Conservative commentator Candace Owens has found herself at the center of controversy, prompting calls from an Evangelical leader for churches to sever ties with her. This discussion intensified after both Australia and New Zealand barred Owens from entering for speaking engagements, a move that aligns with the growing scrutiny of her statements on Israel and the Jewish community.
Laurie Cardoza-Moore, who leads the nonprofit Proclaiming Justice to The Nations, did not hold back in expressing her views on Owens. She characterized Owens’ comments as steeped in historical antisemitism and questioned her alignment with Christian values. “Her ideas are a lethal cocktail of conspiracy theories and heresy, rejected by almost every denomination in Christendom,” Cardoza-Moore declared in a statement.
Continuing her condemnation, Cardoza-Moore stated emphatically, “It’s time that churches close the doors on Candace. The Candace Owens we once knew is no longer there.” She urged that there was no room for Owens’ purported “repugnant, unfounded, and obsessive hate for God’s Chosen People” within the conservative Christian community.
This escalation of events follows a series of controversial remarks made by Owens. Notably, after Israel’s military response to the October 7 Hamas attacks, which resulted in the deaths of nearly 1,200 individuals, Owens made claims regarding genocide against Palestinians. These comments drew significant criticism and added to her public fallout.
Further complicating matters, Owens has also faced backlash for her podcast statements, where she challenged narratives around historical events such as the Holocaust. In a particular episode, she described reports of Nazi experiments on Jews as “bizarre propaganda,” leading to outrage.
Owens’ views have not just led to professional estrangements; her tenure at The Daily Wire, co-founded by Orthodox Jew Ben Shapiro, came to an abrupt end earlier this year due to mounting criticism over her statements. Following her departure, Owens launched her independent podcast and continued to attract negative attention for her perceived antisemitic rhetoric.
Among the noteworthy reactions has been a letter from PragerU co-founder Dennis Prager, who pointedly addressed Owens’ views on Zionism and cautioned against her characterization of it as an “evil movement.” Prager, who grew up in an Orthodox Jewish home, detailed how her statements could imply an anti-Zionist stance, which could be interpreted as antisemitism, especially since criticisms of Israel appear to be more pronounced than critiques of other nations with questionable records.
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