Pastors who said 'Jews will go to hell', praised Hitler, lead US Jerusalem embassy prayers

Two American pastors with a history of anti-Semitism, Islamophobia, and anti-gay remarks were invited by the Trump administration to lead prayers on Monday at the inauguration of the US embassy in Jerusalem.

Robert Jeffress, a Southern Baptist preacher in Dallas, Texas, has been a staunch Trump supporter since the billionaire businessman's 2016 campaign. 

His past comments, in which he has said Jews will suffer for eternity in hell, were being seen as a rather extraordinary position for someone offering such a public prayer in Israel.

"God sends good people to Hell. Not only do religions like Mormonism, Islam, Judaism, Hinduism - not only do they lead people away from from God, they lead people to an eternity of separation from God in Hell," Jeffress said during a lecture in 2010.

The 2012 Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney, who is Mormon, expressed his opposition to Jeffress addressing the embassy ceremony.

"Robert Jeffress says 'you can't be saved by being a Jew', and 'Mormonism is a heresy from the pit of hell.' He's said the same about Islam," Romney, who is currently a candidate for US Senate, said late Sunday on Twitter. 

"Such a religious bigot should not be giving the prayer that opens the United States Embassy in Jerusalem."

Jeffress responded with a tweet of his own, saying "historic Christianity has taught for 2,000 years that salvation is through faith in Christ alone", and that such a position, embraced by millions of evangelical Christians, "is neither bigoted nor newsworthy."

The White House on Monday sought to distance itself from the pastor, with spokesman Raj Shah saying he did not know who invited Jeffress to give an embassy blessing.

Asked directly about Jeffress' past statements, Shah said "I haven't seen those remarks, but obviously those aren't remarks that the president agrees with".

Jeffress campaigned with Trump in 2016 and his influence was key to Trump winning an overwhelming majority of the evangelical vote. Last October the president called Jeffress a "wonderful man."

Jeffress has in the past also declared that homosexuality is a "perversion".

On Monday, Jeffress steered clear of such language, but he offered full-throated praise of Trump.

"We thank you every day that you have given us a president who boldly stands on the right side of history, but more importantly stands on the right side of you, O God, when it comes to Israel."

Jeffress was not the only controversial figure to address the embassy event.

Another pastor who offered prayers was John Hagee, a mega-church leader who once appeard to suggest that Adolf Hitler was sent by God to hasten the desire of Jews to return to Israel.