LJ-SEC: (ORIGINALLY POSTED BY alleahna)

The World did a fairly balanced article on the support of Christian Fundamentalist groups (Dominionist groups were not mentioned per se) for peace between Israel and the Palestinians. This included an interview with.. you guessed it, Jim Hagee. The site has not yet updated for the August 2 program but it should be up in the next few hours. The World's news presenter brought up the issue that groups like Hagee's support peace in the Middle East based upon the belief that Jesus will rule from the Temple Mount and Jews will convert to Christianity. Hagee had an unconvincing 'of course that's not the case' answer. Riiiiiight.

LJ-SEC: (ORIGINALLY POSTED BY tanith_astlik)


Theocrats Deny 'End Times' Theology Is Cause of Their Push for War With Iran
By Sarah Posner, AlterNet. Posted July 23, 2007.



At the Christians United for Israel Summit, Joe Lieberman embraces the Christian nation, Jewish journalists get expelled, and attendees fret about the Iranian president's "12th Imam."



Here's a news flash from the recent Christians United for Israel (CUFI) Summit in Washington: ( It really isn't about Armageddon )



But Hagee's most recent book, Jerusalem Countdown, reissued with new material earlier this year, is all about the end of days and how nuclear war with Iran will ignite it. Hagee frequently talks about how Jesus Christ will rule the world from a throne on the Temple Mount after the battle at Armageddon. Hagee admits he has "written extensively about why I believe that the generation that is alive today will see the mass ingathering of believers commonly called the Rapture." He has claimed that "when you see what's happening in America and the world it doesn't take long to realize that God is proclaiming through the voice of nature that we are approaching the coming of Jesus Christ in the clouds of heaven." In September Hagee preached that "World War III has begun" and released a sermon series that purported to "show the historical and Biblical foundations that explain the war we are in now and point us to Armageddon." In January he wrote about the Book of Revelation and its prediction that "Jesus Christ rules the world with a rod of iron from the city of Jerusalem." And in March, he sermonized about "the edge of time ... the final countdown has begun."( Read more... )



Is Lieberman an undercover Christian, or what? What the heck is wrong with him? He's a Jew! He should be running as fast as he can away from the Borg!

LJ-SEC: (ORIGINALLY POSTED BY catvincent)

Pretty much defining everything bad about the Dominion...

"I attended Christians United for Israel's annual Washington-Israel Summit. Founded by San Antonio-based megachurch pastor John Hagee, CUFI has added the grassroots muscle of the Christian right to the already potent Israel lobby. Hagee and his minions have forged close ties with the Bush White House and members of Congress from Sen. Joseph Lieberman to Sen. John McCain. In its call for a unilateral military attack on Iran and the expansion of Israeli territory, CUFI has found unwavering encouragement from traditional pro-Israel groups like AIPAC and elements of the Israeli government.

But CUFI has an ulterior agenda: its support for Israel derives from the belief of Hagee and his flock that Jesus will return to Jerusalem after the battle of Armageddon and cleanse the earth of evil. In the end, all the non-believers - Jews, Muslims, Hindus, mainline Christians, etc. - must convert or suffer the torture of eternal damnation."

LJ-SEC: (ORIGINALLY POSTED BY scotmoore) Forgive me if this has been posted here before, but I'm curious if anyone has any info as to the authenticity of this:

THE JERUSALEM DECLARATION ON CHRISTIAN ZIONISM

Excerpt - "Christian Zionism is a modern theological and political movement that
embraces the most extreme ideological positions of Zionism, thereby
becoming detrimental to a just peace within Palestine and Israel. The
Christian Zionist programme provides a worldview where the Gospel is
identified with the ideology of empire, colonialism and militarism. In its
extreme form, it laces an emphasis on apocalyptic events leading to the end
of history rather than living Christ's love and justice today.
We categorically reject Christian Zionist doctrines as false teaching that
corrupts the biblical message of love, justice and reconciliation."

I can't tell if this is just representative of the Episcopal churches in the region.  The information speaks as if it represents all "churches" in the region, which I find mildly difficult to swallow.

What does everyone think?

LJ-SEC: (ORIGINALLY POSTED BY wyldraven)

Religion and geopolitics; Lebanon, Israel, Christian Zionism
by bewareofthegod.com

American Jewish citizens can be sure that a large number of Jewish organizations will claim to speak in our name - without being asked to do so. We can also be sure that should we dissent from the US Jewish community’s central item of faith, that Israel can do no wrong, we will be pilloried. When our gentile fellow citizens express doubt, they are accused of anti-Semitism. Those of us who are Jewish are taxed with self-hatred.

Is it the supreme duty of American Jews to use our considerable influence to align US policy with that of Israel?

