Christian Zionism’s flawed vision of Israel

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Benjamin-Netanyahu flip flop flipBy: Dow Marmur
My dictionary defines Zionism as โ€œa movement for the re-establishment of a Jewish national homeland and state in Palestine.โ€ This was realized in May 1948 when the State of Israel was established. Many Jews are Zionists and committed to the quest for freedom and sovereignty of their people. But the majority of the worldโ€™s Zionists arenโ€™t Jewish.

Early Christians with Zionist sympathies included Lord Balfour, British foreign secretary, and his prime minister, David Lloyd George. In 1917, three years before the League of Nations gave Britain the mandate over Palestine, Balfour wrote to Lord Rothschild, a Jew, that โ€œHis Majestyโ€™s Government view with favour the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people and will use their best endeavours to facilitate the achievement of this object.โ€ The State of Israel may not have come into being without this Balfour Declaration.

Christian Zionism has also helped to shape Americaโ€™s widespread support for Israel. Most of the countyโ€™s evangelicals are said to be Zionists. They have determined Americaโ€™s solid commitment to the Jewish state, even now when their president has been challenged by Israelโ€™s prime minister. Without such support, Israel may not be able to exist.

Itโ€™s understandable that, in view of anti-Semitism through the ages and into our own days, Jews must have a state where they will always be welcome as citizens, which is what Israelโ€™s Law of Return stipulates. But why do believing Christians support them?

Observers have suspected that behind it is a theology that may love Jews but hate Judaism, because itโ€™s based on a belief that universal redemption can only come about when all the Jews have been gathered in their homeland where they will finally give up their obsolete and erroneous beliefs, and accept Jesus Christ as their saviour.

Of late, however, some have argued that nowadays this may not be the primary motivation of mainstream Christian evangelicals. Their commitment to Israel may be more about being ashamed of what has been done to Jews in the name of Christianity through the ages. Supporting the Jewish state is a way of atoning for the sins of forebears.

This understandable and laudable sentiment is, however, marred by the misguided assumption that Judaism ended with the Hebrew Bible. By deliberately ignoring the rich and varied development of Jewish thought and practice for the last 2,000 years, they have constructed a fictional and irrelevant Judaism that implicitly can only be fulfilled in Christianity.

American Rabbi Jeffrey Salkin has pointed to yet another dimension of this caricature of Judaism: โ€œIf you take the Bible literally, then you will also tend to take the biblical map of Israel literally as well. And that means: donโ€™t give up an inch of land โ€” even for peace.โ€

Thatโ€™s why evangelicals enthusiastically sympathize with right-wing Zionists who claim that all of the biblical land belongs to the Jewish state. The policies of Israelโ€™s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu seem to reflect it. Canadaโ€™s Prime Minister Stephen Harperโ€™s commitment to Israel may be of the same ilk.

Netanyahuโ€™s victory in the recent elections in Israel is, therefore, likely to be good news for Christian Zionists. Itโ€™s less than good news for believing Jews who practice Judaism as it has developed through the ages, always able to adapt itself to changing circumstances in order to remain vibrant and relevant.

The current adaptation of this view to Zionist politics affirms the legitimate needs of Palestinians in their struggle for a state of their own side by side with Israel. Judging by the latest election results, the majority of Israelis donโ€™t share this progressive vision. While evangelical Christian Zionists may be jubilant, this Jewish Zionist is not.

Dow Marmur is rabbi emeritus at Toronto’s Holy Blossom Temple. His column appears every other week.

The Star

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56 responses to “Christian Zionism’s flawed vision of Israel”

  1. Daft mare quick come bray here.

    1. spactataor Avatar
      spactataor

      check Hind’s Twitter account, she lists articles for them to go comment on, every group has an assigned page, lets say the article is a daily star article, when hasbarats see the article listed, they go there to do what they’re paid to do, make comments. check her page and see the articles listed 30 every day, and the same group of commentators go there every time the page is listed.

      1. Hind Abyad Avatar
        Hind Abyad

        spactataor – Hind Abyad โ€ข 7 hours ago

        Your Israel is a devil worshiping entity. you people belong to the
        church of Satan, you are responsible for killing Jesus Christ.
        โ€ขReply. Share โ€บ

        1. Now where’s that picture of you holding 3 fingers up???
          What do you have to hide?.

        2. spactataor Avatar
          spactataor

          soooooo?

          1. Hind Abyad Avatar
            Hind Abyad

            Are 12 years old?

          2. hind why do you keep avoiding this request?
            post a picture of you holding three fingers up.
            you and i both know why you will NEVER do it. ๐Ÿ™‚
            And i will keep repeating this over and over.
            Nothing like outing a taqqiya whore.

          3. Anti ISIS Avatar
            Anti ISIS

            Surely you can do the same. Don’t tell me you have lost all those piglet photo’s mummy dear took of you.

          4. hind why do you keep avoiding this request?
            post a picture of you holding three fingers up.
            you and i both know why you will NEVER do it. ๐Ÿ™‚
            And i will keep repeating this over and over.
            Nothing like outing a taqqiya whore.

