jesus destroyed Satan so that we could be free.”

Ya know, that statement right there, tells me he isnt a Christian. "The way I see it, as you say it", buddy the Bible says it, if you read it, it will tell you that. It isnt what we say, its what happened and what we believe. Jesus died so that we can live, he paid our own sin debt. We of our selves cant do that. Again if you read the Bible, you would learn this. "Jesus destroyed Satan " When did that happen? Hasnt happened yet. we still have a minimum of 1,007 years. I would think that Hagee would at least get that part right. If you ask me it looks likr Delay is trying to take over some power through the Tea Party, and get the gullible to follow him. Of course he starts at a heritics 501c3 church. Bet he is on AJ's show next. Tom, get saved first, then the Holy Spirit will talk to you in ways you never imagined, but that wasnt him telling you to write a book buddy

[Psalm 51:17]

Sounds like DeLay is part of the Clergy Response Team. Serve government? Where's THAT in scripture?

DeLay stated that during a flight home from a retreat this past August, as he was reading the devotional My Utmost for His Highest, he believed that God had a “conference call” of sorts with him to show him what he is to do.

"My Utmost for His Highest" is a big devotional book written by Oswald Chambers almost a century ago. Chambers was a works-based heretic who believed for Christians to bear good fruit, we would have to live sin-less lives.
http://endtimesandcurrentevents.freesmfhosting.com/index.php/topic,8560.0.html

[FervorForFaith]

“And that is manifested in what is called the Constitution of the United States,” Delay continued. “God created this nation and God created the Constitution; it is written on biblical principles.”[/colfor]

So freemasons (which were Satanic long before Albert Pike; Some estimate modern freemasonry began in 1717, others push it all the way to Francis Bacon in the 1600s), deists and a Hellfire Club member demonstrate that the United States was founded on Biblical principles? OK

Don't get me wrong, I'm grateful that we have freedoms in this country that most only dream about (freedom of religion most of all), but if I can say something to the "We love the founding fathers" gang, this nation was a good Christian nation for so long because of the average Joes who read their King James Bible and BELIEVED IT, not some aristocratic Continental Congress.

Ok, rant over

[Kilika]

this nation was a good Christian nation for so long

That is a fallacy promoted by churchianity. There is NOTHING good about the world and it's secular governments. They ALL are corrupt and enemies of God.

Tom Delay is nothing but your typical corrupt politician looking for votes, and true to form, he's pulling the evangelical strings for support. With this angle, Delay is calling on churchianity's "Romans 13 crowd" to continue their involvement in government and protesting a corrupt world that only Jesus can fix.

Regardless of how churchianity types try to spin it, America is NOT a Christian nation, and never was. It was founded by mostly Masons, with the rest looking for a better economic situation. The founders wanted a better secular government based on Masonic principles, they weren't looking to start a Christian community!

From the Masons themselves...( The Mason's St. John's Lodge provided their bible for the ceremony)

George Washington Inaugural Bible
http://www.stjohns1.org/portal/gwib

...On November 28th, 1770, the Master of the St. John's, W:. Jonathan Hampton, presented a replacement Bible to the Lodge. At the time, printed Bibles were an expensive rarity and the Lodge was fortunate indeed to benefit from W:. Hampton's generosity. Scarcely could the Brethren of the time have predicted that within a few short years the Colonies were to sever their ties with their mother country and the Bible was to become the very cornerstone of a new nation founded upon the Masonic principles of liberty and equality.

The Bible was printed by Mark Baskett, printer ny Royal Appointment to the King's Most Excellent Majesty, London 1767. The deep gold lettering, distinctly clear on both covers, displays this inscription:

"God shall establish; St. John's Lodge constituted 5757; Burnt down 8th March, 5770; Rebuilt and opened November 28th, 5770. Officers then presiding: Jonathan Hampton, Master: William Butler, Senior Warden: Isaac Heron, Junior Warden."

