No Debate on Hagee?
Rachel Tabachnick printable version print page     Bookmark and Share
Sun Jun 08, 2008 at 10:31:22 PM EST
Part One

David Brog, executive director of CUFI, is outraged at the "New Inquisition" against Pastor John Hagee, and claims that there was a complete absence of debate about his statements. On this last point he would be correct. Brog, Lieberman, and others have led the Jewish community to believe that Hagee has the best interest of Jews and Israel at heart, and refuse to discuss evidence to the contrary. Let the debate begin!

I have read hundreds of pages of Hagee's books and listened to many hours of his sermons in the course of my research on apocalyptic Christian Zionism, also known by its theological label, premillennial dispensationalism. My objections to the partnership with Hagee are not theological hairsplitting, but are based on the fact that the sermons of this publicly "pro-Israel" figure are rife with anti-Jewish conspiracy theories and a false representation of Jews and Zionism to the rest of the world. Nowhere in my extensive collections of bibles, or Christian and Jewish theological resources, do I find narratives of the Illuminati, Masonic, New World Order, or Rothschild/ Federal Reserve conspiracy theories that permeate Hagee's sermons and writings.

See transcripts of related Hagee sermon quotes at
Source/Information Page for John Hagee Video

However, I do have another collection of books and papers in which I can find narratives strikingly similar to Hagee's rants about a world manipulated by Jewish actions. That would be my New World Order/Protocols of the Elders of Zion conspiracy theory collection. It may sound counterintuitive that the anti-Jewish conspiracy theories now flourishing in much of the world are coming from people who loudly proclaim their love for Israel. However, if you study the historical themes of these Judeo-centric narratives, both the antichrist narrative and the secular narrative, it is clear that they have been woven together for generations.  The Protocols of the Elders of Zion was first published as an addendum to a Russian Orthodox mystic's book on the coming of the antichrist. Leading dispensational preachers supported Henry Ford's publication of The Protocols in the U.S. and Germany, as they believed it to be authentic and supporting the basis of their own interpretation of biblical prophecy.  They viewed the Holocaust as simply a forerunner for the Tribulation and the "time of Jacob's trouble." For much of the post-Holocaust era, The Protocols and related anti-Jewish conspiracy theories resided in the seamy underbelly of the extremist right, while the corresponding antichrist prophecy was limited to a segment of American fundamentalism. However, these narratives emerged again in an explosion of Judeo-centric apocalyptic prophecy and religious fiction in the 1980s and 1990s and have now been reintroduced to the world, including Europe, Asia, and Africa, through this prophecy vehicle.

The two narratives are most compelling, as well as more socially acceptable, when they are woven together, mixing the tale of the Jewish control of the world with an elaborate antichrist narrative drawn from interpretation of the books of Daniel and Revelation. The narrative can be found in many forms and it is neither rational nor cohesive, but the core story is as follows. Jews were infused with secret mystical and occult knowledge during the Babylonian captivity. This secret knowledge has been continued through the Pharisees, Talmud, and Kabbalah resulting in centuries of an organized and conspiratorial battle against Christianity.  The devil is represented in this battle by Jews, the rebels against God, along with their co-conspirators, the Illuminati, Freemasonry, and, in certain versions of the narrative, Jesuits or the entire Roman Catholic Church.  Control of the world by this evil cabal, led by Rothschilds and other Jewish and secretly Jewish families, is facilitated by economic manipulation and results in revolution, liberalism, socialism, communism, feminism, modernism, and secular humanism.  The latest narratives are also crediting Jews with responsibility for "liberal fascism." The narrative then progresses into the future with the prophecy of the antichrist and his one world government of seven years during the Tribulation.