          5. Pedophile

      2. Hind Abyad Avatar
        Hind Abyad

        Care to read one article of my 6 (not 30) articles i sent today?
        One is music, 2 were sent to me..and this, share it with mama O and Metron Wahhabi Warrior..haha…
        http://linkis.com/popularmechanics.com/WOSym

        1. hind why do you keep avoiding this request?
          post a picture of you holding three fingers up.
          you and i both know why you will NEVER do it. ๐Ÿ™‚
          And i will keep repeating this over and over.
          Nothing like outing a taqqiya whore

      3. Hind Abyad Avatar
        Hind Abyad

        You deleted your hysteric 5 lines…

        1. hind why do you keep avoiding this request?
          post a picture of you holding three fingers up.
          you and i both know why you will NEVER do it. ๐Ÿ™‚
          And i will keep repeating this over and over.
          Nothing like outing a taqqiya whore…

  2. 5thDrawer Avatar
    5thDrawer

    Thank God there’s not many Temples in the snow … (a few Mosques in old factories, not so bad except for the loudspeakers – good to be out of ear-shot of those ones, of course) … gotta expect one Holy Blossom around Springtime, of course, where most of the people are cementing over the farmland. A Varietal ….

    1. Hind Abyad Avatar
      Hind Abyad

      As these pack of lonely parasites are all worked up over me having a twitter;..”check Hind twit babla, i want to give you the link one ff the “article” i sent.

      Andrรฉ Rieux hosting Amira a little girl with an extraordinary voice for Opera, she won Holland has Talent 1th prize, i was impressioned… sso beautifull.

      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=66-A2MyVDbU&feature=youtu.be

      1. 5thDrawer Avatar
        5thDrawer

        Had seen it … fabulous … ๐Ÿ˜‰
        There is more in this world than the pack of fatheads trying foul up the Leb-Blog site.

        1. Hind Abyad Avatar
          Hind Abyad

          Di you see her at Holland has talent show, they asked what vil you zing? She said Opera, they didn’t expect it :((

          1. 5thDrawer Avatar
            5thDrawer

            Rare talent is rarely expected. And more-rarely found.
            Some don’t ‘look’ like they have it in them. ๐Ÿ˜‰
            And yes, that’s a comment about the human reliance too often on that evolutionary genetic ‘protection system’ we have – judging a book by it’s cover.
            Fortunately, many ignore a ‘first impression’, and listen …..

          2. hind why do you keep avoiding this request?
            post a picture of you holding three fingers up.
            you and i both know why you will NEVER do it. ๐Ÿ™‚
            And i will keep repeating this over and over.
            Nothing like outing a taqqiya whore.

          3. 5thDrawer Avatar
            5thDrawer

            ‘We’ are reminded of a line by Oscar Wilde every time you pop in to repeat your drone.
            โ€œSome cause happiness wherever they go; others, whenever they go..”

          4. hind why do you keep avoiding this request?
            post a picture of you holding three fingers up.
            you and i both know why you will NEVER do it. ๐Ÿ™‚
            And i will keep repeating this over and over.
            Nothing like outing a taqqiya whore

          5. Hind Abyad Avatar
            Hind Abyad

            Did you read Oscar Wilde “Le marriage parfait”? I didn’t,
            for sure it’s pejorative..

      2. hind why do you keep avoiding this request?
        post a picture of you holding three fingers up.
        you and i both know why you will NEVER do it. ๐Ÿ™‚
        And i will keep repeating this over and over.
        Nothing like outing a taqqiya whore

      3. Hannibal Avatar

        WOW where is she from?

        1. 5thDrawer Avatar
          5thDrawer

          Just a little Dutch girl, Hannibal. ๐Ÿ™‚
          I think she just enjoyed singing along … and Mommy didn’t stop her.

        2. Hind Abyad Avatar
          Hind Abyad

          She won “Holland has Talent”. Esma Amira, and she is:))

          1. hind why do you keep avoiding this request?
            post a picture of you holding three fingers up.
            you and i both know why you will NEVER do it. ๐Ÿ™‚
            And i will keep repeating this over and over.
            Nothing like outing a taqqiya whore…

          2. Hind Abyad Avatar
            Hind Abyad

            I’m not avoiding..i will answer your “request”, Go to Hell..

          3. hind why do you keep avoiding this request?
            post a picture of you holding three fingers up.
            you and i both know why you will NEVER do it. ๐Ÿ™‚
            And i will keep repeating this over and over.
            Nothing like outing a taqqiya whore

      4. 5thDrawer Avatar
        5thDrawer

        Add this one …… bit of history … Rieux brings a performer out of the talent.
        https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=gxVVEZ6FdEs

        1. Hannibal Avatar
          Hannibal

          WOW this is what I call Aryan race… I am certain they won’t let O in… HeHe

      5. hind why do you keep avoiding this request?
        post a picture of you holding three fingers up.
        you and i both know why you will NEVER do it. ๐Ÿ™‚
        And i will keep repeating this over and over.
        Nothing like outing a taqqiya whore

