Posted on 10/12/2007 3:26:26 PM PDT by ChicagoHebrew
I've seen a significant amount of support on this board for Ann Coulter's recent comments on CNBC. Let me explain why that support is misplaced:
First, as an initial matter, I don't think Coulter's comments about Jews needing to be "perfected" are offensive at all. As an observant Jew, I obviously don't agree with Coulter. But Coulter's remarks here clearly represent standard Christian belief, and it's wrong and intolerant to condemn someone for her basic religious beliefs (provided, of course, that those beliefs don't cause one to do things like blow up Israeli school children or crash airplanes into buildings).
That being said, Coulter said more than standard Christian dogma. In explaining why the 2004 GOP convention was "like heaven," Coulter said "People were happy. They're Christian. They're tolerant. They defend America." That's flatly wrong and blatantly offensive -- attendees at the GOP convention included Christians, Jews, Muslims, atheists, agnostics and adherents of several other faiths. In defining the Republican Convention (and, tacitly) the Republican Party as Christian-only, Coulter has done a tremendous disservice to Republicans and conservatives in general. The fact of the matter is that you don't have to be Christian to believe in things like small government, strong national security, legal fidelity to the constitution, and basic moral values. No one here should defend attempts to define conservatism or the Republican Party as limited to believing Christians. . .
As an aside, please don't let this thread be dominated with replies trying to "convince" me that Christianity is right. Suffice it to say that I have heard and rejected every single one of those arguments. But, as is the nature of being a 1% minority, I -- like most Jews -- get missionized quite frequently, which we find very irritating. Kind of like door-to-door salesmen who keep showing up a few times a week and don't always take a polite "no" for an answer.
LOL!
It is my conviction, as a Christian, that Christians desire that all people become Christians, but, following the example of the Messiah, do not desire to compel or force anyone to believe as they do. Attempts of misguided Christians in the past to undertake forced conversions were precisely that, misguided, and contrary to the precepts of their faith.
When Messiah came, he was rejected by His chosen people, following the example of their secular leaders and chief rabbis. It was not his intent to overthrow the Roman occupiers, as the Jews desired, and restore Israel as a powerful kingdom to be feared and respected by its neighbors. This Jesus plainly told the Jews of his time. We find their rejection deeply regrettable, and wish it had been otherwise.
True...
My fellow Americans, I have just signed legislation to outlaw Islam. The bombing began in October 2001.
If I were to adopt this writer's arguments about why Christian arguments are not attractive to him to my relatives' real old time religion, and why they shouldn't/couldn't be persuaded to be Jewish, I bet he'd think it was a tad offensive.
Well, nevermind, Jews are newcomers in this game.
Hey Bobster, most of the RINOs aren’t really Christian even if they say they are and attend the “best churches”. Conservative Buddhist/Hindu/Jewish/Taoist/Moslem/Bahai/etc. folks shouldn’t worry about the claims to the contrary.
She doesn't use obscure words when speaking publicly.
After every book, I've learned a couple dozen new words.
I understand how Ann’s comments might seem offensive. Please don’t let the media build a wedge to further divide Republicans and conservatives. The leftist media has already gained significant ground pitting Christians against one another and I pray we can prevent any further divisiveness. Thanks for posting your thoughts on this.
Nope, you didn’t make the sale.
I don’t think she should be condemned. She is out on the front lines taking the pies from the nut jobs for the rest of us.
If people don’t like what she says, they don’t have to read her or watch her on TV.
A thread with Ann Coulter in the title and it took 62 post before a picture.
-thank you-
Ann has figured out what most Conservatives have not, or simply refuse to admit: No matter WHAT you do or say, no matter how innocent, you will STILL be labeled by the jack-boot Left, so she goes nuclear much of the time. I love her an encourage her....
Oh yeah...ann the anti-semite...shtuping her jewish boyfriend...
Bleh...more media doesnt matter..
Sorry, if I owned Photoshop I'd get rid of that obscene asterisk at the bottom. This website has a number of similar posters that the left-wingers probably think are hilarious, but some of them are actually pretty great. Like this one:
If the word "condemn" is too strong we could settle for "criticizing" her for looking silly.