The Bible is the King James Version, complete with the Apocrypha and elaborately supplemented with the historical, astronomical and legal data of that period. It contains numerous artistic steel engravings portraying Biblical narratives from designs and paintings by old masters and engraved by the celebrated English artist, John Stuart.

After the conclusion of the War of Independence, New York City became the first Constitutional capital of the United States, and it was there on April 30th, 1789 that Brother George Washington was to be sworn in as the first President of the United States.

On a platform erected for the purpose, in front of the then City Hall, were gathered the Congress of the United States, with George Wash­ington and Chancellor Livingston, Grand Master of Masons in the State of New York. In front of them was an immense concourse of citizens. It was indeed a great holiday occasion; the Revolutionary War was over and peace reigned throughout the country.

Everything was ready for the administration of the oath of office to the President of the new government, when it was discovered that a Holy Bible had not been provided on which the President-Elect could swear allegiance to the Constitution. Jacob Morton, who was Marshal of the parade, and at that time Master of St. John's Lodge, was standing close by. Seeing the dilemma they were in, he remarked that he could get the altar Bible of St. John's Lodge, which met at the Old Coffee House on the corner of Water and Wall Streets. Chancellor Livingston begged him to do so. The Bible was brought, and the ceremony proceeded. The stately Washington took his oath with his right hand resting on the Bible which had been opened to Genesis XLIX and L. His head bowed in a reverential manner, he added in a clear and distinct voice, "I swear, so help me God!" then bowing over this magnificent Bible, he reverently kissed it, whereupon Chancellor Livingston exclaimed in a ringing voice, "Long live George Wash­ington, President of the United States!"

To preserve the memory of this auspicious event, a page was inserted in the Bible with the following inscription:

"On this sacred volume, on the 30th day of April, A. L. 5789, in the City of New York, was administered to George Washington, the first president of the United States of America, the oath to support the Constitution of the United States. This important ceremony was performed by the Most Worshipful Grand Master of Free and Accepted Masons of the State of New York, the Honorable Robert R. Livingston, Chancellor of the State.

Fame stretched her wings and with her trumpet blew.
Great Washington is near. What praise is due?
What title shall he have? She paused, and said
‘Not one - his name alone strikes every title dead."

The Bible has since been used at four other inaugurations: President Harding in 1921; President Eisenhower in 1953; President Jimmy Carter in 1977 and President George Bush Sr. in 1989. It was also to have been used for the inauguration of George W. Bush in 2001, but rain prevented its use. It has also been present at numerous public and Masonic occasions, including Washington's funeral procession in New York, December 31st, 1799; the introduction of Croton water into New York City, October 14th, 1840; the dedication of the Masonic Temple in Boston, June 24th, 1867, and of that in Philadelphia on May 24th, 1869; the dedication of the Washington monument in Washington, February 21st, 1885 and its rededication in 1998; and the laying of the cornerstone of the Masonic Home at Utica on May 21st, 1891.

It was also used at the opening of the present Masonic Hall in New York on September 18, 1909, when St. John's Lodge held the first meeting, and conferred the first Third Degree, in the newly completed Temple. More recently it featured at the World Fair in New York, has been displayed at the CIA Offices outside Washington D.C., and at the Famous Fathers & Sons exhibition at the George Bush Memorial Library outside Dallas, Texas in 2001.

The Bible is still in active use by the Lodge. When not being used by St. John’s Lodge or on tour, it is on display at Federal Hall, Wall Street, New York.

[Kilika]

The printer, Mark Baskett, was the son of John Baskett, the royal printer who took over license to print from Robert Barker, the first royal printer of the King James Bible.

I'm not sure yet, but it appears that the Baskett name appeared on both originally the Oxford text, and later the Cambridge text in 1731. I'm not clear if the lawsuit involving Cambridge in 1731 was the turning point to using the Cambridge text as the official royal text.

So, the 1767 Mark Baskett Washington Inaugural Bible may say it's a King James, but I'm not clear yet as to which text it is. The name Mark Baskett appears on bibles up to 1769, but I'm not sure they were the original text John Baskett used, as he was originally using the Oxford text it appears.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Baskett

John Baskett (1664/5 – 1742), was the king's printer.

