American Evangelicals, not Jews, are real power brokers [Catholics are An-Nasara fii Amreeka]

Yemen Times ^ | 5-13-04 | Jason Vaught

[SJackson]

Salaamalaik.

I am an American who reads the Yemen Times from time to time. I’ve been reading it more often as of late because I am preparing to move to Sana’a. As to your article on Kerry and Bush and who “loves Israel” more, I would like to offer a few comments if you would indulge.

Your main point on the influence that Jews have in America is well taken. Their political power in Washington is immense, no question about it. The American-Israeli Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) has so much power that it is known in D.C. as simply, “the lobby”, and anyone who challenges it risks their very political lives.

It funds congressional members in both the Senate and the House of Representatives on both sides of the “isle”, ie. Democrats and Republicans, so that no matter which party is in power, the “power behind the throne” is always right there.

That being said, I think that you missed on a key factor (and I need to tell you that I don’t know if you have addressed this in the past or plan on doing so in the future), which is the “Religious Right” - the Christians. The Christians are the true scourge of the Palestinians - not the Jews - and they are the chief supporters of Israel, politically, financially, and morally.

This is because while Catholic Christians are the single biggest body of An-Nasara fii Amreeka, they do not hold the true power. The true power is held by Protestant Evangelical Christians. This is the perpetual death blow for the poor Palestinians.

In America, the only people aside from the Arab and other Muslims that puts forth a steady and respected voice for Palestinian rights and self determination are, in fact, Jews. There is absolutely no sympathy for the Palestinians from the Christian Right. None, whatsoever. You mentioned the political power and influence of the Jews in Washington and, again, you are correct, but, look at the power of the Christians. There are about 5-7 million Jews living in the United States, and they are mostly a Democratic Party voting block.

The Evangelical Christians, under the leadership of such figures as Billy and Franklin Graham, Pat Robertson, Jerry Falwell, and other radicals, are a block of 75 million people and over 45,000 churches. These religious figures that I have mentioned are the most prominent, the most powerful - not forgetting Ralph Reid who is another leader and a top political operative for the Bush administration - and they have all spewed vicious lies and propoganda against Arabs, Islam, and the Prophet Muhammad.

Around 70% of these people are Republicans and they support Israel 100% in all matters, regardless of what the situation is and regard the Palestinians as a totally unworthy people, undeserving of statehood or any degree of self determination.

They are absolutely identical to the Likudniks, no doubt. They believe that every inch of Palestine belongs to the Jews - given by God - and that the Palestinians should be treated just like the Canaanites were in the Old Testament book of Joshua who were mercilessly wiped out of the land by the ancient Israelites.

So why this staunchly uniform support for Israel by the powerful Evangelicals? For this answer we must turn to Protestant eschatalogical belief. As a former Protestant myself, I know a little about this, and it’s frightening. You see, even though the Evangelicals love and blindly support the state of Israel, they don’t care a wink about the Jews. They believe the Jews are doomed in fact, within the greater Christian context that anyone who doesn’t believe in exactly what they believe in will burn in hell, end of story.

Christians believe that in the end times Jesus will return to the earth - kind of like the Muslims, but not really - and usher in the “Kingdom of God”. The sticking point though is that this is not possible until the great ingathering of all the dispersed Jews everywhere in the world back into Israel. This is critical to understand.

The massive Christian support of Israel in America - which in my opinion is far, far greater than any Jewish influence - has nothing to do with any particular affinity for Jews, or for the modern concept of “Israel” as a Jewish homeland for that matter when you get right down to it.

Rather, they want all the Palestinians either rounded up in concentrated areas or driven out of the West Bank and Ghaza altogether and replaced by all of the Jews from all over the world so that the return of Jesus will be possible.

Here’s the kicker for the Jews though. They’ll be wiped out of existence, at least according to some Evangelicals. They believe - fervently - that when Jesus returns there will be a great apocalyptic battle at a place called “Armageddon” which, I think, is somewhere around northern Israel/southern Lebanon, and one interpretation of the end result is that in this battle 2/3 of the world’s Jews will be killed and the remaining 1/3 will be converted to Christianity, thus ending them as a people, entirely.

