After all of the stink caused by Obsession: Radical Islam’s War with the West and the “organization”, the Clarion Fund, that put it together, today’s LA Times has a great story about another bastion of racism and bigotry known as Christian Zionism and a new effort among real Christian churches to make their congregations aware of the threat and hatred being spread in the name of Christianity.

According to the article, 45 million people have been targeted at their churches to be made aware of why Christians should fear Christian Zionism. Why? As the brochure says:

Christian Zionism fosters fear and hatred of Muslims and non-Western Christians and can lead to the dehumanization of Israelis and Palestinians.

Christian Zionists say they believe that the creation of Israel was ordained by God. More importantly, these “believers” believe that the return of Jews to Israel has fulfilled one of the steps that will set the stage for Armageddon and the return of Jesus Christ to Earth. They would also like to promote conflict in the Middle East to speed up Armageddon. There are 20 - 40 million Christian Zionists in the United States, according the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life.

If we don’t speak up against it, then people will think we don’t care or that we agree with it,” said Rev. John Hubers, supervisor of mission programs in the Middle East and South Asia for the Reformed Church in America.

The Reformed Church in America is one of the 35 Christian church bodies that make up the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA, which wrote the brochure and began distributing it this month.

To say we’re dehumanizing Israelis and Palestinians with our support for Israel dehumanizes us, said David Brog, Executive Director of Christians United for Israel, one of the most prominent Christian Zionist organizations in the United States.

It should be noted that CUFI was started in 2006 by televangelist and Muslim hater John Hagee, Senior Pastor of the Cornerstone Church in San Antonio.

The National Council of Churches includes more than 100,000 individual churches, made up of about 45 million churchgoers, and is hoping it can use its membership to curb the political and social influence of Christian Zionism, said Antonios Kireopoulos, the group’s director of interfaith relations.

The brochure will be handed out in member churches.

“My religion and my Zionism have been hijacked by Christian Zionists and their Jewish friends,” Beliak said. “Most of us have the view that the outline for the possibility of peace has been sitting in a drawer ready to be implemented for at least 15 years, and most of us think Christian Zionism is an impediment toward peace in the Middle East.”

The brochure, which was passed out for the first time at the conference, says Christian Zionism leads to a conclusion that “involves the death of all non-Christians, including Jews, through apocalyptic warfare or divine judgment” and “is not based on traditional teaching or doctrines of the Church.”

Brog said Christians United for Israel rejects the brochure.

“I would say the whole flier seems to me to be describing a stereotype of a Christian Zionist,” Brog said. “There are some Christian Zionists who are opposed to the peace process in the Middle East, but that does not define a movement of millions of Christian people.”

Much like Obsession and all the other anti-Muslim propaganda describes a stereotype of Muslims that the West would like everyone to believe.

He said the group believes simply that Israel should make all decisions regarding its land use and peace effort — not the U.S., Palestinians or anyone else.

“Once we start discussing how we go about supporting Israel is when the disagreements come in,” he said. “When you get beyond that, there are lots of disagreements, and that’s why we don’t really speak about that.”

As for the argument over Israel’s status as political body or godly appointment, Brog said, there is room for disagreement.

“America is a shining city on the hill ordained by God. We have that tradition right here in America, and we do see Israel’s promise in the Scripture,” he said.

Brog said that one way the group urges the federal government to support Israel is through “A National Night for Israel,” in which members of Christians United for Israel gather in Washington to meet with lawmakers. In 2007, about 3,000 members made the trip, he said.

Brog, who is Jewish, said that he’s always felt “complete comfort” working with Christians United for Israel and that the group has the best interests of Israel and Jews at heart.

“I wish [the council] would be more fair and respectful of our teachings,” he said. “If they have a problem with us, shouldn’t they be the ones to invite us to a debate? We’ve never attacked the National Council of Churches, and I think it would be fair for them to start that dialogue if they really want it.”

Brog said a debate might surprise those who oppose Christian Zionist beliefs.

“If we were sitting in a room together, we might find we don’t disagree as much as they might think we would,” he said.

Here are my questions:

1) How many Muslims have said the same thing about the Taliban and al-Qaeda only to be branded as terrorists or anti-America?

2) There are many other forms of extremist tendencies in Christianity, including White Supremicists, KKK, abortion clinic bombers, so what make them any different than the terrorists that have defamed Islam? Is that the true face of Christianity?

3) Let’s just admit that every religion has some bad apples. If we can’t accept this, then should we call the Christian Zionists, “terrorists,” “Christianists,” or “Jesusians?” Since these popular adulterations were done by the West for branding good and bad Muslims, we should have the same branding requirements for your bad Christians.

Courtesy: Los Angeles Times

Related posts:

1. Christian Science Monitor’s Take on UN Interfaith Dialogue
2. Principles to implement Israel boycott should be worked out - OIC
3. MEMRI TV
4. Invade and Conquer – The New American Foreign Policy in the Middle East
5. How To Squeeze Jihadi Culture Out of Pakistan - Vali Nasr
6. International Republican Institute
7. Say It Ain’t So Nic Robertson - Part I

Browse Timeline

• « 6 Reporters and a Tape Recorder - The Wall Street Journal refutes Zardari’s Claims
• » Why Should They Bother Prime Minister Brown?

Comments ( 2 )

Add a Comment