The Christian right and support for Israel. (Christianity and the Middle East).: An article from: Washington Report on Middle East Affairs
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Citation Details
Title: The Christian right and support for Israel. (Christianity and the Middle East).
Author: Fred Strickert
Publication: Washington Report on Middle East Affairs (Refereed)
Date: September 1, 2002
Publisher: American Educational Trust
Volume: 21 Issue: 7 Page: 80(2)
Distributed by Thomson Gale
Customer Review: Unconvincing
Fred Strickert explains to us in this article that "for decades, the Christian right has offered one-sided support for Israel." And he quotes a Christian to indicate the reason for this is that those on the Christian right, based upon their "readings of the Scripture," believe that "God has promised that land to the Jewish people."
That may sound pretty obvious, but I am not entirely sure I'll stipulate to it. It just could be that many of those on the Christian right sincerely wish to support the Jews of Israel against the aggressors and bullies who attack them. It could even be that their interpretation of Scripture is influenced by this desire to support the victims of aggression.
Is there a difference between support for Israel under the George W. Bush administration and that during the administration of Bush's father? I think there is indeed more support for Israel under the present administration and so does the author. Strickert attributes this to George W. Bush being more receptive to the "influence of the Christian right." That could be true, but it could also be that the Christian right espouses a position that the younger Bush happened to favor in the first place.
Strickert does mention that George W. Bush has been fond of saying "Either they're for us or they're against us." And he jumps from this to say that the Christian right has "pushed the president" into seeing the Arab war against Israel "in similarly simplistic terms."
Um, wait a second. I'm all in favor of seeing the complexities and details of situations. But I think Strickert is wrong to imply that one ought to overlook the fundamentals! And it is fundamental that the Arab goal in its war against Israel is to get rid of human rights for Jews in the region by getting rid of Israel. And that the Israeli goal is to survive and prosper. That is pretty simplistic. But those who look only at the complexities and ignore this fundamental point are not going to contribute much to help resolve the situation.
This article includes a letter by some Christians who argue against supporting Israel. And they say that the war is having "disastrous effects on the Israeli soul."
Well, yes, if one's people are threatened with annihilation, I'm sure it isn't much fun to save one's life by killing one's attacker. And yes, saving one's life in that manner makes one a killer, even though it's self-defense. But I think the Israelis have learned that it is even worse to let oneself be killed. By dying, one enables one's killers and one deprives one's family, friends, and community of the beneficial contributions one would make if one were still alive.
I do not recommend this article.
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John Cord lays bare the false teachings of forty Christian leaders on such controversial topics as abortion, homosexuality, tithing, salvation, idolatry, and religious terrorism. These influential leaders, mostly American televangelists, include Jerry Falwell, Pat Robertson, Billy Graham, Robert Schuller, and Jimmy Swaggart. Cord studied over 700 hours of television ministries and talk shows, and provides verbatim excerpts of false religion, featuring interview segments conducted by Bill O'Reilly, Larry King, Geraldo Rivera, and Hannity & Colmes.
The Christian Right ... or Wrong? presents a robust sampling of the selfishness at the heart of corporate Christianity, whose age-old, "traditional" lies about God's Message shall, per Christ, be taught to the end.
Customer Review: Highly recommended.
Written by a committed Christian, for committed Christians and those of all faiths who are committed to selfless good works in the name of the divine, The Christian Right... or Wrong? Of Corporate Christianity and its Leading Media Evangelists is a scathing dissection of the self-serving hypocrisy, idolatry, and divisive claims of forty influential, modern-day American Christian leaders, including Jerry Falwell, Pat Robertson, Billy Graham, Robert Schuller, and Jimmy Swaggart. Winner of the 2005 Ethos Award, The Christian Right... or Wrong? denounces the greed of corprotized church tithing (especially in terrorizing one's flock with accusations of thievery from God if they do not relinquish 10% of their income), the Catholic Church's idolatry of its system of concentrated power that does not hold child-molesting priests accountable for their crimes (though it is a myth that child molestation happens only in Catholic churches - it occurs in Protestant and other churches as well), the harm in exhorting that man is saved through faith alone, neglecting the importance of good works in bringing one's spirit closer to the divine, and much more. Author John Cord does not shy from such thorny topics as homosexuality, abortion, and reincarnation. Cord refutes self-serving scriptural arguments from corrupt religious leaders with an honest and refreshing "common sense" look at scripture that emphasizes the importance of bringing one's soul closer to God through one's noble and charitable deeds. Highly recommended.
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