The mainstreaming of the narrative was boosted by Pat Robertson's 1991 publication of the bestselling book, New World Order, which cited historic and contemporary anti-Jewish conspiracy theorists including Eustace Mullins (Ezra Pound Institute), and Nesta Webster. Robertson's book introduced into mainstream society an updated anti-Jewish conspiracy narrative paired with popular dispensational antichrist prophecy, and served to make the combined theme socially acceptable as a religious narrative. Hagee subsequently used some of the same material in his books and sermons, most notably Day of Deception, where he footnotes Robertson numerous times in Part 1, Chapter 3, "Who Controls America?" (Chapters 1 and 2 are titled Witchcraft in the Whitehouse and Who Killed Vince Foster?) Hagee has since surpassed Robertson with his own seamlessly co-mingled blend of antichrist prophecy, revisionist history, and New World Order conspiracy theory which he televises worldwide. Through the use of the antichrist narrative, Hagee can claim to look into a prophetic future of a New World Order where Jews and Catholics, left behind during the Tribulation, are the new fascists and perpetrators of pogroms against persecuted Christians. If you have read the virulent work of New World Order conspiracy theorists, Eustace Mullins and Des Griffin, it becomes clear that while "loving" Israel, Hagee's books and sermons paint a picture of Jews, past, present, and future, that perfectly fits the current anti-Jewish conspiracy narrative. Hagee claims that a coming economic crisis will be intentionally induced by an "unseen government" and a Rothschild owned Federal Reserve, paving the way for the fierce-featured, gay, part-Jewish antichrist who will come to power when he rescues the world economy. In times of economic and political volatility these prophecies and narratives provide simplistic answers and specific scapegoats as the sole source of evil and suffering in the world.






Display:
There needs to be a real debate. This is hardly an area where there is no scholarship of investigative journalism.

Here are more online resources on conspiracism from Political Research Associates.

Conspiracism: An Overview

http://www.publiceye.org/conspire/index.html

The Illuminati Freemason Conspiracy
http://www.publiceye.org/tooclose/masons.html

The recent spate of conspiracism that are analogs of the Protocols.

"Protocols to the Left, Protocols to the Right: Conspiracism in American Political Discourse at the Turn of the Second Millennium"
http://www.publiceye.org/conspire/paradigm/protocols-2005.html

Conspiracism Post 9/11
http://www.publiceye.org/conspire/conspiracism-911.html

Supplement to New Internationalist Articles on Conspiracism with emphasis on antisemitism
http://www.publiceye.org/conspire/newint.html

Conspiracy Theory Generator
http://www.publiceye.org/conspire/generator.html

_ _ _

Chip Berlet: Research for Progress - Building Human Rights
by Chip Berlet on Sun Jun 08, 2008 at 11:36:03 PM EST
But, maybe it can now gain a bit more [deserved] prominence. Thanks for leading the way [for decades].

by Bruce Wilson on Mon Jun 09, 2008 at 12:11:22 AM EST
Parent
Most of the public controversy about Hagee these days has focussed on his remark about the Holocaust.  But, as Hagee's defenders have correctly pointed out, that remark in and of itself doesn't prove he's a Jew-hater, because lots of religious people, including many Jews, believe that God uses evil events for some ultimately good purpose.

On the other hand, Hagee's embrace of "Illuminati" conspiracy claims is a much more serious issue which has not gotten much public attention.


by Diane Vera on Mon Jun 09, 2008 at 09:28:27 AM EST
Parent



A work of brilliance which needs to migrate into the mainstream - as soon as possible: a powerful teaching tool.

Wow.

!!!.

by Bruce Wilson on Mon Jun 09, 2008 at 12:16:44 AM EST
Parent


Your resources are a good start, but much more is needed.  Your writings contain a good historical overview and show patterns common to various grand-conspiracy claims.  But much more will be needed in order to sway people who have bought into these claims, some of which have been spread very far and wide these days, not just within the religious right wing, but also within unrelated political movements such as the antiwar movement, and also in pop culture.

Your writings do not yet contain detailed refutations of the claims themselves.  We need more resources that do that, both online and offline.

This blog post of mine contains links to some detailed refutations of the Protocols of the Elders of Zion.  But I have not yet been able to find similarly detailed refutations of the "Illuminati" claims.  Also needed are more detailed refutations of the Federal Reserve conspiracy claims, which have been spread far and wide via popular videos such as "The Money Masters" and "Zeitgeist."  It would be highly desirable if you or some other professional researcher could write such resources.


by Diane Vera on Mon Jun 09, 2008 at 10:01:08 AM EST
Parent

I appreciate your concern, but there is already a large amount of material refuting the anti-mason conspiracy theories on the web.

Some of the web pages you link to are dubious at best. One contained an essay by a well-known conspiracist, Henry Makow. The material on emperors-clothes.com, while interesting, is derailed by the other material on the website supporting Serbian nationalists and slamming Albanian and Croatian ethnics.

