Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

To: Joe Bonforte
"The liberals are not so much opposed to Israel as they are opposed to the Jewish religion and capitalism. Islam does not pose the same threat because the religion and the state are one."

I am not sure what that means. Could someone explain the above in clear english. Thanks.

41 posted on 04/25/2002 6:14:11 PM PDT by Tom Jefferson
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 40 | View Replies ]


To: Tom Jefferson
BTTT
44 posted on 04/25/2002 6:33:49 PM PDT by Tom Jefferson
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 41 | View Replies ]

To: Tom Jefferson
"The liberals are not so much opposed to Israel as they are opposed to the Jewish religion and capitalism. Islam does not pose the same threat because the religion and the state are one."

I am not sure what that means. Could someone explain the above in clear english. Thanks.

Well, while I find the comment insightful, I would not claim it covers all the motivations of liberals concerning the Arab-Israeli conflict. But it does make a good point for why liberals don't seem to have a problem with Muslim atrocities.

Liberals in general are anti-religion and pro-state. They believe the state is good, and to the extent that religion undermines the moral authority of the state, they don't like it.

However, when religion and the state become one, the liberal's dislike for religion disappears. Such a religion is furthering the aims of the state, and the liberals don't have nearly as big a problem with that.

Even though Israel is primarily Jewish, it is not a theocracy. The Jewish religion is still quite separate from the state of Israel. So the liberal's standard dislike of religion extends to Judaism.

The Arab countries do incorporate religion into the governing state. The liberals tend to like autocratic government, of any kind (communist, socialist, welfare state nannyism, whatever). The Arabs use religion as the justification for their autocratic governing. Liberals don't much care what the justification for autocratic behaviour is - they'll take religion as the justification as easily as communism. So in this case, they're not opposed to religion because it furthers the ends of autocratic states.

That's fairly long winded, and in some respects a simplistic analysis, but I hope it answers your question.

55 posted on 04/25/2002 7:19:30 PM PDT by Joe Bonforte
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 41 | View Replies ]

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article


FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson