Jews Bashing Christians on Moral Politics Have Some Questions to Answer (Links to FR!)

LifeSite ^ | January 30, 2006 | Terry Vanderheyden

[NYer]

NEW YORK, January 30, 2006 (LifeSiteNews.com) – A Jewish author has written a commentary that probes the motivation behind certain leaders of liberal Judaism’s contempt for evangelical Christianity.

David Klinghoffer, whose article, Six Questions for Jews--From Christians, appears in this month’s edition of First Things and states, “These are troubled times for Jewish-Christian relations. In November, two of the most influential American Jewish leaders, representing large swaths of the Jewish community, gave major speeches vilifying politically conservative Christians,” he explains.

Klinghoffer states that, as an Orthodox Jew, he finds it difficult to understand the animosity of liberal Jews toward such ideas as the traditional definition of marriage and other beliefs that have long been held by Jews.

Klinghoffer describes how Rabbi Eric Yoffie, president of the liberal Union for Reform Judaism, the country’s largest Jewish denomination, attacked Christian opposition to same-sex “marriage.” Yoffie compared Christians to Nazis, stating that Hitler outlawed homosexuality in 1933. “We cannot forget that when Hitler came to power in 1933, one of the first things that he did was ban gay organizations,” Yoffie stated.

Klinghoffer presents six questions for Yoffie and other liberals like him:

• “Is it not true that Jewish leaders have better things to worry about than the spiritual fate of SpongeBob SquarePants? Let’s say, about radical Islam? Or secularism? At a time when radical Muslims threaten Jews and others around the world, why vilify American Christians?
• If conservative Christians were less politically powerful, would this help or hurt the security of the state of Israel?
• Practically, what positive ends could anti-Christian attacks possibly accomplish?
• If evangelicals seek to “Christianize America,” a phrase implying legal coercion, when is the last time anyone tried to Christianize you?
• How do you explain the fact that “bigoted” Christian political positions mirror the traditional views of your own religion, Judaism?
• Have you considered the economics behind these anti-Christian attacks?”

Klinghoffer explains that Judaism traditionally agrees with Christianity on most important moral issues like euthanasia, abortion, and same-sex “marriage.” “If it’s ‘Nazi’-like to oppose gay marriage, as Rabbi Yoffie argues, then Jewish tradition must also be Hitlerian,” Klinghoffer argues. “The Hebrew Bible forbids homosexual intercourse, and Jewish rabbinic thought warns against tampering with the institution of marriage. Indeed, a classical rabbinic midrash explains that one of the reasons God was so disgusted with the original inhabitants of the land of Canaan, and caused the land to disgorge them in favor of the children of Israel, was that the Canaanites wrote marriage contracts for members of the same sex,” he explains. “Why are these views evidence of ‘zealotry’ when held by Christians but not so when held by every generation of Jews universally down to about a hundred years ago?”

Read Klinghoffer’s thought-provoking article on line at:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/1563455/posts

See the current edition of First Things (this article not yet available on line here):
http://www.firstthings.com/menus/ft0602.html

[TheSpottedOwl]

Thanks for the pings. My bf got disgusted and quit reading half way through. We had a lively discussion on the likes of Steven Spielberg, and Barbra Streisand, though.

They embarass him like Roger Cardinal Mahoney(among others) embarasses me. Btw, he does attend an evangelical Christian church on a regular basis. Several members helped him through a rather horrible divorce, years ago.

I've always been confused with the Hollywood Jewish position of ridiculing piety and faith. Bf explained it. Liberal jackasses who don't practice their faith.

[Sam Cree]

Very cool pic. That guys is a total jerk, that's putting it nicely.

[Sam Cree]

"They just found that they could use their ancestry as a veil to hide behind after throwing out their leftist attacks."

Yeah...sad but true.

[starfish923]

Yes, I do. 95 percent of the adherents to the religion of peace are radical/liberal/condoners of murder. Let's run over to allah's snack bar after killing a few women and babies. Dang, that was easy to answer.

I lived in Saudi Arabia for five years. I traveled over the near east too, even to such Muslim conclaves as Syria, Jordan, Egypt (twice) and India.
None of the many Saudis, Arabs and non-Arab Muslims (75% of all Muslims) I met over those years were killers of women and babies. Dang, imagine that.
Dang, that was a rather sweeping answer you gave.
Funny about incorrect stereotypes, they have a way of looking very ... incorrect, more that 95% even. Dang.

But then, dang, you were just a-joshin', weren't you?

[zip]

95 percent of the adherents to the religion of peace are radical/liberal/condoners of murder

No, I wasn't joshing. Note I said "condoners" of murder. You and your pro islamic view cannot admit that just maybe a few mooselimbs know who the terrorists are and don't give a damn. I believe that EVERY terrorist attack could have been prevented by some of your religion of peace adherents just speaking up. Columbia MO islamic students at MU were filmed dancing in the streets on 9/11 (but of course that film was "lost" by the ultra liberal TV station.)

When one of your "peaceful" people speak up against the radical lslamic thugs, then I'll eat crow, but until then, my statement stands.

[SJackson]

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

Articles on Israel can also be found by clicking on the Topic or Keyword Israel.

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[unionblue83]

So how much of the population do you think that you met in your travels(in percentages)? Just playing Allah's, I mean Devil's, advocate. The problem IS fundamental interpretation of the Quran. The majority of Islamic scholars and clerics are preaching the hate/violence that Mohammed practiced almost the same way they did in the 7th century. And Saudi Arabia still is the biggest exporter of wahabbism. There are those that don't even know exactly what they are saying because they have simply memorized the verses in the classic Arabic. I am not taking personal shots at your friends/acquaintences (sp?) so please don't read that into it. Unfortunately, however, they are in the minority.

[WaterDragon]

I don't know of any organized "liberal" Muslim group

"Liberal" in the sense you seem to be using it is basically synonymous with Leftism, which is definitely fascist.

[sauropod]

rl

[zip]

Thanks for the intelligent post. (t sure beat my 95 percent comment.) I think I react to the naive posts that muslims are misunderstood because I am afraid for the future of America and the world. Too many people have their heads in the sand (or elsewhere) and refuse to see the evil preached by the leaders of islam.

[Sender]

I don't want to evangelize anyone. Jews have their own covenant with G-d. We are on the same team, of the same family.