The issue is not lack of refutations.

_ _ _

Chip Berlet: Research for Progress - Building Human Rights
by Chip Berlet on Mon Jun 09, 2008 at 06:28:11 PM EST
Parent
I'll take your word for it that better refutations do exist, but I was not able to find them.  Could you please provide links?  I posted links to the ones I could find.

by Diane Vera on Mon Jun 09, 2008 at 07:06:56 PM EST
Parent
Looking again at the page that was identified as being "by Henry Makow," I see that it contains arguments both for and against various conspiratorialist claims, primarily against, but it's on a highly questionable website.  I've deleted it from my list.  Thanks for catching this.

As for the "Emperor's clothes" listings, perhaps I should beef up my disclaimer, but I do want to keep those links because because its refutations of The Protocols are very good.

by Diane Vera on Mon Jun 09, 2008 at 07:30:39 PM EST
Parent

The following is a good response to the current Federal Reserve conspiracy theories.

http://www.geocities.com/CapitolHill/Senate/3616/flaherty1.html

http://www.geocities.com/CapitolHill/Embassy/1154/flaherty.html

Keep in mind that I am not necessarily condoning all decisions of the Federal Reserve but responding to the concept that the economy is manipulated by a secret satanic cabal that works to destroy and enslave the rest of the world.  

Illuminati narratives can lean toward the secular such as that found in John Birch Society materials and some versions of the Federal Reserve conspiracies or they can be supernatural narratives. A popular narrative claims that the Illuminati are 13 Satanic bloodlines that have ruled the world for centuries by using their secret occult knowledge.  Hagee's sermons and writings tap into this supernatural narrative and he weaves these concepts and symbols into his futuristic antichrist prophecies.

Henry Makow is a major conspiracy figure in his own right.  He tries to separate Jews from the Illuminati in a creative but bizarre account by claiming that the Illuminati satanic dictatorship use pretend Jews as a front so that real Jews will be scapegoated.  

by Rachel Tabachnick on Mon Jun 09, 2008 at 11:32:24 PM EST
Parent

About the Federal Reserve conspiracy theories:  I'm already aware of Edward Flaherty's work and had already listed it on my page.  Indeed it's an excellent general overview and response to the main grand-conspiratorial allegations against the Federal Reserve system.  However, it would be nice if there were also an online resource containing more detailed critiques of Eustace Mullins's Secrets of the Federal Reserve and Edward Griffin's The Creature from Jekyll Island.

As for the "13 Satanic bloodlines" claim -- yep, I've already run into that one on quite a few websites.  That one strikes me as so obviously nutty that I haven't given high priority to finding good rebuttals to it, but I guess we do need rebuttals for that one too, given how popular it seems to be getting these days.  Do you happen to know of any good rebuttals (of a sort that might actually stand a chance of persuading someone who at least half believes in this stuff)?

Thanks for the further info about Henry Makow.  I feel embarrassed that I didn't notice his overall point of view earlier.

I have run into the "Jews were framed by the Illuminati" claim elsewhere, though.  As far as you are aware, is Henry Makow the originator of that claim?


by Diane Vera on Tue Jun 10, 2008 at 12:34:50 AM EST
Parent

The problem with disproving an alleged "satanic" conspiracy is that in the end it's impossible because, for example, the supposed Jewish banking conspiracy Hagee has advanced is more than not a "magical" conspiracy existing partly in the material world but also in a religious framework. I'd argue the latter is the more important part of the conspiracy theory, that which gives it ontological force for true believers. John Hagee's not simply claiming that Jewish bankers control the US economy and the world, he's claiming they're doing so in league with the Devil.

So, Sir Karl Popper's Theory Of Falsification applies here, I'd say :

Popper's theory held that if a scientific theory couldn't by it's very nature ever be disproved, that is to say "falsified" then it shouldn't be properly considered a valid scientific theory in the first place. I think a rebuttal of the alleged "satanic" Rothschild banking conspiracy Hagee puts out is, for that class of objection and especially because Hagee is promoting his conspiracy theory in an overtly religious context, actually impossible. Because the conspiracy is held to be linked to a non-verifiable entity (Satan) with magical powers the theory cannot by it's very nature be rebutted with the tools and methods of rational argumentation.

