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Hagee is a Pastor who believes in what he preaches, and he only teaches what the Bible says.
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That doesn't give him a free pass for making such hateful, vitriolic comments. That'd be like if he worked in some business, was interviewing a black person for a job and said "The company manual explicity forbids us from hiring Ni**ers. You people prduce a higher crime rate then whites and are prone to being less educated and lazy. But hey, dont hate on me, I'm just following what the good book says."
Just because he believes what he says, which I agree with you on, doesn't then make it "ok".
Like how the Jews bring all their troubles on themselves:
"It was the disobedience and rebellion of the Jews, God's chosen people, to their covenantal responsibility to serve only the one true God, Jehovah, that gave rise to the opposition and persecution that they experienced beginning in Canaan and continuing to this very day... Their own rebellion had birthed the seed of antisemitism that would arise and bring destruction to them for centuries to come.... it rises from the judgment of God upon his rebellious chosen people."
And then he backpedals with THIS quote, though he very clearly said "to this very day":
"I learn from the Bible that the children of Israel were punished by God for their iniquities. But I do not presume to explain Jewish suffering in modern times. I only seek to alleviate it."
Yeah, you're healing lots of wounds, buddy.
And about the Catholic Church comments:
Hagee claimed in March 2008, “I’ve learned that some have accused me of referring to the Catholic Church as the ‘great whore,’ of Revelations. This is a serious misinterpretation of my words. When I refer to the ‘great whore,’ I am referring to the apostate church, namely those Christians who embrace the false cult system of Jew-hatred and antisemitism.”
Donohue rejected Hagee's explanation as disingenuous: "Anti-Catholic Protestants have long labeled the Catholic Church "The Great Whore", and no amount of spin can change that reality. No one who knows anything about the term would suggest otherwise."
Furthermore, Hagee did identify [the Great Whore of] Babylon as Rome in his book From Daniel to Doomsday (1999), in a way that melded reference to the Roman Empire and the Roman Catholic Church: "The evidence would point to Rome...It was Rome where Nero wrapped Christians in oily rags and hung them on lampposts, setting them ablaze to light his gardens. It was Rome that orchestrated the Crusades where Jews were slaughtered...It was Rome that orchestrated the Inquisitions throughout the known world where "heretics" were burned at the stake or pulled in half on torture racks because they were not Roman Catholic."
And his views on New Orleans:
During the same September 18, 2006 edition of National Public Radio's Fresh Air, Hagee said Hurricane Katrina was an act of God, punishing New Orleans for "a level of sin that was offensive to God." He referred to a "homosexual parade" held on the date the hurricane struck and this was proof "of the judgment of God against the city of New Orleans."
These aren't by any stretch of my imagination "ok" things to say, no matter WHAT book he's reading from. Not only are they vile comments themselves, but they stir up hatred and violence in the people who listen to him towards these groups.