the word Palestine in NOT in the Bible... but Judea IS!!!
Posted on 12/30/2006 5:02:11 PM PST by yochanan
Mary, 'Palestinian refugee'
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Posted: December 30, 2006 1:00 a.m. Eastern
By Joseph Farah
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- © 2006 WorldNetDaily.com
When it comes to the politicization of the Christmas story, I thought I had seen it all.
But the London Independent's shameless mischaracterization of Mary, the mother of Jesus, as "a Palestinian refugee" takes the proverbial cake.
The story by Johann Hari published Dec. 23 begins: "In two days, a third of humanity will gather to celebrate the birth pains of a Palestinian refugee in Bethlehem – but two millennia later, another mother in another glorified stable in this rubble-strewn, locked down town is trying not to howl."
(Column continues below)
It goes on to describe a 5-year-old tale of an Arab woman who claims she was stopped from entering Israel to deliver her twins and forced to go 20 minutes in another direction to an Arab hospital.
It's amazing. It's bizarre. It's breathtaking at what passes for Western journalism in the Middle East today.
First of all, was Mary "a Palestinian refugee"? No, Mary was a Jew, living in the occupied territory of Israel. She wasn't trying to get to a Roman hospital to have her child. She was traveling with her husband from her home in Nazareth to Bethlehem, where the Roman authorities decreed those from the House of David would pay their taxes.
By the way, neither the area of Bethlehem nor Nazareth had ever been considered Palestine or, more appropriately, Philistia, up through the time of Mary, Joseph and Jesus. In fact, it was not for another 100 years that the Romans would think about renaming Israel as Palestine in an effort to make the world forget about the Jews who had been slaughtered and dispersed.
There were no Philistines or Palestinians around. They hadn't been heard from for over 500 years.
It's beyond silliness.
Who are these anti-Israel activists the Western press dispatches to cover the Middle East? Where do they come from? Where are they trained? Where are they educated? How is it possible that such drivel is actually published?
What is it exactly that the so-called Palestinians want? Do they want their own homeland or not? It seems to me they've got it. But now they want to be able to travel into Israel for medical care? What's wrong with their own hospitals? Why is it that they don't decide to buy more medicine and fewer guns?
Don't get me wrong. I don't blame "the modern-day Mary" in this fable for wanting first-class medical care in Israel. And had Bethlehem remained under Israeli governance, that's exactly what the people of Bethlehem would have received. But the so-called Palestinians demanded their own country. Unfortunately for them, that means Palestinian hospitals, too.
The Palestinian authorities are also demanding that no Jews be permitted to live in their territories. Yet, there is shock that Arab Palestinians should not be able to cross into Israel at all hours of the day and night without facing checkpoints and security.
Is this a tragedy?
Yes, it is. I would much prefer to see these poor Arabs live freely, as they did under Israeli governance. But, for heaven's sake, they rejected that option with extreme violence and terrorism.
Is that context not important for people unfamiliar with the region to understand? Is it not important for reporters covering the region to understand?
Let's call this what it is: Deliberate deception. It is the worst form of propaganda. In another time, we labeled it agit-prop. What is the purpose? Is it to stir up more hate and violence? Is the purpose of such lies to immunize those serving them up from terrorist attacks?
One can only speculate. But one thing is certain: This is not journalism.
On a side note, as one of those Christians referred to in the reporter's lead paragraph, I wasn't aware that one-third of humanity celebrated Mary's birth pains on Christmas. Silly me. I was under the impression we celebrated the birth of the Savior.
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"Who are these anti-Israel activists the Western press dispatches to cover the Middle East? "
Many are leftwing JINO's
Meanwhile history shows that the precursor to Islam was attacking the Jews.
You may choose to believe that. It's more likely the Roman Empire couldn't care less what family any Judean belonged to, or where they paid their taxes, as long as they were paid.
I can almost believe that King Herod who ordered all the first born murdered was a Palestinian, Its sounds like something they would do.
Farah is not the complete nutcase some think he is; the business of uneducated journalists is a major concern for all readers of the press.
We may never dispel all the myths that have grown up along with an uneasy society but the very best way to start is to agree on history.
Some possibilities:
1. Self-gratification on the part of the writer - to make him think of himself as a sensitive, caring, empathetic human being who has great compassion for the poor and oppressed.
2. To make an impression on his colleagues with the aptness of his comparison - it's hip in some circles in the United Kingdom these days to glorify the Palestinians as if they are the second coming of the Apostles and Yasser Arafat was the reincarnation of Christ.
the word Palestine in NOT in the Bible... but Judea IS!!!
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The purpose of the Roman enumeration was to count the taxpayers, so the Romans were sure that everybody had paid. The easiest way to do that (for the Romans, anyway) was for everyone to go to their hometown to be counted and to pay up.
Whatever else one may say about the Romans, they were top flight administrators and they knew how to run a colony.
Bethlehem was not Joseph's home town, Nazareth was. The fact that Joseph's family lived in Bethlehem a thousand years ago was a matter of total indifference to the Roman Empire.
Were they also asking people in Hispania and Gaul to trot back to Southern Germany to be registered as members of the House of Celtia?
Given that nobody had surnames, but simply a patronymic and a bye-name (sort of like the system in use among Gaelic-speaking Scots), the tribal designation was probably the only way to get all the Joseph-bar-Jacobs straight.
Good Grief!!! Christmas was only five days ago. Were you able to avoid hearing this passage Luke 2:4 2:5 during the entire holiday????
If you aren't interested enough to get some of the story correct, just don't post.
Luke 2:4
Parallel Translations
Concordance Entries Belonged Bethlehem Beth-lehem David David's Family Galilee Joseph Judaea Judea Line Lineage Nazareth Town
http://bible.cc/luke/2-4.htm
Your point being?
The point was obvious.
Oztrich Boy, you have just enough knowledge to be dangerous. Just once, don't guess. Look it up.
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