But the point is that if a friend makes a mistake, do you point it out to her, or do you just pat her on the head and tell her to keep doing it?
---
DEUTSCH: Let me ask you a question. We’re going to get off strengths and weakness for a second. If you had your way, and all of your — forget that any of them –
COULTER: I like this.
DEUTSCH: — are calculated marketing teases, and your dreams, which are genuine, came true having to do with immigration, having to do with women’s — with abortion — what would this country look like?
COULTER: It would look like New York City during the Republican National Convention. In fact, that’s what I think heaven is going to look like.
DEUTSCH: And what did that look like?
COULTER: Happy, joyful Republicans in the greatest city in the world.
DEUTSCH: No, no, no, no, but I’m talking about this country. You don’t want to make this country — it’s not about Republicans. I’m saying, what would the fabric of this country look like? Forget that the Republicans would be running the show.
COULTER: Well, everyone would root for America, the Democratic Party would look like [Sen.] Joe Lieberman [I-CT], the Republican Party would look like [Rep.] Duncan Hunter [R-CA] –
DEUTSCH: No, no, no, I don’t want — I’m not talking about politically the landscape. What would our — would we be safer? Would people be happier? Would they be more –
COULTER: We would be a lot safer.
DEUTSCH: Would there be more tolerance? Would there be — would women be happier, would the races get along better? The Ann Coulter subscription — prescription. What — tell me what would be different in our fabric of country, because –
COULTER: Well, all of those things.
DEUTSCH: — I can give — I can give you an argument there would be more divisiveness, that there would be more hate –
COULTER: Oh, no.
DEUTSCH: — that there would be a bigger difference between the rich and the poor, a lot of other — tell me what — why this would be a better world? Let’s give you — I’m going to give you — say this is your show.
COULTER: Well, OK, take the Republican National Convention. People were happy. They’re Christian. They’re tolerant. They defend America, they –
DEUTSCH: Christian — so we should be Christian? It would be better if we were all Christian?
COULTER: Yes.
DEUTSCH: We should all be Christian?
COULTER: Yes. Would you like to come to church with me, Donny?
DEUTSCH: So I should not be a Jew, I should be a Christian, and this would be a better place?
COULTER: Well, you could be a practicing Jew, but you’re not.
DEUTSCH: I actually am. That’s not true. I really am. But — so we would be better if we were - if people — if there were no Jews, no Buddhists –
COULTER: Whenever I’m harangued by –
DEUTSCH: — in this country? You can’t believe that.
COULTER: — you know, liberals on diversity –
DEUTSCH: Here you go again.
COULTER: No, it’s true. I give all of these speeches at megachurches across America, and the one thing that’s really striking about it is how utterly, completely diverse they are, and completely unself-consciously. You walk past a mixed-race couple in New York, and it’s like they have a chip on their shoulder. They’re just waiting for somebody to say something, as if anybody would. And –
DEUTSCH: I don’t agree with that. I don’t agree with that at all. Maybe you have the chip looking at them. I see a lot of interracial couples, and I don’t see any more or less chips there either way. That’s erroneous.
COULTER: No. In fact, there was an entire Seinfeld episode about Elaine and her boyfriend dating because they wanted to be a mixed-race couple, so you’re lying.
DEUTSCH: Oh, because of some Seinfeld episode? OK.
COULTER: But yeah, I think that’s reflective of what’s going on in the culture, but it is completely striking that at these huge megachurches — the idea that, you know, the more Christian you are, the less tolerant you would be is preposterous.
DEUTSCH: That isn’t what I said, but you said I should not — we should just throw Judaism away and we should all be Christians, then, or –
COULTER: Yeah.
DEUTSCH: Really?
COULTER: Well, it’s a lot easier. It’s kind of a fast track.
DEUTSCH: Really?
COULTER: Yeah. You have to obey.
DEUTSCH: You can’t possibly believe that.
COULTER: Yes.
DEUTSCH: You can’t possibly — you’re too educated, you can’t — you’re like my friend in –
COULTER: Do you know what Christianity is? We believe your religion, but you have to obey.
DEUTSCH: No, no, no, but I mean –
COULTER: We have the fast-track program.
