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| Demonstrators fly Palestinian flags and chant anti-Israel slogans after several thousand gathered in Ramallah to protest the inauguration of the new U.S. embassy in Jerusalem, in the West Bank city of Ramallah, Monday, May 14, 2018. Israeli fire has killed dozens of Palestinians during mass protests along the Gaza border, marking the deadliest day of violence since a devastating 2014 cross-border war. |
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VietPress USA (May 14, 2018): There are at least three religious leaders, including two American Protestant pastors and the Chief Sephardic rabbi of Israel, came to participate in the US Embassy events and expressed their controversial remarks on Trump's decision.
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White House backs away from controversial religious leaders at embassy ceremonies
WASHINGTON — Hours after the ceremonial opening of the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem Monday, deputy White House press secretary Raj Shah faced questions about past comments made by three religious leaders with roles in the events — including one who is known for saying that Jews, presumably including most Israelis, are going to hell.
Shah said the comments were not “embraced” by the White House. But he refused to say how the three — two American Protestant pastors and the chief Sephardic rabbi of Israel — came to participate in the embassy events.
At the daily White House briefing on Monday, Shah initially was asked about the Rev. Robert Jeffress, who leads the influential First Baptist Dallas and delivered the opening prayer at the embassy opening. Jeffress has a long history of controversial comments, including statements suggesting the Catholic Church is a “counterfeit religion” that is used by Satan and the comment that “religions like Mormonism, Islam, Judaism, Hinduism … lead people to an eternity of separation from God in Hell.”
Reporter Andrew Feinberg asked Shah how Jeffress was invited to participate in the embassy ceremony.
“I honestly don’t know how that came to be,” Shah said.
Shah, who said he hadn’t “seen” Jeffress’s remarks, emphasized the pastor’s extensive relationships in Washington.
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| White House principal deputy press secretary Raj Shah speaks during the daily news briefing at the White House, in Washington, Monday, May 14, 2018. Shah discussed the opening of the new U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem, a White House aide who dismissed Sen. John McCain’s opposition on the president’s nominee to be CIA director, saying, “He’s dying anyway” and other topics. (Photo: Carolyn Kaster/AP) |
Jeffress appeared alongside Donald Trump in the Oval Office last September. The choir of his church, First Baptist Dallas, has performed at events headlined by Trump. Jeffress’s statements previously made headlines during the lead-up to the 2012 presidential election when he described Mormonism as a “cult” during an appearance at the conservative values voter summit. At the time, Jeffress was encouraging his audience to back current Secretary of Energy Rick Perry over former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, who is a Mormon.
On Sunday night, ahead of the embassy opening, Romney sent a tweet where he criticized Jeffress’s role at the event.
“Robert Jeffress says, ‘You can’t be saved by being a Jew,’ and ‘Mormonism is a heresy from the pit of hell,’” Romney wrote. “He’s said the same about Islam. Such a religious bigot should not be giving the prayer that opens the United States Embassy in Jerusalem.”
In an interview with NBC News, Jeffress denied Romney’s charge that he’s a “bigot,” but said he believes the Mormon religion is “wrong.” First Baptist Dallas did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Jeffress’s belief that only Christians will go to Heaven is common among evangelicals.
Jeffress isn’t the only religious leader with a history of controversial remarks who was involved in the embassy events.
The Rev. John Hagee, the founder of Christians United for Israel, delivered a benediction at the embassy opening. Hagee made headlines in the 2008 presidential election when Republican candidate John McCain repudiated his endorsement after tapes surfaced of a 1999 sermon where Hagee suggested Hitler was an instrument of God’s will because he pushed many Jews to return to Israel.
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