“Not to condemn people or judge them, but to save them and get them into the lifeboat.”
Maybe so, but you need to understand things from a perspective other than your own, at least if you wish to get your message across. Jews have a long history of unbelievably (unbelievable in today’s context-but this stuff really happened) horrible abuse (including torture and outright murder) at the hands of Christians, simply for them being Jews. Yes, this was a long time ago, but the memory is not the type to simply disappear in a few decades.
Oh, and speaking of a few decades, there is a school of thought that the Holocaust would not have been possible but for the legacy of anti-Jewish teachings by the various Christian denominations over the prior 19 or so centuries. But don’t take my word for it, take the word of a Roman Catholic priest, Edward Flannery: http://www.amazon.com/Anguish-Jews-Twenty-Three-Centuries-Antisemitism/dp/0809143240/ref=sr_1_1/103-3820549-9884608?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1192474904&sr=1-1
From one of the Amazon customer reviews: “At the outset, the author claims that the vast majority of even well educated Christians have been relatively ignorant of what has happened to the Jews throughout history and the culpable involvement of many facets of the Church. Apart from a few recent publications, little having been included about anti-Semitism in Christian history books or social studies.
The author states that, by comparison, the Jews themselves are largely & acutely aware of their painful history in such matters.
This excellent book covers anti-Semitism in all it’s many forms, including persecution, torture, pogroms, massacres, social degradations, forced baptisms & conversions throughout the many periods of the Diaspora.”
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You see, this entire discussion/argument about Coulter’s comments is about perspective. I expect her to be well enough informed to at least be familiar with information like that in Flannery’s book - she is, after all, highly intelligent and well-read. That she could make comments of the kind she did about this subject shows an amazing lack of caring about what others think and feel. Don’t get me wrong, we Jews don’t need to be coddled - being left alone would be good enough for us. But Ann Coulter’s backers should have at least as thick of a skin about criticism of her comments as they seem to expect of the target of her comments.
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“Turning this into a condemnation is a purposeful misinterpretation. Whether you think it’s right or wrong, Christians preach conversion and salvation out of love.”
Again, maybe so. But how do you think Jews feel when they hear some preacher on TV telling them that “if someone doesn’t accept Jesus as L-rd, then they’re GOING TO BURN IN HELL!” I’ll grant you that this isn’t the norm, but it happens often enough without too much - if any - criticism from fellow Christians. What’s that supposed to do, give a Jew the warm ‘n fuzzies???
I find it hard to believe you pay anymore attention to TV preachers than I do.
Thanks for bringing up the Holocaust (I assume you don't mean the TV movie) that automatically makes you the loser of this argument. First person to lean on Hitler, nazis, etc. to make their point...LOSES.
Anne was flippant and frivolous about a serious subject.