So Jewish influence is, as you said, profound, but the real enemy, the real engine behind America’s ridiculous and shameful support of oppression vis-a-vis this issue, are the Evangelicals. Bush is the most outwardly religious Evangelical Christian President this country has ever seen, ferociously dedicated to his religion. Kerry is a very moderate and liberal Catholic. So I don’t know which of the two “loves Israel” more, but I’m pretty sure I know which one Israel loves more.

[SJackson]

If you'd like to be on or off this middle east/political ping list, please FR mail me.

Words from an AMERICAN!

Wonder what An-Nasara fii Amreeka is. Sounds nasty.

[Numbers Guy]

I’ve been reading it more often as of late because I am preparing to move to Sana’a.

Moving to receive terrorist training?

[sneakers]

He may be an American - now - but I doubt that he was born here.

[Mamzelle]

How fascinating. Who wrote this? American idiom--and a shallow but not *completely* ignorant view of one form of eschatological theory....

This one wasn't ever an evangelical, I'd be willing to bet. He sounds more like a former member of the dying liberal Protestant churches--which may have made him bait for the influence of the Death Cult.

This idea that there's a lockstep leadership of evangeligcals is a dead giveaway of not ever having belonged to them--there is no true leadership of evangelicals, although some leaders might have some scattered influence.

[Skooz]

Cool. I went to bed last night, just a nice middle class Christian guy with a wife, a teenager daughter, two dogs and a mortgage. I woke up this morning a POWER BROKER!

MMmmm....Bask in my power.

[vbmoneyspender]

I would love to know what that means too. If this writer is leaving it untranslated you can bet your bottom dollar it ain't good.

[SJackson]

Sorry, I left the author off. Credit to.

By Jason Vaught, jsnv19@yahoo.com For the Yemen Times

[shineon]

What you say is basically true, but you have the words without the spirit. The letter killeth but the spirit givith life.

I notice that you have some hatred or fear of what will happen to the Jews in the end time. But not to worry, the Bible says that if the casting away of the Jews was the salvation of the Gentiles what will be their receiving but life from the dead.

Also in another place, the Jews are enemies for the gospels sake but beloved for God's sake.

There is no mention that when the Jews turn to Jesus they will become what we now know as Christian...

This will be a different dispensation and God will never break one of his promises to the Jews.

So we will just have to wait and see how that will all work out.

I find it very interesting that the Moslems are also expecting the return of Christ as the Jews are waiting for Meshiach Ben David and the Christian's for Jesus.

Rest assured there is not that much difference between one human being and the next, let me give you a rather short list...

eyes
hair
face
mind
heart
red blood
hands
feet
legs
feelings...

I will consider each one my neighbor until shown otherwise.

I know some would have my head on a platter, but isn't that why and how Christ died for sins?

Just a thought.

[Onelifetogive]

This is like listening to a four-year old discussing where babies come from. They have heard some things and have formulated some theories.....but they really have NO idea.....

[SoCal Pubbie]

Well, I found this on the web:

"The Koran does talk about "nasara" in Arabic. Some authors think that the word designates CHRISTIANS, without any further details. Others, struck by the strange beliefs attributed to the "nasara" by the Koran, think that "NASARA" designates Jewish Christian sects, especially Ebionites, Gnostics, Nazarenes who - either coming ethnically from a Jewish extraction or "converted" to such sects (like Waraqah bin Nawfal according to Ibn Hisham).

In fact, the Koran seems to describe the "nasara" as :

1- holding both the Torah of Moses (Mussa) and the Injil of Issa (Gospel of Jesus

2-- believing only in "the Injil", the one and only Gospel, apparently the "Evangelium juxta Hebraeos"

3- of Hebrew or Aramaic Gospel attributed to Matthew,

4- by the Ebionites.

5- forbidding to eat pork; perhaps keeping also the sabbath, but probably circumcision.

6- denying the divinity of Christ (other times, both the Koran and the nasara seem to affirm it).