Baskett is believed to have been the person of that name who addressed a petition to the treasury praying that since he was ‘the first that undertook to serve his Majtie with parchment cartridges for his Majties fleet, by which meanes he saved his Majtie severall thousand pounds,’ he might be appointed ‘one of the Comrs, Comptroller or Receiver,’ being ‘places to be disposed of by the late duty upon paper, &c.’.[1] The petition was not dated; but it must have been written about 1694, as the act for duties on vellum, paper, &c., was passed 5 William & Mary, c. 21.[2] The origin of the bible-patent dates from Christopher and Robert Barker, in whose family it remained down to 1709. The patent was then held by Thomas Newcomb and Henry Hills, from whose executors John Baskett and some others purchased the remainder of their term.

In 1713, Benjamin Tooke and John Barber were constituted Queen's Printers, to commence after the expiration of the term purchased by Baskett, that is, thirty years from 1709, or January 1739. Baskett bought from Tooke and Barber their reversionary interest, and obtained a renewal of sixty years, the latter thirty of which were subsequently conveyed by the representatives of the Baskett family to Charles Eyre and his heirs for 10,000l. A new patent was granted in 1799 to George Eyre, Andrew Strahan, and John Reeves; it has been renewed, and has come in course of time into the hands of its present possessors, Messrs. Eyre & Spottiswoode.

The first Bible printed by ‘the assigns of Newcomb and Hills’ appeared in 1710, and the name of John Baskett was first added to theirs upon a New Testament in 1712. Baskett began to print the Book of Common Prayer in the following year, when he brought out editions in quarto, octavo, and 12mo. He was made master of the Company of Stationers in 1714 and again in 1715. Four editions of the Bible (folio, quarto, octavo, and duodecimo) appeared with his imprint in 1715. His next publication was an edition in two volumes, imperial folio, printed at Oxford (the Old Testament in 1717 and New Testament in 1716), a work of great typographical beauty, styled by Dibdin ‘the most magnificent’ of the Oxford Bibles. It is known as ‘The Vinegar Bible,’ from an error in the headline of St. Luke, ch. xx., which reads ’The parable of the vinegar,’ instead of ‘The parable of the vineyard.’ It is so carelessly printed that it was at once named ‘A Baskett-full of printers' errors.’ The large-paper copies contain frontispiece by Du Bosc and vignettes, &c., by Vandergucht.

Three copies on vellum have been traced: one in the British Museum, one in the Bodleian Library, and a third formerly at Blenheim, which fetched 255l. at the Sunderland sale in 1881. Daniel Prince, writing on 4 June 1795, says: ‘Great care was taken to preserve the waste of that book, and indeed of some few others of Basket's printing worth preserving. About the year 1762 all Basket's stock, &c., was removed to London; and I have often procured sheets of that Bible and also of the beautiful octavo Common Prayer Book, which were almost his only shining examples of paper and print’.

Dr. John Lee, who calls Baskett ‘one of the greatest monopolists of bibles who ever lived,’ describes at length his Scotch lawsuits, commencing in 1715. In a vigorous pamphlet (‘A Previous View of the Case between John Baskett, Esq., one of his Majesty's Printers, Plaintiff, and Henry Parson, Stationer, Defendant,’ Edinburgh, printed by James Watson, one of his majesty's printers, 1720, 4to), probably written by Watson himself, it was contended that, as king's printer for Scotland, he had the right, under the Act of Union, of printing the Bible and of selling it anywhere in the United Kingdom. Baskett claimed the privilege of printing bibles and of selling them in Scotland, while he prosecuted Henry Parson, Watson's agent, for selling in England bibles produced in Edinburgh. The litigation continued until it was settled by a judgment of Lord Mansfield in favour of Baskett. The imprint of James Watson may be seen in bibles printed at Edinburgh during 1715, 1716, 1719, and 1722. In 1726 the name of John Baskett appears on an Edinburgh edition.

