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As a conservative and a Catholic, I am troubled by what I am reading in many different publications about our Republican candidate John McCain. 
When he ran for President several years ago, he insulted the Christian Conservative by stating the following..."I recognize and celebrate that our country is founded upon Judeo- Christian values, and I have pledged my life to defend America and all her values, the values that have made us the noblest experiment in history. But political intolerance by any political party is neither a Judeo-Christian nor an American value. The political tactics of division and slander are not our values, they are corrupting influences on religion and politics, and those who practice them in the name of religion or in the name of the Republican Party or in the name of America shame our faith, our party and our country."
I can totally support this statement but...
Last year, when John McCain’s presidential campaign was floundering, it was noted that he was making in-roads with right-wing figures like Armageddon advocate John Hagee, who harbors a not-so-secret desire for the US to start a war with Iran in order to bring about the subsequent return of Jesus Christ.
At the time, there didn’t seem much to worry about because McCain’s campaign appeared dead-in-the-water and though, over the coming months, McCain continued to court Hagee, the pastor appeared content to stick to his rabid theologizing and warnings to the United States.
Hagee cited McCain’s pro-life and pro-Israel stances in his endorsement Wednesday. But the announcement drew instant backlash from the Democratic National Committee, the Catholic League and Catholics United.
Catholic League President Bill Donohue called on McCain to reject Hagee’s support, citing statements in Hagee’s book Jerusalem Countdown that linked Adolf Hitler to the Catholic Church.
“There are plenty of staunch evangelical leaders who are pro-Israel, but are not anti-Catholic. John Hagee is not one of them,” Donohue said in the statement. “He has waged an unrelenting war against the Catholic Church.”
Democrats quoted Hagee as saying the Catholic Church conspired with Nazis against the Jews and that Hurricane Katrina was God’s retribution for homosexual sin, and they recited his demeaning comments about women and flip remarks about slavery.
“Hagee’s hate speech has no place in public discourse, and McCain’s embrace of this figure raises serious questions about John McCain’s character and his willingness to do anything to win,” said Tom McMahon, executive director of the Democratic National Committee.
Donohue made a direct challenge to McCain, saying: “Senator Obama has repudiated the endorsement of Louis Farrakhan, another bigot. McCain should follow suit and retract his embrace of Hagee.”
So much of what I have been reading about certain high profile Evangelical leaders is that they want to lead their churches to be the Church that Christ's Second Coming will recognize as 'the Church without spot or wrinkle' in their lifetimes.
The Bible clearly states that Christ will not return until Solemons Temple is rebuilt. I am only assuming that rebuilt means to rebuild it on it's original foundation. That poses a modern day problem...because sitting on top of it's foundation a huge Muslim Mosque.
So that sounds to me like that Mosque has gotta come down if the Temple is to go back up. Them's fightin words.
However, the support of Isreal by our government to treat the Palestinians so inhumanely, and our Church leaders to get behind these attrocities is unconsienable. These men are teaching an entire generation that we mus assist in the rebuilding of the Temple by supporting Isreal in all that they do.
During one of the three times that I have read Bible cover to cover, I determined very early on that God is incredibly awesome, and He can do whatever He wants (because He's God). And who are we to determine when He is to come back, much less contribute to the war of wars that is spoken about in Revelation. Christ will come back when He wants to...for our religious leaders to push the 'End' upon us is not something I believe God really needs help with.
Courting these men and garnering their support is dangerous, and spiritually manipulative and to call the Catholic Church 'The Whore of Babylon" is just too much. Only ignorance of the Catholic Faith would cause a person to say such things. I know, because I was raised a Southern Baptist Evangelical, and five years ago converted to Catholisism.
Evangelicals and most Protestant denominations are taught that Catholics worship idols, and don't approach the throne of God's grace except through Mary. This is simply not true.
Catholics have statuary representing the Holy Family because it is a visual of how important these people were. If you have any faith at all you must consider that when God decided that He was sending His Son to earth to be a living sacrafice for us, that He didn't pick just anyone to bear His Child. He knew the character of this young woman Mary, and He chose her, He even chose her Mother to raise her to become the woman that she was.
In the early church many many were illiterate and visual aides were essential to tell a story. In the Catholic Church Christ is hanging on the cross, in a Protestant Church He is not. Catholics certainly acknowledge and praise the miracle of His ressurection, but as a cradle Protestant the suffering of Christ and His heineously horrible treatment was not so real in my mind, and full ramifications of what He did for me and everyone else was not felt nor completely appreciated until I found myself on my knees in the sanctuary of the Catholic Church and saw Him hanging there. Then and only then, did I really get what He had done.
I will address the praying to Mary, and then I will close. The Bible says that "to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord". Ok, I am fairly sure that Mary being the mother of Christ had a pretty good chance of making it into the pearly gates. This is where all Protestant confusion lies with this...if I have a problem, that I can't solve I often seek the advise and prayers of a friend. I know the personalities of my different friends and I know their areas of expertise. If I ask them for prayer on my behalf today and they died tomorow does that nulify my request? I don't believe so...if they are the faithfull Christian friend that I have known then why would my inabilty to see them anymore end our friendship. If they are present with the Lord, then don't you think our love continues and they be even more inclined to petition the Lord on my behalf? Mary is the iconic mother figure. She raised her son in a loving home she made sure that he applied himself to work and to study, and when he was condemned by the Jews and was beaten and strapped with a cross on His back and walked to through the streets of Jerusalem she was there every step of the way, weeping in agony for her son, as only a mother could do. She stayed at the cross through the hours until His death and washed His body after He was gone. She partook in the burial and was as equally surprised and rejoiced as all of the other diciples upon His ressurection. As a child we can relate to her, because she was there for Him. As mother we can relate to her because we couldn't bear the pain, and we would do the same thing. As a husband and father we can relate to her because we know and see the pain, and know that she would have traded herself for His life, and we marvel at the bond of the mother and child.
We know who she is, she is the mother we would all want to be, and the mother that we hope we will never have to be. She is easy to ask a prayer from because she knows her Son like no other, and she can petition on our behalf because of that.
Catholics know their prayers are answered by God, of that there is no question. Asking for some extra prayers from a friend is something that is done all of the time.
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