LJ-SEC: (ORIGINALLY POSTED BY deridetenebras)

Christian Zionism on the rise:

"My first English book. It's written for the Christians," says Elon, sitting in his cramped Knesset office. "I cannot overstate their importance. The Christians here are the key to Christians all over the world. And they are the key to Israel's survival." The rabinically trained Knesset member has been touring the United States for years, courting evangelical leaders from James Vineyard to Jerry Falwell, along with sympathetic red-state pols like Sen. Sam Brownback, R-Kan. [...] Now Elon has a new goal: to make Israel's borders as much of a moral issue to Christian conservatives "as gay marriage and family values." [...]

Elon has spent years trying to marshal evangelical influence on thorny foreign-policy questions. His new book includes a pledge for believers to sign in support of Jewish control of Judea and Samaria—what he calls the "heartland of Israel." Evangelical heavyweights like Kay Arthur and Glenn Plummer signed the pledge earlier this year, when Elon made the rounds at the National Religious Broadcasters Convention. A flood of believers followed their lead. "We have thousands of signatures already. We want millions. Then a congressional bill," says Elon. [...]

Meanwhile, Elon, like many anti-disengagement organizers here, is already starting to look past Aug. 17, the day the government starts evicting the remaining Gaza settlers. "The people I speak with in American churches, they are all against the withdrawal. They don't understand it. So, I'm trying to build, with patience, because we'll be back. In six or seven years, we'll be in Samaria again. … I don't think this is the end."

If he can maintain his current level of stateside success, says Elon, "Within two years, at least 200 representatives in America will understand that, for their constituents, Israel's claim to Judea and Samaria is non-negotiable. The Israeli prime minister will be able to visit America knowing that half of Congress understands this issue from our perspective. That is how I define success." It is, he concedes, a long shot. Then again, he reminds me, "I live in the land of miracles."

Full article here

Whilst the ADL is rather less blatantly antidominionist than SPLC and still actively courts Evangelical Christians (which IMHO is a *huge* mistake on their part, partly due to the fact so much of the "evangelical" community has been infiltrated by dominionists and/or are blatantly dominionist themselves), they ARE quite concerned about "Messianic Judaism"--aka the propensity of dominionist groups (very often associated with Southern Baptist or Assemblies of God, or "non-denominational" pentecostal groups) to specifically target the Jewish community and essentially convert them to "Christians who keep kosher".

http://www.adl.org/special_reports/jews4jesus/jews4jesus.asp has an excellent article on this, including specifically something we've seen for a long time in the dominionist community--"evangelism by stealth".

http://www.outreachjudaism.org/response.html has a *very* interesting post from a Jewish perspective on "messianic Judaism" and on things pushed in the dominionist community (especially the whole "blood atonement" thing--it's actually actively promoted in dominionist churches that Jews were absolved of sin by blood atonement and that Christ was supposedly the "final blood atonement" (and, at least in the particular AoG church I walked away from, also supposedly spent three days in hell wrestling Satan down...) so it was a duty to convert the Jews because the poor things had to keep kosher and no longer had priests to sacrifice animals *rolls eyes*)

As an aside (and please forgive me for the minor aside here, I think it's important to mention this in context of dominionist groups and the general misuse of Biblical quotes by them--a common practice in coercive "Bible based" cults in general)...they do mention a specific Bible verse, Numbers 15:30-31 (in context of Numbers 15:27-31):

"But the person who does anything defiantly, whether he is native or an alien, that one is blaspheming the LORD; and that person shall be cut off from among his people. Because he has despised the word of the LORD and has broken His commandment, that person shall be completely cut off; his guilt shall be on him."

This particular phrase was used in the specific dominionist group I walked away from, and (from what I have heard) in many other coercive and dominionist groups--the dominionist group specifically used this to claim that anyone who had been in the church, and later walked away and rejected its teachings, was PermaDamned (tm) because they "acted defiantly" and were "blaspheming the Lord". This included specifically gay people who walked away, or *any* walkaways or kids who were being "defiant" and *especially* people who were outspoken against the church after walking away; this was also specifically termed the "One Unforgivable Sin" (suicide was also considered unforgivable, but only due to the technicality that one could not repent after one was dead for "self-murder").

The verses, incidentially, are part of a larger whole (noted in the article) on absolutions for accidential rather than deliberate sins *in the context of the ancient Hebrew priesthood*--in other words, someone who killed someone else in cold blood was not going to be allowed into the sanctuary, whilst someone who accidentially killed another could get absolution from the priests. http://www.searchgodsword.org/enc/isb/view.cgi?number=T7552 actually gives a fairly decent explanation of the historical context here.

The above link also gives (as another small aside) some info on why certain armageddonist dominionists are trying to produce a line of red calves (and misunderstanding that red calves are for very specific sorts of sacrifices).

http://members.shaw.ca/leemarsh/soc-death.html mentions specific misuse of Numbers 15:30-31 among Jehovah's Witnesses.

