After all, there's an endless supply of nut jobs who retroactively claim recent events validate their world view. This guy's just the flavor of the month.
But here's the recap:
(via Media Matters)
September 18, 2006 (twenty days after Katrina)At this point - Hagee's pulling a Falwell: he sees a massive human tragedy, brandishes it like a bat, and swings at people no one will stand up for: homosexuals.
All hurricanes are acts of God, because God controls the heavens. I believe that New Orleans had a level of sin that was offensive to God, and they are -- were recipients of the judgment of God for that.
The newspaper carried the story in our local area that was not carried nationally that there was to be a homosexual parade there on the Monday that the Katrina came. And the promise of that parade was that it was going to reach a level of sexuality never demonstrated before in any of the other Gay Pride parades. So I believe that the judgment of God is a very real thing.
I know that there are people who demur from that, but I believe that the Bible teaches that when you violate the law of God, that God brings punishment sometimes before the day of judgment. And I believe that the Hurricane Katrina was, in fact, the judgment of God against the city of New Orleans.
As these remarks have no visible cost to him - he does not equivocate: He believes that [Hurricane Katrina] was, in fact, the judgement of God against the city of New Orleans.
Fast forward to this year. Hagee now has a powerful political friend in John McCain, and Sen. McCain is starting to get questions about Hagee's big mouth.
The cost of his 'judgment of God' remark has gone up. He apparently doesn't want to reverse himself totally - but he wants to soften things a bit:
(via The Dennis Prager Show)
April 22, 2008A less than artful delivery of his talking points: "no man knows the mind of God," gay marriage is an abomination, and the permissive will of God allowed Katrina to hit New Orleans. The city "was planning a sinful conduct," you see.
Hagee: What happened in New Orleans looked like the curse of God. In time, if New Orleans recovers and becomes the pristine city it can become, it may be in time be called a blessing. But at this time it is called a curse
Prager: Right but, wh- what you are saying, and, and I want to just make it clear – that there is a divine hand in, in these natural acts and you see the divine hand in the hurricane that hit, that hit New Orleans
Hagee: If God is almighty and God is all-powerful, God controls everything. If God does not control everything, he is not God. So the answer to that is, yes.
Prager: Right. The, the, ah, the only question - and this is not a challenge as much as my own theological question to that, if - this is really Dennis speaking, not, not, you know, not wh- some official… questioner – but if that’s the case, so that would hold true for the earthquake in ah– and the tsunami - the earthquake in southern California, the tsunami that hit the, that hit Indonesia…Is that - so, is there any natural disaster that is not the result of sin?
Hagee: Well, I’m not saying that it’s the result of sin. I’m saying it’s the result of God’s permissible will. Ah, you, you cannot say that everything on the earth that happens is sin. Ah, it was carried in a newspaper that there was going to be a massive homosexual rally there the following Monday, ah, but – and, and I believe that, uh, homosexual marriage is sin and I believe it’s an abomination because Moses said it was. But it is, it is wrong to say that every natural disaster is the result of sin. It is a result of God’s permissive will, but who – no man on earth knows the mind of God-
Prager: Right, but in the case, alright, but– Did NPR get – is this quote correct, though that in the case of New Orleans, you do feel it was sin?
Hagee: In the case of New Orleans, their plan to have that, uh homosexual rally was sin. But it never happened. The, the rally never happened.
Prager: No, no, I understand. Alright. Alright. Ah, no, I’m only trying to understand that in the case of New Orleans, you do feel that, that God’s hand was in it because of the sinful city.
Hagee: That it was a city that was planning a sinful conduct, yes.
Prager: Okay. So, that, that one is the only one, I think, frankly, it’s the only one they can get you on, because people don’t like to, to, ah, hear that sort of thing…
I'm sure that's a great comfort to the grandmothers who drowned in their attics.
Of course, this is not enough to silence the media hounds. Nor will it put a smile on Sen. McCain's campaign staff (after the week they've had).
'God Smote America' is right up there with 'God Damn America.'
The price of that sentiment just keeps getting higher.
And so - just today - Rev. Hagee is said to recant (via a statement issued through his public relations firm, no less) what he was so certain of, back when New Orleans was still underwater:
April 25, 2008Gone are the thundering pronouncements of Hagee's moral compass. Hell, even Hagee didn't show up - he folded by proxy.
...ultimately neither I nor any other person can know the mind of God concerning Hurricane Katrina. I should not have suggested otherwise. No matter what the cause of the storm, my heart goes out to all who suffered in this terrible tragedy. There but for the grace of God go any one of us.
Forget his small mindedness, forget even his homophobia - Hagee deserves scorn for the same reason as Falwell: He showed his stripes when he thought he could get away with it - now he's slinking away and hoping we won't notice his footwork.
No matter what the cause of the storm...
...
Oh, I see you all right-
Dirtbag.
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