The problem is the the mode of discourse Hagee uses, the vehicle of his conspiracy theory is in itself a-rational. So, what if we spent the time assessing the relative influence of all the actors on the world financial scene, determining their ethnic and religious identities and their ideological beliefs, and then building a picture of the relative influence of various sub-groups of bankers cross-sectioned by their religious beliefs, ethnicity and political leanings. OK, that would be a massive project but technically possible at least.

    Well, let's imagine we take that to a true believer in Hagee's conspiracy theory, as evidence the theory is bunk. How might that person react ?

    Well, here's one possible response:

    "No, no you just don't get it ! That's not how it works at all. According to so and so (quotes some alleged authority) the Jewish bankers are non-corporeal, they're actually dead Jewish bankers who have gone to Hell and cut a special deal with Satan, who keeps them out of the torment of the everlasting fires of Hell in exchange for their manipulation of world currency values. They borrow Satan's special powers and burrow into people's minds to get them to implement their evil Jewish banker schemes....

    ....or at least that's the theory I believe but another authority on this (quotes another alleged authority) says the Jewish bankers live on a special, supersecret Nazi UFO base on the dark side of the Moon, and maybe in a giant Antarctic cave too, where they sacrifice captured children and farm animals to the Devil. They do the financial market manipulation with a special quantum-effect Internet link they've got which lets them right into protected intranets of big financial firms so they can rejigger currency rates without anyone having even the slightest clue of what's going on."

Point being : trying to rebut non-rational arguments with rational argumentation amounts to a pointless game of whack-a-mole.

by Bruce Wilson on Tue Jun 10, 2008 at 03:27:40 PM EST
Parent

You're right that a theologically-based claim can't be rebutted scientifically.  Only those aspects supposedly based on earthly history can be refuted on historical or sociological grounds.

A theologically-based claim, such as the hypothetical claim you mentioned above, could be countered only by the adherent's fellow Christians arguing that such a claim is un-Biblical or whatever.  See, for example, The New Antipas Papers by S.R. Shearer, an evangelical Christian who, among other things, argues both against various grand-conspiracy claims and against dominionism, on both historical and Biblical grounds.

In your forthcoming resource, you might want to consider pointing out that not all evangelical Christians support the religious right wing.  It seems to me that those evangelical Christians who oppose the religious right wing (or various facets thereof) are a necessary part of the solution to the problem.  Perhaps you might want to include, in your resource, links to some of their arguments.


by Diane Vera on Wed Jun 11, 2008 at 11:34:49 AM EST
Parent

The example I provided (of an evangelical Christian rebuttal of both some conspiracy claims and dominionism, on both historical and theological grounds) is probably not the best example of such a rebuttal.  It's just an example I was able to dig up quickly.  Hopefully you, Ruth, and/or Chip can dig up better ones, if you see fit to do so.


by Diane Vera on Wed Jun 11, 2008 at 12:20:05 PM EST
Parent





I do not think it is a good idea to link to websites that have "very good" information about one form of bigotry while promoting other forms of bigotry.

Just my personal opinion.

_ _ _

Chip Berlet: Research for Progress - Building Human Rights
by Chip Berlet on Tue Jun 10, 2008 at 09:29:14 AM EST
Parent
Can you please provide a specific example of a page on the "Emperor's Clothes" site that contains blanket bigotry against "Albanian and Croatian ethnics" in general, as distinct from simply defending the Serbian side in the Yugoslav wars?

I personally don't know enough about the Yugoslav wars to have a definite opinion about them one way or another.  I've long suspected that the mass media coverage might have been one-sided against the Serbs (in order to justify the U.S./NATO intervention there), but I've not yet researched the topic deeply enough to know what the real truth might be.  In the meantime, I'm inclined to respect people's right to their opinion either way, as long as they avoid blatant outright bigotry against members of any of the ethnic groups involved.

I've beefed up my disclaimer to read as follows:  "(Note: I do not necessarily endorse everything else on Jared Israel's website. Among other things, he is very much a partisan of the Serbian side in the Yugoslav wars, a topic on which I don't yet know enough to take a definite position one way or another. Also, he's very pro-Israel. I don't yet have a definite position on the Israel/Palestine problem either.)"