(And I do hope you all can forgive me a bit regarding the minor detour; I just thought it useful to show some of the various tactics used by dominionists to keep control of their own flock.)

http://www.outreachjudaism.org/evangelize1.html (on targeting of the Jewish community by dominionists--again, info on "stealth evangelism" including a discussion of the tactics used by dominionist groups; this and the link below also specifically detail how the dominionists' eschatology essentially sees Jews as a pawn to start Armageddon and trigger the Rapture)

http://www.outreachjudaism.org/evangelizingthejews2.html (More on "messianic Judaism" and specific tactics used by dominionists, including taking people to dominionist-run "retreats"--as an aside, the dominionist group I walked away from owns several hundred acres known as "Prayer Mountain" specifically as a church owned retreat, and is even used as a camp by the church's "Christian alternatives" to the Boy/Girl Scouts (the Royal Rangers and Missionettes--yes, even the Boy Scouts are seen as "not Christian enough"))

http://www.adl.org/Interfaith/left_behind_and_jews.asp (more on dominionism and their general escathology in regards to Judaism. In essence, many dominionists essentially see Israel and the Jewish people as a "rapture trigger" or "armageddon trigger"--when all the Jews are reunited in Israel and when a certain number are converted to dominionism, that will trigger the End Of Things. Many dominionists see the existence of Israel itself as a sign of the End.)

LJ-SEC: (ORIGINALLY POSTED BY sunfell)

The post below about 'Jews for sale' had some interesting references. One in particular was Public Eye's collection of excellent articles about Dominionism and its offshoots.

Understanding Christian Zionism

Apocalypticism, Christian Evangelicalism, & God's War Plans

Apocalyptic Millennialism

Conspiricism

These articles do a lot to describe and explain the Dominionist mindset, and what we're up against, and why our country is in danger from these people and their beliefs, now that they are in power.

LJ-SEC: (ORIGINALLY POSTED BY alostrael)

From Cursor:

(Go read this article, seriously!)

"$350 for One Jew, $700 for a Couple":

Counterintuitive as it may seem to some, a large majority of Zionists in the world are not Jewish, and most of the Zionists do not live in Israel. They are fundamentalist evangelical Christians of the apocalyptic persuasion -- Christian Zionists -- in the United States, who, as Mark Ames puts it, "hope to bundle every hairy Jewish ass up, air-freight them to the West Bank and East Jerusalem (once those areas have been cleansed of Muslims), and use the Jews as bait to bring upon the Rapture, as kindling in the Apocalypse, the final battle that will bring Jesus back to Earth. None of this can happen until every last Jew is penned into the occupied territories -- and the Jews won't get there unless the far-right runs Israel and America" ("Save a Jew, Save Yourself!" New York Press 17.41, October 12, 2004).

Not only dominionist, but nationalist/fascist, and semi-racist.

LJ-SEC: (ORIGINALLY POSTED BY metaphorge)

It was an e-mail we weren't meant to see. Not for our eyes were the notes that showed White House staffers taking two-hour meetings with Christian fundamentalists, where they passed off bogus social science on gay marriage as if it were holy writ and issued fiery warnings that "the Presidents [sic] Administration and current Government is engaged in cultural, economical, and social struggle on every level"—this to a group whose representative in Israel believed herself to have been attacked by witchcraft unleashed by proximity to a volume of Harry Potter. Most of all, apparently, we're not supposed to know the National Security Council's top Middle East aide consults with apocalyptic Christians eager to ensure American policy on Israel conforms with their sectarian doomsday scenarios.

But now we know.

"Everything that you're discussing is information you're not supposed to have," barked Pentecostal minister Robert G. Upton when asked about the off-the-record briefing his delegation received on March 25. Details of that meeting appear in a confidential memo signed by Upton and obtained by the Voice.

The e-mailed meeting summary reveals NSC Near East and North African Affairs director Elliott Abrams sitting down with the Apostolic Congress and massaging their theological concerns. Claiming to be "the Christian Voice in the Nation's Capital," the members vociferously oppose the idea of a Palestinian state. They fear an Israeli withdrawal from Gaza might enable just that, and they object on the grounds that all of Old Testament Israel belongs to the Jews. Until Israel is intact and David's temple rebuilt, they believe, Christ won't come back to earth.

( Read more... )

(courtesy of vzd; original source)

For those of you just tuning in to this, this influence of Christian Dominionists upon the Bush WHite House is what I've been going out about for quite some time, and I feel it provides an explanation for the United States recent middle eastern foreign policy. It's not aimed at peace or stability of any sort, but at fostering conflict with the Islamic world, which has been recently equated to Satan by Lieutenant General William G. (Jerry) Boykin (who is near the center of the policy that led to, amongst other things, the Abu Ghraib prison abuses).

LJ-SEC: (ORIGINALLY POSTED BY sunfell)

Could the influential Rabbis in Israel finally be waking up to the fact that the people donating money to their country do not have their best interests in mind?