(…)

LJ-SEC: (ORIGINALLY POSTED BY nebris)

~Religious fanaticism in American foreign policy

LJ-SEC: (ORIGINALLY POSTED BY kalibex)

A new group in the United States, Christians United for Israel, will serve as an umbrella organization for Christian congregations that support Israel, and will lobby for Israel.

Some 400 Christian community leaders met in San Antonio, Texas, two weeks ago to establish the group, which Christians United officials said represents about 30 million Americans.

The organization's main goal is to create a rapid-response network "targeted to reach every senator and congressman" in the United States...


Also examine the 'talkback' postings. What do you see?

LJ-SEC: (ORIGINALLY POSTED BY brigidsblest)

by Karen Horst Cobb

“This is the year God wants to make you a millionaire.” The visiting evangelist stomped back and forth on the stage of the rented school building. His “hallelujahs” and “praise God” crescendos were followed by jumping up and down. Sweat ran down his face as he proclaimed that the church members would not need to be afraid if the economy collapses and their neighbors houses are foreclosed upon because they are blessed and will have all of their needs met. The service ended with the explanation that the first step to becoming a millionaire is to pledge $200 of “seed faith money” to the church .

( Read on... )

The original article can be found at: http://www.commondreams.org/views06/0216-20.htm . There are a number of good links to other articles in text there which I cannot reproduce here, so I recommend reading it there, as well.

LJ-SEC: (ORIGINALLY POSTED BY cheap_laugh)

AND WHY YOU MUST READ AND THINK ABOUT WHAT HE SAYS

I am simply posting the link, rather than posting with excerpts since I believe nothing in the interview should be taken out of context.

LJ-SEC: (ORIGINALLY POSTED BY ns_kumiho)

Pat Robertson, the American televangelist, today appeared to withdraw a diatribe against Ariel Sharon in an attempt to salvage his $50 million plan for a biblical theme park in Galilee.

...

Mr Hartuv left the door open to continuing the project but only with evangelists who disown Mr Robertson’s statements.

"The contract is still open - just not with Mr Robertson. If there are other Christian leaders, they are most welcome to sign a contract to bring Christian tourists to the State of Israel.

"We want to see who in the group supports his (Robertson’s) statements. Those who support the statements cannot do business with us. Those that publicly support Ariel Sharon’s recovery are welcome to do business with us. We have to check this very, very carefully."

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,251-1980422,00.html

LJ-SEC: (ORIGINALLY POSTED BY kalibex)

The White House sharply criticized Christian broadcaster and former Republican presidential candidate Pat Robertson on Friday for suggesting that Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon’s stroke was divine punishment for “dividing God’s land.”

“Those comments are wholly inappropriate and offensive and really don’t have a place in this or any other debate,” presidential spokesman Trent Duffy said as President Bush traveled to Chicago for a speech.

LJ-SEC: (ORIGINALLY POSTED BY kalibex)

Robertson blamed Sharon stroke on policy of "dividing God's land"

LJ-SEC: (ORIGINALLY POSTED BY kynn)

Insanity:

Christian broadcaster Pat Robertson suggested Thursday that Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's stroke was divine punishment for "dividing God's land."

"God considers this land to be his," Robertson said on his TV program "The 700 Club." "You read the Bible and he says 'This is my land,' and for any prime minister of Israel who decides he is going to carve it up and give it away, God says, 'No, this is mine."'

[...]

He also said, however, that in the Bible, the prophet Joel "makes it very clear that God has enmity against those who 'divide my land.'"

Robertson added, "I would say woe to any prime minister of Israel who takes a similar course to appease the EU, the United Nations, or the United States of America."

He noted that former Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin was assassinated.

Robertson said God's message is, "This land belongs to me. You'd better leave it alone."

Quite frankly, Christian "Zionism" shouldn't be considered anything of the sort. Unlike authentic Zionism (which I have objections to), Christian "Zionism" supports the state of Israel not out of concern for the survivability of the Jewish people and/or nation-state, but because of a Christian theological belief that says that Jesus will return and wipe out the non-believers (including Jews who do not convert to Christianity) and the existence of a Jewish state called "Israel" is essential for this warped and evil theology.

Plus, they just plain hate Muslims. (They hate Jews, too, but they won't say that out loud, since they're using the Jews.)

LJ-SEC: (ORIGINALLY POSTED BY multiclassgeek)

X-posted to my own journal

There was a throwaway article in London's Evening Standard newspaper about this... I'd have ignored it, but the mention of Pat Robertson's name got me worried...

Dominionists and Isaeli tourist board to build Holy Land Theme Park

Plans for this seem to have been floating around since November last year, but this seems to be a fairly major step towards its realisation (or it might just be that UK news agencies are only picking up on this now, I'm not entirely sure)

Either way, it seems more-than-slightly disconcerting, especially in the context of Milleniallist dogma regarding the Holy Land.

