Posted on 12/15/2005 6:57:56 PM PST by freedom44
CHICAGO (Reuters) - U.S. Jewish leaders say they are increasingly worried that Christian conservatives want to turn America politically and culturally into a country that tolerates only their brand of Christianity.
"There is a feeling on all sides that something is changing," said Abraham Foxman, director of the New York-based Anti-Defamation League.
"The polls indicate a very serious thing -- that over 60 percent of the American people feel that religion and Christianity are under attack," he said on Thursday in an interview.
"Some are saying we are attacking (Christianity). This whole movement is not anti-Semitic or motivated by anti-Semitism. But sometimes unintended consequences are much more serious than intended" he added.
Foxman recently arranged a meeting in New York involving six Jewish organizations to discuss the problem. He said that while participants did not agree on the exact level of the problem, they felt a strategy was needed.
"It's not a war room strategy," he added. "It's to understand what's out there."
He said Jews are a people of faith but are opposed to anyone who would say only they know the truth and want to impose it on everyone else.
While every December brings disputes over what to call the "holiday season" and its trappings, the level of lobbying by those who fear Christmas is becoming something generic has been particularly high this year.
But the issues raised by Foxman and others goes much deeper into American society, ranging from challenges to teaching evolution to bans on abortion and same-sex marriage or deciding
what kind of people who should serve on the U.S. Supreme Court.
"Every room (from bedroom to classroom) in the American mansion is under assault to impose either de facto or de jure a Christian theocracy -- I call them Christocrats," said Rabbi James Rudin, former head of interreligious activities for the American Jewish Committee.
"They are people who believe there should be a legally mandated Christian nation, where the concept of separation of church and state is weakened or abandoned," he added.
Rudin said he has met pastors "who say that Jesus Christ is the ultimate leader of America and that God's law trumps the Constitution ... I'm very concerned."
While far from all evangelical Christians hold those views, he said, the influence of those who do is strong.
Rudin, whose book "The Baptizing of America: The Religious Right's Plans for the Rest of Us" will be published in January by Avalon, said those with a theocratic agenda are not anti-Semites, and in fact some of them are among the strongest supporters of the state of Israel.
But he said they are Christians who see secular humanists and globalists as their enemies and who feel they are being attacked.
Mathew (cq) Staver, general counsel of the Florida-based Liberty Counsel, a group which backs conservative Christian causes in court and which has been particularly active in Christmas-related issues, says "there is absolutely no effort that I'm aware of to theocratize America or put down other faiths to expand Christianity."
He credits the increased activity surrounding Christmas issues this year to three years of building an organization over the matter.
"People have said enough is enough," he said, citing such incidents as naming Boston's Christmas tree a "holiday tree" and the publication of a sales catalog by a major retailer which featured Kwanza and Hanukkah gifts but made no mention of Christmas.
President George W. Bush, who describes himself as a born-again Christian, also faced criticism recently for sending out cards wishing people a happy "holiday" season.
"This clearly demonstrates that the Bush administration has suffered a loss of will and that they have capitulated to the worst elements in our culture," William A. Donohue, president of the Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights told the Washington Post.
"U.S. Jewish leaders say they are increasingly worried that Christian conservatives"
BOO
---------------------------
Names, please....although I can name plenty of people who think liberalism trumps the Constitution; unlike this guy, I'll name some.
The 9th Circuit court
Planned Parenthood
The ACLU
Michael Newdow
Hillary Clinton
Bill Clinton
Kofi Annan
Most of the United Nations
Move On
That's only a few........I could go on all day with this.
U.S. Jewish leaders say they are increasingly worried that Christian conservatives want to turn America politically and culturally into a country that tolerates only their brand of Christianity.
America is the most tolerant country on the face of the earth, as millions of Jews living in the United States could attest to. They are safer here than in Israel itself. More nonsense.
"The polls indicate a very serious thing -- that over 60 percent of the American people feel that religion and Christianity are under attack," he said on Thursday in an interview.
...because it's true.
Foxman recently arranged a meeting in New York involving six Jewish organizations to discuss the problem. He said that while participants did not agree on the exact level of the problem, they felt a strategy was needed.
Don't create problems where there are none. The United States and Christians in general have always been strong allies with Israel; better allies than you, Mr Foxman.
He said Jews are a people of faith but are opposed to anyone who would say only they know the truth and want to impose it on everyone else.
I run into plenty of people here on FR who claim to know the absolute truth; they are secularists, narrow-minded bigots who seek to impose their 'religion' through control of courts, the educational system, newspapers, etc.
While every December brings disputes over what to call the "holiday season" and its trappings, the level of lobbying by those who fear Christmas is becoming something generic has been particularly high this year.
That's because many of us are tired of being terrorized by a minority of leftist bigots and political correctness (read: closet Nazism)
But the issues raised by Foxman and others goes much deeper into American society, ranging from challenges to teaching evolution to bans on abortion and same-sex marriage or deciding what kind of people who should serve on the U.S. Supreme Court.
They don't like competition. Sounds like many other 'regimes'.
"Every room (from bedroom to classroom) in the American mansion is under assault to impose either de facto or de jure a Christian theocracy -- I call them Christocrats," said Rabbi James Rudin, former head of interreligious activities for the American Jewish Committee.