This ABC News article talks about their doubts and realization that something isn't right:

Prominent Israeli rabbis are for the first time speaking out against Israel's profitable alliance with evangelical Christians in the United States who have funneled tens of millions of dollars to the Jewish state.
The rabbis fear the Christians' real intent is to convert Jews, their aides said Monday. Others are concerned about the evangelicals' support for Israel's extreme right-wing, opposing any compromise with the Palestinians.

The dispute touches on an increasingly sensitive issue in Israel: the country's dependence, both economically and politically, on conservative American Christians.

Besides contributing tidy sums to projects in Israel, some evangelical Christians have lobbied in support of the Israeli government in Washington.

Troubling to Israelis is the fact that one influential group of evangelicals believes in a final, apocalyptic battle between good and evil in which Jesus returns and Jews either accept him or perish a vision that causes obvious discomfort among Jews.

"I'm worried as a Jew," said Mina Fenton, a Jerusalem City Council member from an Orthodox Jewish party, who has led opposition to the evangelical groups. "I don't want my people to be assassinated, sacrificed, killed or slaughtered because of their beliefs."

The focus of the latest criticism has been the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews, a Chicago-based group that has raised tens of millions of dollars from Christian supporters of Israel.

Two former chief rabbis of Israel, Avraham Shapira and Mordechai Eliahu, recently approved a religious ruling urging followers not to accept money from the group.

Sunfell

LJ-SEC: (ORIGINALLY POSTED BY sunfell)

This Jerusalem Times article talks about the consequences to Israel if they withdraw from Gaza.

An Israeli withdrawal from the territories could lead to an anti-Semitic backlash among evangelical Christians who are today among Israel's strongest US supporters, said Herbert Zweibon, an American Jewish activist with close ties to the evangelical community. ( Read more... )

LJ-SEC: (ORIGINALLY POSTED BY sunfell)

The American Prospect online magazine has a couple of articles of interest.

Carter's Crusade talks about how former President Jimmy Carter explains that the Christian Right really isn't "Christian" at all.

Here's a fascinating excerpt:( Read more... )

LJ-SEC: (ORIGINALLY POSTED BY sunfell)

Gotta give it to the premillenialists- they sure do have a good thing going. But their head-in-the-sand, "Christ is coming, so who cares about the world?" attitude is effecting important stuff- like policies on conservation, and who are our political allies.

An article in the Christian Science Monitor has some interesting things to say about this growing problem:

Fundamentalists represent a minority of Christians - an estimated 25 million - but the interest in end-times prophecy has spread beyond their circles, and is not only shaping people's lives, but, say supporters and critics, even influencing US foreign policy.

A 2002 survey showed that 59 percent of Americans believe that the events in the Bible book of Revelation will occur in the future.

The theology behind end-time prophecy - premillennial dispensationalism (from the idea that God has divided history into ages, or dispensations) - emerged in 19th-century England. It was brought to America by missionary John Nelson Darby and spread at evangelistic conferences.

While believers say it spurs righteous living and helps discern God's plan for the world, others see it as fostering a skewed sense of history and of what Christianity is about.

Rather than the single Second Coming of Christ expected by other Christians, it presents a two-stage return of Jesus, with the plagues and catastrophes depicted in Revelation literally to take place on Earth in between. The current "church age" will end with the rapture, when Jesus will take true Christians to heaven, and the rest of humanity will face the outpouring of God's wrath, designed to turn them to Him. Many insist it will occur within a generation.

"I know people who have sold their houses and lived with relatives because they thought the world would soon come to an end," Currie says. "I know others who've cut their education short because they thought it more important to witness to people than to get their degree."

I've never read any of the "Left Behind" books. Don't know if I will, either. The segment of "60 Minutes" last week also took a close look at these folks, and their influence on government and policies. It was really chilling.

In fact, the involvement of premillennialists in politics is stirring concern among some observers. As the religious right has become more prominent in political circles, critics say, they are influencing and even undermining US policy on the Israeli- Palestinian conflict.

Dispensationalists are also called Christian Zionists, and since the 19th century have supported the "regathering of the Jews" in the Holy Land, which they say is an essential step toward the end times. It also says the temple will be rebuilt on the Temple Mount, where the Muslim Dome of the Rock now stands.

Hitchcock says the return of Jews to Israel is "a stage-setting event for the tribulation period, when God's going to deal again with the Jewish people," giving them a last chance to recognize Jesus as Messiah.

In the meantime, dispensationalists believe that, according to Genesis, God will bless those who bless the Jews and curse those who curse them. They are therefore among Israel's staunchest supporters, backing its "ownership" of the entire West Bank. They have raised money in churches to support illegal settlements.

Were I a Jew of any sort, I'd keep these people at arms' length. I mean- right now, they're being friendly and helpful and pouring money into Israel- but for what purpose? Are they helping or intending to harm? Is someone who believes that you must convert to their faith really a friend?

And I wonder...what does Christ think of all of this?

Sunfell

[Edited to add links to "60 Minutes" and Slactivist's "Left Behind" critiques.]