DEUTSCH: Why don’t I put you with the head of Iran? I mean, come on. You can’t believe that.
COULTER: The head of Iran is not a Christian.
DEUTSCH: No, but in fact, “Let’s wipe Israel” –
COULTER: I don’t know if you’ve been paying attention.
DEUTSCH: “Let’s wipe Israel off the earth.” I mean, what, no Jews?
COULTER: No, we think — we just want Jews to be perfected, as they say.
DEUTSCH: Wow, you didn’t really say that, did you?
COULTER: Yes. That is what Christianity is. We believe the Old Testament, but ours is more like Federal Express. You have to obey laws. We know we’re all sinners –
DEUTSCH: In my old days, I would have argued — when you say something absurd like that, there’s no –
COULTER: What’s absurd?
DEUTSCH: Jews are going to be perfected. I’m going to go off and try to perfect myself –
COULTER: Well, that’s what the New Testament says.
DEUTSCH: Ann Coulter, author of If Democrats Had Any Brains, They’d Be Republicans, and if Ann Coulter had any brains, she would not say Jews need to be perfected. I’m offended by that personally. And we’ll have more Big Idea when we come back.
[…]
DEUTSCH: Welcome back to The Big Idea. During the break, Ann said she wanted to explain her last comment. So I’m going to give her a chance. So you don’t think that was offensive?
COULTER: No. I’m sorry. It is not intended to be. I don’t think you should take it that way, but that is what Christians consider themselves: perfected Jews. We believe the Old Testament. As you know from the Old Testament, God was constantly getting fed up with humans for not being able to, you know, live up to all the laws. What Christians believe — this is just a statement of what the New Testament is — is that that’s why Christ came and died for our sins. Christians believe the Old Testament. You don’t believe our testament.
DEUTSCH: You said — your exact words were, “Jews need to be perfected.” Those are the words out of your mouth.
COULTER: No, I’m saying that’s what a Christian is.
DEUTSCH: But that’s what you said — don’t you see how hateful, how anti-Semitic –
COULTER: No!
DEUTSCH: How do you not see? You’re an educated woman. How do you not see that?
COULTER: That isn’t hateful at all.
DEUTSCH: But that’s even a scarier thought. OK –
COULTER: No, no, no, no, no. I don’t want you being offended by this. This is what Christians consider themselves, because our testament is the continuation of your testament. You know that. So we think Jews go to heaven. I mean, [Rev. Jerry] Falwell himself said that, but you have to follow laws. Ours is “Christ died for our sins.” We consider ourselves perfected Christians. For me to say that for you to become a Christian is to become a perfected Christian is not offensive at all.
You’re in contention for stupidest post of the thread. But you have a lot of competition.
Ann gets off bigtime on driving the leftists and their media cohorts into seizure. I don’t mean that she wants to barb them in the side as Rush does... I mean Ann wants her daily mission to be driving a stake through the heart of every evilcrat... and she is as unrelenting as the Colorado River.
She cares not if she upsets those on the right... she thinks she is doing the right a favor by turning over the lake to keep it from stagnation. An example... Thursday's Fox and Friends invited Ann on to barker her book. When pressed if she supported any candidate at this point... she paid kudo’s to Hunter and said, “No... I think for now that I will just attack each one of them... one at a time”.
I am not saying that what she does is proper decorum... or even socially acceptable... but Ann’s vision of her mission is not so unlike that of Joan of Arc. Not in a religious way, but in the depth of her commitment and confidence that she is on the right side of this War. She sees herself a playing a vital role in America... she uses stinging hyperbole and sarcasm to make points... but the underlying truth is that she lives to War with the left... she truly despises them... and she will not back down.
She was at UT doing an appearance, when a leftie anarchist started attacking her in the vile satanic type rant that answer and code pink employ... She walked toward the POS giving him a barrage of scalding truth... she then asked, “Are there any Republican men in here that will help a damsel in distress”? Four guys got up... dragged the wimp outside... and came back in and sat down with most satisfied expression on their faces. Ann knighted them and continued... that is Ann Coulter. She is not anti-anything but liberal... if she dates one... she is in it for the sex and counter intel.
LLS
"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus
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