The Ebionites had both streams.

OTHER scholars say that those "nasara" were NON-Chalcedonian Christians like Jacobites, nestorians, monophysists - respectively denying the humanity of Christ, the two natures in Him .

The authors who think that the "NASARA" of the Koran designates more or less or/ and pseudo christian sects especially of Jewish origin and affiliation, believe that Christians children of the Church , in our Christian orthodoxy, are called "RUUM" ÉϘ ("byzantines") by the Koran."

An-Nasara fii Amreeka must be Nasara in America. The author must be a Muslim.

[The Scourge of Yazid]

It's unfortunate what years of indoctrination in the wrong subjects has done to an entire culture.

I remember a conversation I had while in college with a Yemeni student. I asked him his opinion a number of topics and was unfailingly met with an identical response every single time.

Whether it was the Sept. 11th attacks on the World Trade Center, the search for "militants" in the hinterlands of the Aden peninsula, or simply banal, current political issues, he would automatically lay the blame at the feet of the United States government and its intelligence agencies.

I hate to tell you that his is not a minority opinion in that part of the world.

[TrueBeliever9]

there is no true leadership of evangelicals

THE HOLY SPIRIT is the True Leader of True Evangelicals because His people worship Him in Spirit and in Truth (Sublime Truth). The Word The Law of YHVH (Di-Di-Ah) rules in the hearts of True Evangelicals!

[SevenofNine]

Hey SJackson I wonder if this guy might be Arab

I don't know I don't know about you but I am Cathoic I support Israel

HELLOO

This editorial writer sound like I don't know maybe too whack out for meeee

I know there are Cathoics that believe this dude crap but I know majority of Cathoics who think this guy is moron

[tiamat]

Hey, I'll help him pack so he leaves the country faster.

[TrueBeliever9]

Moslems are also expecting the return of Christ as the Jews are waiting for Meshiach Ben David and the Christian's for Jesus

The Muslims are expecting the return of Jesus Christ; they are taught the Allah is going to allow Jesus to return because he is a good man and because Allah wants him to confess to the world that he lied about being the Son of God. Looks at the false prophet that will claim to be Jesus to me - of which Jesus warns us of in The Word!

[opus86]

MMmmm....Bask in my power.

LOL...With all this power we have, you'd think we'd be able to overturn Roe v. Wade, outlaw gay marriage, and get Bush at least 60% in the polls!

[Steve_Seattle]

Apart from his drivel about the poor Palestinians - who have been given every opportunity for their own state, and refuse it - he has a point about evangelical Christians' motives for supporting Israel - to fulfill "end-times" prophecy. However it does not follow that evangelicals therefore secretly "hate" Jews or want their extermination as a people via conversion to Christianity. Even if every Jew in the world converted to Christianity, they would still remain the Jewish people.

Another point that the author touches on but does not pursue is the relative powerlessness of Catholics. It has always baffled me how (Democratic)politicians utterly fear the 2% gay voting block and do nothing to cross them, but routinely thumb their nose at Catholics by supporting abortion on demand, opposing school vouchers, supporting gay marriage, and forcing Catholic institutions to provide contraceptives in their medical plans. Perhaps the answer to the "mystery" is that a sizeable percentage of Catholics - like Blacks - have been brainwashed into thinking that they "belong" to the Democratic Party. Also, many Catholics openly support positions on abortion, etc., that are contrary to church teaching.

[TheSpottedOwl]

I think someone needs to yank that boy's passport. Goodbye and good riddance.

[joesnuffy]

I am an American

No you arent...you are a usurper...a squatter...a petrol dollar greased islamo-fascist who wishes to conquer the real America and turn it into another muslim run crap hole...

America's true ally ..in our war on terror is Israel....witness the co-ordinated attacks by the Philisitines aka Palestinians -mutilating the bodies of Israeli soldiers immediately following the beheading of a young American by other islamo-fascists in Iraq...

No ..you are not an American...nor will you ever be...an American...you have neither the heart nor the soul of an American...

imo

MA FISH FALASTIN - THERE IS NO PALESTINE