Yesterday I addressed the hypocrisy of the Christian religious right in regards to the false Bible promises of faith-healing and universal health care. Today we need to objectively look at their warmongering neoconservative mind-set and the misery it's bringing to the Middle East and to the lives of American families who've had loved ones killed and wounded in the neoconservative wars.
Unfortunately the religious right and the Democrats seem to be pretty much in lock-step with each other when it comes to blind support for Israel. The majority of politicians in both parties are kookoo for Israel regardless of the cost to America and to the rest of the world. A great example is Democrat Senator from New York, Chuck Schumer. He said he believes God has appointed him to be Israel's protector in the U.S. Senate! An important book which addresses the serious problem of Israel's spell over U.S. politicians of both parties is The Israel Lobby and U.S. Foreign Policy by John J. Mearsheimer and Stephen M. Walt.
In regards to the Christian right and its promotion of Israel at the expense of everyone else we see Mike Pence, who has recently won the Values Voter Summit presidential straw poll, said, "Recent criticism of Israel over construction in Jerusalem and acts of self defense was appalling. I never thought I'd live to see the day that an American administration would denounce the Jewish state of Israel for rebuilding or protecting Jerusalem. Let the world know this, if it knows nothing else: America stands with Israel." He ignores the fact that Israel is occupying Jerusalem, not protecting it, and is in violation of United Nation Security Council Resolution 242 among others. Resolution 242 calls for Israel to stop its occupation not only of Jerusalem but of the West Bank as well. Wasn't it Iraq's violations of United Nations resolutions which the neocons used as an excuse to start the war with Iraq? Based on that logic, the U.S. should be warning Israel that if they don't return to their pre-1967 borders the United States will start and lead a war against the Jewish state.
An important source of the religious right's support for Israel and for waging wars on Israel's behalf is Christian millionaire preacher John Hagee's Christians United for Israel organization. Hagee uses threats from the Bible to persuade Christians that God wants them to give unquestioning support for Israel and that those who do so will be rewarded and those who do not will be punished. On his page, "Why Christians Should Support Israel" he openly shows Bible quotes written by ancient Hebrews/Jews claiming to be the voice of God and making it very clear that God will hurt those who do not support Israel. Hagee writes, "History has proven beyond reasonable doubt that the nations that have blessed the Jewish people have had the blessing of God; the nations that have cursed the Jewish people have experienced the curse of God." He also makes the point that Christianity came from the Jews and claims that therefore Christians are indebted to the Jews and should support them with material things.
Another Christian leader who wants to see Israel restored to its Biblical borders is Pat Robertson. Like Hagee and the religious right, Robertson believes Israel stands above all other nations on the planet because all the other nations were created by men, but Israel alone was created by God. This delusional thinking lead Robertson to write an article about Israel being a gift from God to the Jews and that it should be restored to its Biblical borders which it had during the time of Solomon!
In order to discredit these war promoting superstitions it's important for Deists and freethinkers to educate Christians and sincere members of the religious right to what the Bible really says about Israel and to let them know God had nothing to do with writing the Bible, that it was written by ancient Hebrews/Jews who were trying to put Israel's interests first. For example, the Bible teaches that Hebrews/Jews should not charge usury rates to fellow Hebrews/Jews but that it's good to practice usury against non-Jews/Gentiles. Deuteronomy 23:20 states, " Unto a stranger thou mayest lend upon usury; but unto thy brother thou shalt not lend upon usury:" Even slavery of Gentiles/heathens and their children is promoted in the Bible. Leviticus 25:44-46 makes it clear that Hebrews/Jews can own Gentiles and their children as slaves when it instructs, "Both thy bondmen, and thy bondmaids, which thou shalt have, shall be of the heathen that are round about you; of them shall ye buy bondmen and bondmaids. Moreover of the children of the strangers that do sojourn among you, of them shall ye buy, and of their families that are with you, which they begat in your land: and they shall be your possession. And ye shall take them as an inheritance for your children after you, to inherit them for a possession; they shall be your bondmen for ever: but over your brethren the children of Israel, ye shall not rule one over another with rigour." It can be pointed out to the genuine Christians and members of the religious right that this type of brutality and cold blooded mindset helps explain Israel's abusive treatment of the Palestinians.
Many members of the religious right believe in putting America first. Pointing out that the Bible puts Israel first and not America can help shock them into thinking independently. Nobody likes to be threatened into doing something, especially the militia types. When it's pointed out to them that the religious right and the Christian and Jewish politicians who do the bidding of the religious right are using threats to put Israel over America, threats such as Isaiah 60:12 which threatens destruction of any nation which will not serve Israel, many of them will abandon the religious right and, hopefully, start to think on their own. As they do, they will discover that America's spiritual roots are more in line with Deism and free thinking than with Judeo-Christianity and the Bible. They'll see that many of America's key Founders like George Washington, Thomas Jefferson and Thomas Paine (contrary to what Glenn Beck says) were Deists and not Christians. This will open up a whole new world to them. A world of progress unrestricted by man-made religious dogmas and fear based superstitions. And this will create a much better world for everyone else, too!
