I have stayed away from this topic this summer, but you know how sometimes you go looking for stuff on the internet that you just know is going to make you mad. Well, I did that today – and it all began when I accidentally ran across the picture on the right from this CBN page, entitled: “Pitching Tents in the Holy City.” Wow. A good Evangelical Christian, worshipping her God and Creator, all the while praying for Israel with the huge flag superimposed behind her. Ridiculous.
And then I kept looking around and ran across these pages, that just make me pretty ticked when I read through their sites: Christian Friends of Israel, Why Israel?, Israel My Beloved and Bridges for Peace. Why do I get mad when I read these sites, let me give you a few examples:
- “We’re here to pray and comfort the Jews in the midst of all the problems and conflicts in their land, and to assure them that they, and the nation of Israel, have a glorious future awaiting them…” (link): I am all about comforting and praying for the Jews, but I wonder how many of these ‘evangelical’ Christians who make the trek to Jerusalem cross a checkpoint, go to a refugee camp or spend much, if any, time in the West Bank or Gaza?
- “In the face of Intifada, suicide bombings, and wrangling over the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, the “wall†or “security fence,†in this land of conflict and bloodshed, Christians here pray and hold on to the shining hope of Israel” (link): Wow. Talk about getting one side of the story.
- “Palestinian suicide terrorists have been ripping Israeli families apart at an accelerated pace since September 2000,killing mothers, fathers, babies and granparents, and leaving the survivors to cope with a hellish new reality” (link): Sure, but this is a Christian Zionist site, in fact, the website of the International Christian Zionist Center, so, be sure not to mention how the political policies and military orders have been ripping apart Palestinian families for over 50 years; let’s not talk about that.
- “Every time Israel’s neighbors have risen up to eliminate Israel from the planet, God has caused Israel to prevail. One more time this will happen, with results far, far more astounding than before. The world will be thoroughly astounded, then thoroughly enraged, at the outcome when Israel is once again forced to go to war against the Arabs. A fitting summary is found in another translation of the verse: “Their enemies will be torn to shreds, with no one to save them.” (Micah 5:8b CEV)” (link): Wow. Let’s just talk about some real shitty exegesis to begin with. How do people come to believe this stuff? These are the people that there is no arguing with. None.
Why is it that America and a vast majority of evangelical Christians have almost total support for Israel? Why is it that you so rarely hear about churches taking trips to visit Palestinians and hear about their plight? Why are these Christian Zionist organizations so interesting in “caring” and “letting the Jewish people know we have solidarity with them in their struggle” when there are so many atrocities happening because of the Israeli government? Why can’t anyone challenge Israel without being condemned as an Anti-Semite?