Anyhow, you didn't answer my earlier question.  You said that there are more and better online resources.  Could you please provide some more links?


by Diane Vera on Tue Jun 10, 2008 at 12:55:12 PM EST
Parent

I see that you did respond to my question after all, in another, later, comment.


by Diane Vera on Tue Jun 10, 2008 at 12:57:35 PM EST
Parent
Actually, Chip Berlet did NOT respond to my question after all.  What I at first glance thought was a response from Chip was in fact a response from Bruce.

So, again, to Chip:  Could you please provide links to whatever resources you had in mind, in addition to the ones already posted?


by Diane Vera on Tue Jun 10, 2008 at 01:02:13 PM EST
Parent

Is It True What They Say About Freemasonry?
The Methods of Anti-Masons

By Arturo de Hoyos and S. Brent Morris

http://www.srmason-sj.org/web/SRpublications/DeHoyos.htm

_ _ _

Chip Berlet: Research for Progress - Building Human Rights
by Chip Berlet on Tue Jun 10, 2008 at 02:53:22 PM EST
Parent
Thanks for the link.

Would you happen to know of a thorough, in-depth online refutation of the "Illuminati" claims in particular?  (The link you gave is to a site that refutes various anti-Masonic claims, but contains nothing about the "Illuminati.")

I consider the "Illuminati" claims to be particularly dangerous because they can be and have been used to scapegoat a variety of different groups of people, including not just Jews and Masons, but also atheists, "Satanists," Wiccans, environmentalists, etc.


by Diane Vera on Wed Jun 11, 2008 at 06:50:42 AM EST
Parent











I'll add those reference articles, plus other PRA material, to a "canon" Ruth and I are working to assemble and attach to a central narrative which we're building to illustrate and substantiate the sort of anti-Jewish beliefs in question.

Point being - Ruth and I hardly want to reinvent the wheel here, because there's a huge amount of work to do in this area and so whenever and wherever we can plug in yours and PRA's work we'll be that much farther ahead.

by Bruce Wilson on Tue Jun 10, 2008 at 12:45:51 PM EST
Parent

I look forward to seeing your "canon."  I'm glad you agree with me that there's still a huge amount of work to do in this area, and I'm very glad to hear that you and Ruth are working on it.

I assume, though, that your intent is to refute rather than to "substantiate the sort of anti-Jewish beliefs in question"?


by Diane Vera on Tue Jun 10, 2008 at 01:13:55 PM EST
Parent

That should have been "to substantiate the existence of..." rather than simply "to substantiate".

by Bruce Wilson on Tue Jun 10, 2008 at 02:51:50 PM EST
Parent
I hope your work will include an effort to refute them (or at least link to already-existing refutations) rather than just to substantiate their existence.  Otherwise, you would just be providing the hate mongers with free publicity.  (This is a gripe I've long had against various "hate group watch" sites in the past.)


by Diane Vera on Tue Jun 10, 2008 at 11:24:28 PM EST
Parent





The latest from Daniel Pipes:

[Hagee] is someone who is not at the extremes of American life, who is dealing with and close to or endorsed by those who hate the United States. This is someone who's a patriot...[Hagee] is working within the mainstream of American political life. He is a serious and important actor in the pro-Israel movement. And I might add that I'll be speaking for him next month at his conference.

by Richard Bartholomew on Mon Jun 09, 2008 at 03:57:43 AM EST

scholarly work on conspiracist elements in both American and Middle Eastern politics, so he should know better with Hagee.  It is unfortunate that he has allowed his conservative ideology and unreflective support for Israel to overcome what should be his better judgement.  How sad.

-------------
"I believe in a President whose views on religion are his own private affair" - JFK, Address to the Greater Houston Ministerial Association
by hardindr on Mon Jun 09, 2008 at 11:53:33 AM EST
Parent
Daniel Pipes, PNAC signatory?  

Daniel Pipes, son of the well known anti-Soviet crusader Richard Pipes, is an outspoken promoter of the "Islamofascism threat" theory and is closely aligned with many high-profile neoconservatives, many of whom are associated with Pipes' Middle East Forum, a Philadelphia-based think tank that purports "to define and promote American interests in the Middle East." He lambastes Arab politics, urges a broad war on terror aimed at challenging Mideast regimes from Syria to Iran, and pushes a Likud Party line on Israeli regional relations.
...
In the early 1990s, Pipes founded the Middle East Forum (MEF), a think tank that describes itself as "aimed at defining and promoting American interests in the Middle East. ... The Forum holds that the United States has vital interests in the region; in particular, it believes in strong ties with Israel, Turkey, and other democracies as they emerge; works for human rights throughout the region; seeks a stable supply and a low price of oil; and promotes the peaceful settlement of regional and international disputes."