      6. nagy_michael2 Avatar
        nagy_michael2

        She is got unbelievable talent and very awesome at this young age.
        but what surprised me Hind is that you gave thumbs up to OOOOOOOOOOOOOOO after he insulted you below

        1. Hind Abyad Avatar
          Hind Abyad

          Whoooo? O well..after 10 copy-paste requests i think he made big efforts ๐Ÿ™‚

          1. hind why do you keep avoiding this request?
            post a picture of you holding three fingers up.
            you and i both know why you will NEVER do it. ๐Ÿ™‚
            And i will keep repeating this over and over.
            Nothing like outing a taqqiya whore…

        2. Nagging cocksucker do you felt left out!

          1. nagy_michael2 Avatar
            nagy_michael2

            OOOOOO sorry about your Butt it must be hurting from the butt bumping by ISIS.
            I could careless dude and you are the only who feels miserable and lonely and is behaving like a hounding dog you are. so you have to resort to insults in order to make yourself any better. you just a dumb ass who is running around feeling screwed by everybody.
            it’s okay sweetie.. come here you little puppy.. O O O O have a good day. Cheers.

        3. Here you go

          hind why do you keep avoiding this request?
          post a picture of you holding three fingers up.
          you and i both know why you will NEVER do it. ๐Ÿ™‚
          And i will keep repeating this over and over.
          Nothing like outing a taqqiya whore

  3. spactataor Avatar
    spactataor

    check Hind Abyad’s Twitter account, she lists articles for them to go comment on, every group has an assigned page, lets say the article is a daily star article, when hasbarats see the article listed, they go there to do what they’re paid to do, make comments. check her page and see the articles listed 30 every day, and the same group of commentators go there every time the page is listed.
    https://twitter.com/abyadhind

    1. Hind Abyad Avatar
      Hind Abyad

      Of course now i go (sometimes) to Daily Star, you came to invite me, your gang is giving a bad name to Lebanese Christians.

      1. 5thDrawer Avatar
        5thDrawer

        Correction … bad name to civilization ….

        1. Hannibal Avatar

          Correction… bad name to pigs, they are lower than pigs. Probably that is why they don’t eat ham ๐Ÿ˜‰

          1. Hind Abyad Avatar
            Hind Abyad

            Nor spare ribs?

          2. hind why do you keep avoiding this request?
            post a picture of you holding three fingers up.
            you and i both know why you will NEVER do it. ๐Ÿ™‚
            And i will keep repeating this over and over.
            Nothing like outing a taqqiya whore…

      2. hind why do you keep avoiding this request?
        post a picture of you holding three fingers up.
        you and i both know why you will NEVER do it. ๐Ÿ™‚
        And i will keep repeating this over and over.
        Nothing like outing a taqqiya whore…

        1. Hannibal Avatar

          Look at my avatar… Hannibal stretching an arm backward with middle finger stretched out into your ass then out and into Zion.

          1. hind why do you keep avoiding this request?
            post a picture of you holding three fingers up.
            you and i both know why you will NEVER do it. ๐Ÿ™‚
            And i will keep repeating this over and over.
            Nothing like outing a taqqiya whore

      3. nagy_michael2 Avatar
        nagy_michael2

        You have lots of followers Hind I give you that. something about that attracts these fleeces.. Lol
        Sorry.. just kidding..

        1. hind why do you keep avoiding this request?
          post a picture of you holding three fingers up.
          you and i both know why you will NEVER do it. ๐Ÿ™‚
          And i will keep repeating this over and over.
          Nothing like outing a taqqiya whore..

    2. Anti ISIS Avatar
      Anti ISIS

      Have you idiots stopped for one second and realised how stupid you are. It’s quite pathetic how obsessed you morons are with Hind. But at the time not surprising. Keyboard warrior trolls like you are all over the net tormenting people just to serve that sickness that runs through that peanut brain of yours. I would love to get my hands on one of you mother fuckers.

    3. Hind Abyad Avatar
      Hind Abyad

      Why did you delete 5 lines?

      1. hind why do you keep avoiding this request?
        post a picture of you holding three fingers up.
        you and i both know why you will NEVER do it. ๐Ÿ™‚
        And i will keep repeating this over and over.
        Nothing like outing a taqqiya whore..

    4. Hind Abyad Avatar
      Hind Abyad

      check Hind Abyad’s Twitter account, she lists articles for them to go
      comment on, every group has an assigned page, lets say the article is a
      daily star article, when hasbarats see the article listed, they go
      there to do what they’re paid to do, make comments. check her page and
      see the articles listed 30 every day, and the same group of commentators
      go there every time the page is listed.
      twitter dot com/abyadhind

      1. hind why do you keep avoiding this request?
        post a picture of you holding three fingers up.
        you and i both know why you will NEVER do it. ๐Ÿ™‚
        And i will keep repeating this over and over.
        Nothing like outing a taqqiya whore….

  4. Hannibal Avatar

    All well in good BUT NOT AT THE EXPENSE OF THE NATIVES… If you love them so give them a piece of YOUR country. BUT it is easier to get rid of them by usurping someone’s else’s land and pretend you adore them. Hypocrisy of evangelicals is at its nadir.

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