In 1731 the press syndics of the University of Cambridge leased their privilege of printing bibles and prayer-books for eleven years to W. Fenner, who, with the brothers James, was in partnership with William Ged for carrying into operation stereotype printing invented by the latter. Ged describes at length the intrigues of the king's printer (Baskett) with his own partners, with a view to damage the success of the innovation. Baskett shortly afterwards became bankrupt, and in 1732 his assignees filed a bill in chancery against W. Fenner and the university of Cambridge for printing bibles and prayer-books. The case came on again in August 1742, and was ultimately decided in the court of King's Bench, 24 November 1758, in favour of the university. About the year 1738 Baskett's printing-office was burnt; and, as was the custom on such occasions, he was helped through his losses by gifts from his brethren of presses and money. The name of John Baskett is last seen on a 12mo New Testament of 1742. He died on 22 June of that year. His sons Thomas and Robert printed the Old Testament in 1743. The name of Thomas alone appears on bibles after 1744, and the imprint so continued down to 1769. He issued editions of the Prayer Book between 1746 and 1757. We find that 'Mark Baskett and the assigns of Robert Barker' printed two quarto bibles at London in 1761 and 1763, and a folio prayer-book, 1706. With the name of Mark Baskett is connected a remarkable bibliographical mystery. Isaiah Thomas, our chief authority for the history of printing in North America, assures us that 'Kneeland and Green' printed [at Boston about 1752], principally for Daniel Henchman, an edition of the Bible in small 4to. This was the first Bible printed in America in the English language.

'It was carried through the press as privately as possible, and had the London imprint of the copy from which it was reprinted, viz. "London: printed by Mark Baskett, printer to the king's most excellent majesty," in order to prevent a prosecution.' Thomas had often heard the story told when an apprentice. 'The late Governor Hancock was related to Henchman, and knew the particulars of the transaction. He possessed a copy of this impression,' of which between seven and eight hundred are said to have been struck off. Thomas also states that two thousand copies of a duodecimo New Testament had also been printed at Boston by Rogers & Fowle in the same disguised manner. 'Both the Bible and Testament were well executed.' 'Zechariah Fowle, with whom I served my apprenticeship, as well as several others, repeatedly mentioned to me this edition of the Testament. He was at the time a journeyman with Rogers & Fowle, and worked at the press'. The story is minute and circumstantial; but no bibliographer, not even Thomas himself, has yet seen either of the books. No Bible dated 1752 from the press of Mark Baskett can be found. His name first appears in 1761. For these reasons O'Callaghan has included neither of the editions in his 'List of Editions of the Holy Scriptures printed in America,' Albany, 1860.

[FervorForFaith]

That is a fallacy promoted by churchianity. There is NOTHING good about the world and it's secular governments. They ALL are corrupt and enemies of God.

I was more in reference to the moral fiber of the country way back then. The citizens of the United States in 1792 were MUCH more Biblically literate than citizens of the United States in 2012. That wasn't because of the "founding fathers" and their government, that was because most of the people in the US at the time read the King James Bible and believed it.

That's what I meant by my statement.

[Psalm 51:17]

I was more in reference to the moral fiber of the country way back then. The citizens of the United States in 1792 were MUCH more Biblically literate than citizens of the United States in 2012. That wasn't because of the "founding fathers" and their government, that was because most of the people in the US at the time read the King James Bible and believed it.

That's what I meant by my statement.

And to the credit of these "founding fathers" and the government leaders at the time, they pretty much respected Christians - no, they didn't "like" them, per se, but they had this "you mind your own business and we'll mind our's" type of attitude.

Same can't be said in our present day - especially since the whole 501c3 agenda in the mid 20th century.

[Mark]

Pro-McCain pastor apologizes to Catholics

WASHINGTON - John Hagee, an influential Texas televangelist who endorsed John McCain, apologized to Catholics Tuesday for his stinging criticism of the Roman Catholic Church and for having "emphasized the darkest chapters in the history of Catholic and Protestant relations with the Jews."