Among MEF's programs is Campus Watch, which tracks university professors who are perceived to be anti-Israel, anti-Semitic, pro-Palestinian, or pro-Islamist. Seen by many as an affront to academic freedom and an attempt to silence criticism of U.S. policies toward Israel and the Arab world, the program encourages students at colleges and universities to report any teachers who exhibit such behaviors in the classroom. One critic of Campus Watch, Joel Benin, a former professor of Middle East studies at Stanford University, said of the program: "Campus Watch ... compiles dossiers on professors and universities that do not meet its standard of uncritical support for the policies of George Bush and Ariel Sharon. ... The efforts to stifle public debate about U.S. Middle East policy and criticism of Israel are being promoted by a network of neoconservative true believers with strong links to the Israeli far right. They are enthusiastic supporters of the Bush administration's hands off approach to Ariel Sharon's suppression of the Palestinian uprising. And they are aggressive proponents of a preemptive U.S. strike against Iraq" (Joel Benin, "The Israelization of American Middle East Policy Discourse," Department of History, Stanford University).

Similarly, the well-regarded international relations scholars John Mearsheimer and Stephen Walt wrote in their controversial 2006 critique of the influence of the pro-Israel lobby on U.S. foreign policy that Campus Watch was founded by "passionately pro-Israel neoconservative Jews" with the intention of "encourag[ing] students to report comments or behavior that might be considered hostile to Israel" in a "transparent attempt to blacklist and intimidate scholars."

Like many hardline Defenders of Israel, Pipes often conflates legitimate criticism of Israel with anti-Semitic conspiracy theories in order to discredit them.  Since Hagee is an ally of his neo-con agenda for Israel, the quote from Pipes is no surprise.  I'm not expecting him to say that he's shocked, shocked to discover that Hagee is a conspiracy theorist any time soon.

by Rusty Pipes on Mon Jun 09, 2008 at 05:08:25 PM EST
Parent

I'm not yet familiar with Pipe's academic work but one tendentious approach I've seen from other quarters is to focus on Islamic anti-Jewish animosity without counterbalancing that by providing an overview of how US geopolitical actions in the latter part of the 20th Century and, before that, the actions of the British in the region, plus the roles played by other European colonial powers and the former Soviet Union, have warped the natural political processes by which former colonies under European rule, and under American and Soviet hegemonic influence, have developed indigenous political traditions.

Because of its history and close association with the United States, Israel has come to be associated as a part of that baleful (and some might say ongoing) colonial and neo-colonial influence in the Mideast and Western Asia. To acknowledge the complex roles such foreign (non-Mideast) influences have played in the rise of anti-Jewish hatreds in the region is not to condone those hatreds but, rather, to recognize that many parties, state and non-state agents, have for many decades now co-created the politically, religiously, militarily and culturally charged atmosphere in which such hatreds have been born. There is no one villain, many have played a part.

Muslim and Arab anti-Jewish attitudes in the Mideast are common enough but, as we've seen here, anti-Jewish beliefs also have native expression in the United States and are now deeply embedded in American religious and political culture. Pipe's scholarship might be in local terms excellent (I really don't know enough to pass any judgment whatsoever) but without acknowledgment of such wider contexts, as I've mentioned here, it nonetheless would carry inherent, structural slant.

