Jerusalem and God’s wrath
Put forth on October 16, 2007 by XicanoPwr
Posted in Uncategorized
The United States, like it or not, has become overwhelmingly dominated by the ideology of the Christian story. The message being delivered is not so much that our founding fathers were Christian; rather, this country was founded on the values of Christian rhetoric and thought. Christian fundamentalist will even go so far to believe believe the wealth of the nation is due to the Lord’s blessing given to us as a sign that we are the “chosen people” with a God-given authorization to establish dominion over the entire planet in order to help the world into an era of peace, prosperity and justice.
Conservative evangelicals’ obsession with Israel is well known. In fact, some go so far to believe that America is the New Israel (the new Promised Land) of God along with the belief that America is to be a benevolent nation seeking only the good of all. They don’t believe that the End Times prophecies can be fulfilled unless certain conditions are met, like that Israel exists, and they are convinced that God can’t ensure that those conditions exist without the help of evangelicals. This is where Pat Robertson comes in. The religious broadcaster warned the United States that the country risks God’s wrath if it forces Israel to surrender part of Jerusalem to the Palestinians.
Robertson made the comment on his daily religious news-and-talk television program “The 700 Club,” on the Christian Broadcasting Network.
He that touches Jerusalem touches the apple of God’s eye. And if we decide we’re going to wrest East Jerusalem away from the Jews and give it over to the Palestinians, we’re risking the wrath of God on this nation, and I think it’s very dangerous.”
Jerusalem is a city of many, often competing, definitions. It is a spiritual center for Christianity, Judaism, and Islam, the “reunified” capital of the State of Israel, and the focus of Palestinian aspirations for political independence. In the wake of the 1948 Arab-Israeli war, the Israeli portion of Jerusalem, West Jerusalem, was declared the national capital. The Arab sector of the city, East Jerusalem, which included the Old City and religious shrines, was annexed by Jordan along with the entire area west of the Jordan River - the West Bank - which remained under Arab control after the war. Israel captured east Jerusalem in the 1967 Middle East war and later annexed the section of the city as part of its capital. Palestinians want east Jerusalem for the capital of a future state.
American fundamentalists strongly supported the decision to invade Iraq in 2003. They consistently support Israel’s hard-line policies. Thanks to these end-timers, American foreign policy has turned much of the world against us. Based on Biblical interpretation, end Timers vehemently argue that America must protect Israel and encourage its settlements on the West Bank in order to help God fulfill His plans. The return of Jews to Palestine is central to the prophetic vision who see it as a critical step toward the final battle and the victory of the righteous over Satan.
We can laugh at these people, but we should not dismiss them. Some of them are some of the most powerful men in America.
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This is the blog of Edmundo "XicanoPwr" Rocha, a social worker, an activist, freelance writer and founder and editor of The Sanctuary. My interests include: immigration reform, critical race theory and it's interaction with equality/inequality and freedom/oppression as they relate to the experiences of people of color in the Americas.
Para Justicia y Libertad is a Latino-centered political blog focusing on the humanistic perspective of politics, history, and society as they relate to the Latina/o community throughout Texas and the United States.
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As a Christian I believe that God is in control of the entire world. He has a plan which man is not able to understand. Our purpose as Christians is to share the good news that Jesus loved us and died for our sins. That is all that we are to do. In doing that we are to love the people of this world and to do good to others. People will always try to turn the word of God into something which they believe will benefit themselves. We are not deserving of God’s mercy yet he allows the sun to shine on the good and the evil.
I am sorry you have such a poor example of Christians to base your beliefs on…. go to the Bible and read for your self before you judge.
Very scary stuff indeed. While I was raised Catholic, I will admit that I’m not very devout. And of course, some of these “Christians” forget that yes, Catholics believe in Christ. Personally, my beef with the Jesus people has to do with the way that they try to demonstrate their faith and then turn around and behave as hypocrites. Have you ever been cut off on the freeway by a car with a collection of religious or “Love Jesus” stickers?
Or regarding the immigration debate, isn’t it interesting to hear the anti-immigration folks try to interject morality into the debate yet have no problem with denying basic services to undocumented children? Where’s the Christ like behavior in that?
I have grown very suspicious of anyone with a “religious” or “moral” agenda. Look at our born again President Bush, so eager to wage wars in the name of “good vs. evil.”
And if you think about it, our founding fathers were not “Christian” in the sense that these fundamentalists suggest. Thomas Jefferson himself had his suspicions about the bible. James Madison opposed religious intrusions into civil life. Many of the colonists came to America for religious freedom in the first place, and of course, to make a buck and steal land.
Religion is at the core of all the world’s problems. Nothing fuels hatred more than some religious ideology tied to it. It is so rare to encounter a so-called Christian, who actually incorporates Christ like ideals into his daily behavior. Instead, they’re usually always asking me for money.
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