The most ironic part of this entire controversy is that Ann Coulter actually brought up the issue that has shaped so much of Christian history. Jesus came 2000 years ago and said that He would fulfill or "perfect" the promises that God had made to His people, the Jews. The Jews didn't see Jesus as the promised Messiah, and they eventually crucified Jesus for making that claim. While many of the early Christians were killed by the Romans because the Romans didn't like seeing a new religion gaining popularity, much of the instigation against Christians came from Jews who were angry that Christians still saw Jesus as someone who fulfilled/perfected God's Old Testament promises. Ann did an okay job making theological points, but I wonder whether she intended to stir up this controversy in this way.
My big problem with the way that she approached the issue is that she started from an idealized vision of the United States. While having everyone convert to Christianity might seem nice to some Americans who are Christians, religious homogeneity isn't necessary for our country to be the best that it can be. We need some common ground on what kind of society we will have and how people will behave in public. We need some common ground on the goals of government and the means of reaching those goals. We don't need to all worship the same God or worship God in the same way. I'm not saying that all religions are or are not equally valid. I'm saying that the question of whether they are equally valid is not necessary to our country becoming the "shining city on a hill."
Bill
The most ironic part of this entire controversy is that Ann Coulter actually brought up the issue that has shaped so much of Christian history. Jesus came 2000 years ago and said that He would fulfill or "perfect" the promises that God had made to His people, the Jews. The Jews didn't see Jesus as the promised Messiah, and they eventually crucified Jesus for making that claim. History is what you have wrong. Heck, you don't even have the Gospel of Matthew right!
Jesus was condemned for heresy and for being a false prophet. However had been killed according to Jewish law, he would have been stoned in public.
He wasw killed by the Romans, like so many other Messianic claimants, in order to prevent rebellion.
While many of the early Christians were killed by the Romans because the Romans didn't like seeing a new religion gaining popularity, much of the instigation against Christians came from Jews who were angry that Christians still saw Jesus as someone who fulfilled/perfected God's Old Testament promises.
Overblown. Jews were highly suspected and quite persectuded by Rome after 67 AD. Many Chistians were killed as Jews.
And after Constantine, Christian Rome persecuted Jews in the name of Christianity.
150 posted on
10/14/2007 2:17:07 PM PDT by
rmlew
(Build a wall, attrit the illegals, end the anchor babies, Americanize Immigrants)