Unfortunately the religious right and the Democrats seem to be pretty much in lock-step with each other when it comes to blind support for Israel. The majority of politicians in both parties are kookoo for Israel regardless of the cost to America and to the rest of the world. A great example is Democrat Senator from New York, Chuck Schumer. He said he believes God has appointed him to be Israel's protector in the U.S. Senate! An important book which addresses the serious problem of Israel's spell over U.S. politicians of both parties is The Israel Lobby and U.S. Foreign Policy by John J. Mearsheimer and Stephen M. Walt.
In regards to the Christian right and its promotion of Israel at the expense of everyone else we see Mike Pence, who has recently won the Values Voter Summit presidential straw poll, said, "Recent criticism of Israel over construction in Jerusalem and acts of self defense was appalling. I never thought I'd live to see the day that an American administration would denounce the Jewish state of Israel for rebuilding or protecting Jerusalem. Let the world know this, if it knows nothing else: America stands with Israel." He ignores the fact that Israel is occupying Jerusalem, not protecting it, and is in violation of United Nation Security Council Resolution 242 among others. Resolution 242 calls for Israel to stop its occupation not only of Jerusalem but of the West Bank as well. Wasn't it Iraq's violations of United Nations resolutions which the neocons used as an excuse to start the war with Iraq? Based on that logic, the U.S. should be warning Israel that if they don't return to their pre-1967 borders the United States will start and lead a war against the Jewish state.
An important source of the religious right's support for Israel and for waging wars on Israel's behalf is Christian millionaire preacher John Hagee's Christians United for Israel organization. Hagee uses threats from the Bible to persuade Christians that God wants them to give unquestioning support for Israel and that those who do so will be rewarded and those who do not will be punished. On his page, "Why Christians Should Support Israel" he openly shows Bible quotes written by ancient Hebrews/Jews claiming to be the voice of God and making it very clear that God will hurt those who do not support Israel. Hagee writes, "History has proven beyond reasonable doubt that the nations that have blessed the Jewish people have had the blessing of God; the nations that have cursed the Jewish people have experienced the curse of God." He also makes the point that Christianity came from the Jews and claims that therefore Christians are indebted to the Jews and should support them with material things.
Another Christian leader who wants to see Israel restored to its Biblical borders is Pat Robertson. Like Hagee and the religious right, Robertson believes Israel stands above all other nations on the planet because all the other nations were created by men, but Israel alone was created by God. This delusional thinking lead Robertson to write an article about Israel being a gift from God to the Jews and that it should be restored to its Biblical borders which it had during the time of Solomon!
In order to discredit these war promoting superstitions it's important for Deists and freethinkers to educate Christians and sincere members of the religious right to what the Bible really says about Israel and to let them know God had nothing to do with writing the Bible, that it was written by ancient Hebrews/Jews who were trying to put Israel's interests first. For example, the Bible teaches that Hebrews/Jews should not charge usury rates to fellow Hebrews/Jews but that it's good to practice usury against non-Jews/Gentiles. Deuteronomy 23:20 states, " Unto a stranger thou mayest lend upon usury; but unto thy brother thou shalt not lend upon usury:" Even slavery of Gentiles/heathens and their children is promoted in the Bible. Leviticus 25:44-46 makes it clear that Hebrews/Jews can own Gentiles and their children as slaves when it instructs, "Both thy bondmen, and thy bondmaids, which thou shalt have, shall be of the heathen that are round about you; of them shall ye buy bondmen and bondmaids. Moreover of the children of the strangers that do sojourn among you, of them shall ye buy, and of their families that are with you, which they begat in your land: and they shall be your possession. And ye shall take them as an inheritance for your children after you, to inherit them for a possession; they shall be your bondmen for ever: but over your brethren the children of Israel, ye shall not rule one over another with rigour." It can be pointed out to the genuine Christians and members of the religious right that this type of brutality and cold blooded mindset helps explain Israel's abusive treatment of the Palestinians.
Many members of the religious right believe in putting America first. Pointing out that the Bible puts Israel first and not America can help shock them into thinking independently. Nobody likes to be threatened into doing something, especially the militia types. When it's pointed out to them that the religious right and the Christian and Jewish politicians who do the bidding of the religious right are using threats to put Israel over America, threats such as Isaiah 60:12 which threatens destruction of any nation which will not serve Israel, many of them will abandon the religious right and, hopefully, start to think on their own. As they do, they will discover that America's spiritual roots are more in line with Deism and free thinking than with Judeo-Christianity and the Bible. They'll see that many of America's key Founders like George Washington, Thomas Jefferson and Thomas Paine (contrary to what Glenn Beck says) were Deists and not Christians. This will open up a whole new world to them. A world of progress unrestricted by man-made religious dogmas and fear based superstitions. And this will create a much better world for everyone else, too!