Some of the most effective propaganda (and, I'm not leveling such a charge here at Pipes' work) functions by being locally correct, technically true at the local, fine grained level but, for being put forth stripped of context, winds up being substantially false. Were Ronald Reagan's oft-cited anecdotes about "welfare queens" representative of the American population receiving welfare ? Probably not, and the selective filtering and presentation of information is the first recourse of the clever propagandist. Sometimes that process isn't entirely conscious and it can be quite unconscious too - for that, most humans (and no doubt I've made such mistakes myself) probably commit this sort of error at least from time to time.

by Bruce Wilson on Tue Jun 10, 2008 at 12:37:24 PM EST
Parent





Hagee's antisemitic crap sounds similar to the stuff, the German esoteric conspiracy "theorist" Jan Udo Holey/Jan van Helsing wrote and sold (alone of his first book more than 100.000 copies before it was banned) in the 1990ies ... deeply frightening, that nobody in Hagee's congregation seems to have been bothered by his "sermon"

by Entdinglichung on Wed Jun 11, 2008 at 04:29:21 AM EST
If you listen to this entire sermon series it also bears a striking resemblance in narrative to the virulent conspiracy writings of Des Griffin.

It is remarkable that thousands of people are attending his church to listen to this hatemongering.  And the sad part is that they probably do believe that they are being supportive of Jews and Israel! The real danger of Hagee and other apocalyptic preachers who venture into conspiracy theories, is that they are giving these horrific narratives credibility.  

I have had a personal response from someone who asked how I can focus on Hagee when there is so much blatant anti-Semitism on the net. Hagee does far more damage than internet conspiracists.  The blatant conspiracies survive in the shadows and are not generally considered socially acceptable.  Hagee, Robertson, and LaHaye dress it up as religion, in this case as "love" for the very people they are attacking, and market it to millions of people around the world. This is how virulent conspiracies enter the mainstream which is the point I was trying to make in the article.

by Rachel Tabachnick on Wed Jun 11, 2008 at 08:29:08 AM EST
Parent




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Respect for Others? or Political Correctness?
The term "political correctness" as used by Conservatives and Republicans has often puzzled me: what exactly do they mean by it? After reading Chip Berlin's piece here-- http://www.talk2action.org/story/2016/7/21/04356/9417 I thought about what he explained......
MTOLincoln (253 comments)
Fear
What I'm feeling now is fear.  I swear that it seems my nightmares are coming true with this new "president".  I'm also frustrated because so many people are not connecting all the dots! I've......
ArchaeoBob (107 comments)
"America - love it or LEAVE!"
I've been hearing that and similar sentiments fairly frequently in the last few days - far FAR more often than ever before.  Hearing about "consequences for burning the flag (actions) from Trump is chilling!......
ArchaeoBob (211 comments)
"Faked!" Meme
Keep your eyes and ears open for a possible move to try to discredit the people openly opposing Trump and the bigots, especially people who have experienced terrorism from the "Right"  (Christian Terrorism is......
ArchaeoBob (165 comments)
More aggressive proselytizing
My wife told me today of an experience she had this last week, where she was proselytized by a McDonald's employee while in the store. ......
ArchaeoBob (163 comments)
See if you recognize names on this list
This comes from the local newspaper, which was conservative before and took a hard right turn after it was sold. Hint: Sarah Palin's name is on it!  (It's also connected to Trump.) ......
ArchaeoBob (169 comments)
Unions: A Labor Day Discussion
This is a revision of an article which I posted on my personal board and also on Dailykos. I had an interesting discussion on a discussion board concerning Unions. I tried to piece it......
Xulon (180 comments)
Extremely obnoxious protesters at WitchsFest NYC: connected to NAR?
In July of this year, some extremely loud, obnoxious Christian-identified protesters showed up at WitchsFest, an annual Pagan street fair here in NYC.  Here's an account of the protest by Pagan writer Heather Greene......
Diane Vera (130 comments)
Capitalism and the Attack on the Imago Dei
I joined this site today, having been linked here by Crooksandliars' Blog Roundup. I thought I'd put up something I put up previously on my Wordpress blog and also at the DailyKos. As will......
Xulon (331 comments)
History of attitudes towards poverty and the churches.
Jesus is said to have stated that "The Poor will always be with you" and some Christians have used that to refuse to try to help the poor, because "they will always be with......
ArchaeoBob (148 comments)
Alternate economy medical treatment
Dogemperor wrote several times about the alternate economy structure that dominionists have built.  Well, it's actually made the news.  Pretty good article, although it doesn't get into how bad people could be (have been)......
ArchaeoBob (90 comments)
Evidence violence is more common than believed
Think I've been making things up about experiencing Christian Terrorism or exaggerating, or that it was an isolated incident?  I suggest you read this article (linked below in body), which is about our great......
ArchaeoBob (214 comments)

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