LJ-SEC: (ORIGINALLY POSTED BY cheap_laugh)

and, they hate us Jews just as much as others do:will the goyim win? This is from the Left Behind website. You know, the books about the Tribulation, where those Jews who did not convert are murdered.... because they rejected jesus a second time....

Quote:

But do you know what, Jews of Israel – and those Jews still in exile who so fervently support this way? You may think that in so acquiescing, you are setting a glowing example to the nations of the world.

But as far as these nations are concerned, the last thing they will want to do is emulate you. All you are doing is proving them right in their long-held belief that you are illegitimate, land grabbing, not-to-be-trusted Yids. And, as far as the Muslim world is concerned, your actions only confirm their view of you as a dhimmi nation, fit only to be ruled over by, and subdued under, Islam.

"ADL's latest assault on Christians is classic Foxman: fund raising by fearmongering," Jeff Ballabon, founder and president of the Center for Jewish Values, said in an e-mail. "It's repugnant from the standpoint of Jewish values and indefensible from the point of view of Jewish interests. Around the world, Islamic fundamentalism has Jews in fear for their lives and the only significant friends and allies those Jews have are American Christians. So, of course, Foxman attacks our friends using innuendo and bigotry. And what's their crime? They want religious freedoms in their own country. Let's set the record straight: The policies ADL attacks are policies embraced by non-Christian groups, including Jewish groups. Responsible Jewish leaders should repudiate Foxman's bigotry."

LJ-SEC: (ORIGINALLY POSTED BY sunfell)

Jews and the Christian right: Is the honeymoon over?
Worried by increasingly strident evangelical rhetoric, Jewish leaders have finally dared to criticize conservative Christians. Will an alliance held together only by a shared support for Israel survive?

By Michelle Goldberg

Nov. 29, 2005 | Throughout the last five years, as the Christian right has assumed ever greater power and prominence in America, the organized Jewish community has been remarkably quiescent. Traditionally, Jewish leaders have been among the most vigilant guardians of American secularism, seeing the separation of church and state as key to Jewish equality. But faced with an evangelical president who seemed inviolable and an alliance of convenience with the religious right over Israel, Jewish leaders didn't raise much of an outcry when billions of taxpayer dollars were diverted toward religious charities through Bush's faith-based initiative. They didn't make a fuss when the administration filled the bureaucracy with veterans of groups like the Family Research Council and the Christian Coalition. As leaders of the religious right and their allies in the Republican Party trumpeted plans to "take America back," observers detected growing anxiety among ordinary American Jews, but there was little response from organized Jewry.( Read more... )

This time, the head of the Reform Judaism movement in the US (the most liberal of the three Jewish denominations) has sent a stinging rebuke to dominionist groups in the US:

(from http://www.haaretzdaily.com/hasen/spages/647755.html)

The approach of American "religious right" leaders toward gays is akin to the anti-gay policies promoted by Adolf Hitler, according to the president of the Union for Reform Judaism, Rabbi Eric Yoffie.

Yoffie made the comments Saturday, during the movement's national biennial conference in Houston.

"We cannot forget that when Hitler came to power in 1933, one of the first things that he did was ban gay organizations," Yoffie said. "Yes, we can disagree about gay marriage but there is no excuse for hateful rhetoric that fuels the hellfires of anti-gay bigotry."

"When people talk about God and yet ignore justice, it just feels downright wrong to us," Yoffie said. "When they cloak themselves in
religion and forget mercy, it strikes us as blasphemy."

Several Jewish communal insiders based in Washington told the Forward that the Reform union's decision to oppose Alito could prompt several other major Jewish organizations to take a similar stance, including the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism and Hadassah, a women's
Zionist organization that, with 300,000 members, is the largest non-synagogue membership association.

"Does it influence us? Yeah," said Shelley Klein, Hadassah's director of advocacy. But Klein said the organization would withhold judgment until Alito fills out his Senate questionnaire and testifies before the Judiciary Committee.

Like the Reform movement, Hadassah did not oppose John Roberts. The United Synagogue, the congregational arm of Conservative Judaism, endorsed Roberts as "qualified."

LJ-SEC: (ORIGINALLY POSTED BY juliarandolph)

Biting the Hand: Why is the ADL going after evangelical Christians?

No responses posted as of my posting this. Anyone who has a better grasp than I on why the author is totally missing the point should probably write a polite, succinct response.

LJ-SEC: (ORIGINALLY POSTED BY polypolyglot)

I seem to recall, a few entries ago, someone in this community noting a connection between Dominionist Theology and Messianic Jews. Am I misremembering? If not, what's the connection.

Thanks in advance.

LJ-SEC: (ORIGINALLY POSTED BY sunfell)

This is a New York Times Magazine article about some rather strange bedfellows.