Politics and Religion

I find politics to be interesting. In the wake of the fallout over Obama and his pastor, of course McCain receiving and endorsement from John Hagee got some play. I find Hagee to be a fairly responsible exegete. This means that to me, he doesn't take too many leaps of faith, nor does he speculate too wildly. I don't agree with all of his conclusions on end times prophecy, but I think in all he is solid. Many have called him anti-Catholic because of some of his statements about anti-semitism in the Catholic church.

Let's consider a few things while we analyze this criticism. First, who is doing the name calling here? As far as a I can see, it is Catholic people who are always on the lookout for real or perceived anti-Catholic bias. More often than not it is perceived. Most of the time, they label Hagees statements as anti-Catholic without actually speaking to whether or not the statement is true. One example is the Spanish Inquisition, which did have anti-Jewish elements to it.

Second, keep in mind that those who are calling Hagee anti-Catholic view protestant teaching as heretical. People may demand apologies for anti-Catholic language, but who demands an apology from the Catholic church for anti-evangelical speech? Third, the media trumpeting these anti-Catholic charges are firmly in the democrat camp. They want to deflect some attention from Obama's pastor even as they are forced to report on the statements of Rev. Wright.

As always, please try to think critically about criticism of religious leaders that are trumpeted in the mainstream media. Take the time to track down exactly what was said, in what context it was said, and what it actually means. Is John Hagee anti-Catholic? This article is an interesting read. Especially read all the way to the end.