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| Terror Networks |
| Bernard Lewis on the new antisemitism |
| 2006-02-22 |
| Posted by:anonymous5089 |
| #5 hmmm... I might have to modify my comments. When searching for a new church in VA, it became clear to me that many of the Methodist, Episcopalian, Protestant and Lutheran have the same talking points as the democratic party. It was uncanny. Read it on democraticunderground on wednesday and hear it in church on Sunday. And of course, they all disinvested in Israel. I stopped attending. So...maybe things have changed - but then it's also different to hear preachers preaching about global warming and the need for the Boyscouts to admit homosexuals and why we should care about terrorists and vote for Kerry. Bleah. So maybe they are busy blaming the zionists cabals these days But if so, that's news to me. |
| Posted by: 2b 2006-02-22 23:47 |
| #4 well said, but I know plenty of Jews who blame Christians for just about everything wrong in the world. I know because I listen to it first hand on a regular basis. The idea - put forth here by Lewis and given an entire room in the Holocaust museum that Christians are to blame because they blame Jews for killing Jesus - is not something you will hear in Christian Churches. Pilate is blamed for washing his hands. He had the responsibility to undo it, he failed. I've never been in a church anywhere (and I've moved around quite a bit) that viewed it any other way. Whats funny about the "new antisemitism" that Lewis thinks it's the old imagined anti-semitism rather than what makes up the virulent new anti-semitism. It's not Christians who are anti-semetic - it's liberals. All of the Bush hating people that I know have become virulently anti-semtic. Of course - it's just Israel and the Zionists that are screwing up the world. They have nothing against Jews, in fact, many of their friends are jews so they can't be anti-semetic. Just anti-zionist. |
| Posted by: 2b 2006-02-22 23:28 |
| #3 2b, some Christians have in fact blamed Jews "for all their problems" from time to time. I think you are correct that it is essentially an "otherness" issue, but there's no denying that the rabble-rousers used claims from Christian heritage, if not Christian doctrine, to stir up the crowds. |
| Posted by: James 2006-02-22 12:59 |
| #2 How is this different from the Muslim mindset blaming Jews for all of their problems? Here he blames Christians. I wonder if Bernard Lewis has ever been in a church or knows any believing Christians. If he did, he'd realize that the Jewish belief that Christians run around blaming the Jews for the death of Jesus has no basis in fact. Zero. Pilate is blamed for washing his hands. Oh sure, you can find some nuts who will say it, but then you can find nuts who say anything. It's not about religion or skin color or nationality that creates problems - it's about people who rally other people to be against people who are different to obtain power. Christians do it, Jews do it, Nations do it, political parties do it, children do it. Bernard Lewis stoops to blaming Christians for blaming the jews. Not a great man. |
| Posted by: 2b 2006-02-22 11:02 |
| #1 Lewis contends that traditional Anti-Semitism has been disguised to be more socially and intellectually acceptable. What he calls “Political-cum-ideological Judeophobia” allows Isreal’s adversaries to be judged by a lower standard. Therefore this false perception unfairly affects behaviors and policies. Whether Lewis is right or wrong, IMHO, countries should focus their attention more on reality and less on perception. And people should be less concerned with the past and concentrate more on how the present and will affect the future. |
| Posted by: DepotGuy 2006-02-22 10:38 |