That's funny you would say that, especially since people have been terrorized by virulent political correctness for the thirty years.....and I do mean terrorized. Christocrats (laughing)....I'll call you what you are; a totalitarian wearing the mantle of a rabbi.
"They are people who believe there should be a legally mandated Christian nation, where the concept of separation of church and state is weakened or abandoned," he added.
More lies. The first amendment has been misinterpreted and outright abused by the liberal left in this country, in league with their left-wing liberal activist judges. Liberal judges ruling by fiat, completely usurping the legislative branch in this country. It's dangerous and destabilizing, and goes against everything the Constitution stands for.
Rudin said he has met pastors "who say that Jesus Christ is the ultimate leader of America and that God's law trumps the Constitution ... I'm very concerned."
Again, names please. I've provided plenty of examples.
But he said they are Christians who see secular humanists and globalists as their enemies and who feel they are being attacked.
....I'll speak for myself here, but the reason is because it's true.
Mathew (cq) Staver, general counsel of the Florida-based Liberty Counsel, a group which backs conservative Christian causes in court and which has been particularly active in Christmas-related issues, says "there is absolutely no effort that I'm aware of to theocratize America or put down other faiths to expand Christianity."
There is no effort: Christians believe in 'free will', a concept that is alien to the secularists. People come to Christ of their own volition; you can't force anyone to be a believer. On the contrary, the secular left seems to believe quite the opposite, and it shows in their practices.
"People have said enough is enough," he said, citing such incidents as naming Boston's Christmas tree a "holiday tree" and the publication of a sales catalog by a major retailer which featured Kwanza and Hanukkah gifts but made no mention of Christmas.
...and who is being excluded?
President George W. Bush, who describes himself as a born-again Christian, also faced criticism recently for sending out cards wishing people a happy "holiday" season.
I wish people a Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays. I don't think there is anything wrong with that. I guarantee you the left has a problem with it however. Because their is a much larger agenda.
Wise up Foxman, and your pals. There won't be a Holocaust in this country, as long as we Christians have anything to say about it......and we would take action against anyone who tries to take away the rights of any group in this country.
Merry Christmas, and have a Happy Holiday, Mr. Foxman.
Great post. I have read Chambers extensively and found in him an earlier vindication of conservatism in the 50's. The lie that McCarthy was a witch hunter is oft repeated by many who have no idea about the truth and who do not care to learn.
Your comment about the sodomites dominating the Demo party is particularly remarkable given Hoover's apparent proclivities coupled with his inability to ferret out the spies among us.
When the truth becomes known it is always more convoluted than the twisted fictions we have been told. Perhaps, for all their vaunted cynicism, the MSM is guilty of little more than simplistic naivete.
The real threat facing this country is the breakdown of the separation of powers outlined in our Constitution--Executive branch, Legislative branch, and the Judicial branch.
Liberals in this country are using their flunky judges as a mechanism to absorb the legislative branch, whittling the three branches down to two.
Once that is completed, I assure you all that the Executive branch is next; what we'll have is one branch, a bunch of black robed, black-hooded Nazis beheading the Constitution. That's the goal.
Whenever I think about this it keeps occuring to me that communism does not allow the practice of religion. I can think of no other explanation.
What's wrong with that? There is no such thing as "separation of church and state" in the Constitution. If enough people don't like that, then let them formulate and pass a Constitutional Amendment. A process exists to get this done.
Until then, Rabbi Rudin, siddown and shut your pie-hole.
I don't THINK so.
You mean he does not address the origin of life. That's correct, but entirely beside the point. You can imagine that God created the first life if you wish, that's as good an answer as any. But after that all the evidence is that evolution developed species over a long period. You're also free to imagine that God guided/directed that evolution, as you're free to imagine that God guides/directs the weather today. But science has no evidence of that, one way or another.
There's a debate and students should participate.
There is no debate within the science community on evolution, outside of a couple of cranks like Behe and the politically funded Discovery Institute. Such cranks have existed for a century or more, making their money from religious people outside the field of science. They're no different than the "environmental scientists" predicting doom, while taking money from the political left. Both are scientific whores, not worthy of teaching in schools.
I know of non-Jews, who are afraid of the religious right because they believe they are bringing back a scientific dark ages, similar to when Christianity took over the Roman Empire. That some Jews might fear Christian fundamentalism for the same reason I have no doubt, and the attack on evolution is one of the battlegrounds.
Thank you for the very informative post.
Abe Foxman's real religion is Socialism. The reason he's upset with the Christian right is not that they're anti-Jewish (they're not) but that they oppose the Socialist agenda
"Where does this Deformed "Jew" think civic laws came from in the first place?"
Agreed. Our whole legal system is based on Judeo/Christian tradition. IMHO, that's why it has worked as well as it has over the past 200 years or so.
The religious Christians and Jews should end the communist ACLU too.
Thanks for saying that Mike. But, I really must remind you that your true protector is your heavenly Father. He neither slumbers nor sleeps! His eye is always on you. He gave us this country, and blessed it so richly, I believe, for the Jewish people.
Yes, great point. The US Constitution makes them safer in the United States than any other place on earth.
The ADL has been saying this forever. This isn't news.
Isn't the ADL against a Jewish state in the middle east as well?
FrPR,
From this Virgnia Catholic to you, God bless you real good!
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.