Hagee's support for McCain has drawn cries of outrage from some Catholic leaders who have called on McCain to reject Hagee's endorsement. The likely Republican nominee has said he does not agree with some of Hagee's past comments, but did not reject his support.

In a letter to William Donohue, president of the Catholic League for Civil and Religious Rights, Hagee wrote: "Out of a desire to advance a greater unity among Catholics and evangelicals in promoting the common good, I want to express my deep regret for any comments that Catholics have found hurtful."

Donohue, one of Hagee's sharpest critics, said he accepted the apology and planned to meet with Hagee Thursday in New York.

"I got what I wanted," Donohue said in an interview. "He's seen the light, as they like to say. So for me it's over."

The controversy had threatened to pursue McCain throughout the campaign, potentially hurting his standing with Catholic voters. A majority of Roman Catholics voted for President Bush in the past two presidential elections, critical votes in close elections.

The letter came after Hagee met Friday for lunch in a French restaurant in downtown Washington with 22 influential religious activists, virtually all of them Catholics.

Hagee has cited the Inquisition and the Crusades as evidence of anti-Semitism within the Catholic church and has suggested that Catholic anti-Semitism shaped Adolf Hitler's views of Jews.

"In my zeal to oppose anti-Semitism and bigotry in all its ugly forms, I have often emphasized the darkest chapters in the history of Catholics and Protestant relations with the Jews," Hagee wrote. "In the process, I may have contributed to the mistaken impression that the anti-Jewish violence of the Crusades and the Inquisition defines the Catholic Church. It most certainly does not."

Hagee has often made references to "the apostate church" and the "great ****," terms that Catholics say are slurs aimed at the Roman Catholic Church. In his letter, Hagee said he now better understood that his use of those descriptions, taken from the Book of Revelations, are "a rhetorical device long employed in anti-Catholic literature and commentary."

He stressed that in his use, "neither of these phrases can be synonymous with the Catholic Church."

The remarkable 2 1/2-page letter was no doubt inspired by the political storm Hagee's endorsement caused. Hagee leads a San Antonio, Texas, megachurch with a congregation in the tens of thousands. He has an even wider television audience.

When he endorsed McCain in late February, Donohue and other Catholic leaders demanded that McCain repudiate him. The Democratic National Committee also weighed in, highlighting Hagee's remarks over the years.

Some commentators even likened Hagee's affect on McCain to the controversy Democrat Barack Obama faced as a result of the views expressed by his former pastor, the Rev. Jeremiah Wright.

McCain initially embraced Hagee's endorsement, eager to reach out to religious voters by securing the support of a prominent Christian conservative. But he was soon forced to put some distance with Hagee.

"Any comments that he made about the Catholic Church I strongly condemn, of course," he said during an April appearance on ABC's "This Week."

Campaigning in North Bend, Wash., McCain on Tuesday said Hagee's apology was "very helpful."

"Whenever somebody apologizes for something they did wrong, then I think that that's a laudable thing to do," he said.

Asked if he or his campaign played a role in brokering Hagee's letter, McCain simply said: "I certainly wasn't."

During the early primaries, McCain won strong support from Catholic voters. But Hagee threatened to become an issue heading into the general election.

Hagee is no stranger to provocative remarks. On National Public Radio in 2006, he said Hurricane Katrina was God's judgment because "New Orleans had a level of sin that was offensive to God." He has written that the feminist movement represents "a rebellion against God's pattern for the family." On Tuesday, the Democratic National Committee said that considering those and other comments McCain still should renounce Hagee's endorsement.

But Donohue said Hagee, by offering his apology now, may have defused a potential problem from the Arizona senator.

"Had this happened after Labor Day I think it would have been an insurmountable problem for McCain to reach out to Catholics," Donohue said. "Now, with this behind him, I think the raised eyebrows in the Catholic community will begin to normalize."

In a statement posted in the Catholic League's Web site, Donohue added: "What Hagee has done takes courage and quite frankly I never expected him to demonstrate such sensitivity to our concerns."