Glenn Beck’s program in Israel went off without a hitch, ending in a rally on the southern side of the Old City of Jerusalem. About 1000 people were in attendance, mostly Americans (contrary to the media coverage, a number of the Americans were Jews not Evangelicals) who’d come to Jerusalem at Beck’s urging, but with a sprinkling of Israelis, including a fair proportion of Orthodox Jews.
With the Old City walls to his right and in front of him, and the Al-Aqsa Mosque looming quite close, Beck handled himself with a mixture of audaciousness toward his enemies and sensitivity toward his friends. He announced a global movement, to be headquartered in Texas, to encourage average people to act against injustice, though the details of its scope and goals weren’t clear. Since you won’t get any real coverage in the media, here is the full text of the speech.
While many fulminated against Beck and his Israel project it was hard to find something he specifically said or did that should provoke such negative feelings. For example, a presentation on the history of Jerusalem was careful to cite Jewish, Christian, and Muslim connections with the city in a very balanced manner, as the call for prayer wafted from a nearby minaret.
Beck’s mission was to raise support for Israel, and the 1500 viewing parties around the world — including such places as China and Pakistan — guaranteed that many heard the message. He is seeking to reverse the trend in which “sophisticated folk,” my phrase, sympathize with terrorist groups and revolutionary Islamist organizations rather than a democratic state defending itself.
While listening to Beck I realized what a pity it is that so few people who should be doing so analyze him fairly, which doesn’t mean uncritically. He should be seen as a serious and sincere, morally oriented leader who gets some things wrong but is open to dialogue, has admitted mistakes, and has shown a real capacity to learn and grow over time. Only if his ideas are considered fairly can some of them be challenged in an honest way. Instead, we get the kind of baseless hatred (sinat hinam) that is denounced in Jewish tradition. Indeed, that vice is held to be the very reason that the Second Temple, by whose ruins the Beck rally was held, was destroyed.
Here is a hilarious example of the hysterical hatred that many in the media try to whip up against Beck, an AP story that practically draws horns and a tail on Beck. The author is so eager to tell the audience to hate this evil person that any pretense of journalistic fairness is thrown overboard.
The article says that Jews call the place the Temple Mount and the Muslims call it the Noble Sanctuary. Hmm, I wonder what Christians call it? No prizes given. The author also says Beck has engaged in anti-Muslim rhetoric. Really? Can you provide a few examples? Of course not. The article gives a big proportion of space — two of nine paragraphs — to a Peace Now leader who condemns Beck. Everyone in Israel knows that Peace Now is a dead organization. Another paragraph is devoted to Beck’s position on financier George Soros, trying to make it sound antisemitic.
Not a single quote from anyone favorable to Beck is given. Remember that AP dispatches are supposed to be bland and super-neutral since they are supplied to many different newspapers. This one reads more like a Soviet newspaper under Stalin talking about Trotsky. The article finds no space to report anything that Beck actually said. There is no pretense of fair or accurate reporting because the author knows that editors will let it pass without any professional integrity at all.
So it shouldn’t be any surprise that Beck understands how the media treats Israel.
On one hand, Beck is very much in the Protestant moral revival tradition of America. He could have been a preacher and indeed he is partly that. While often dubbed, as one reporter remarked at the event, “a raving lunatic,” in part, too, Beck is a voice of relative sanity in a society where much of the mass media and universities have come under the control of people who, beyond their elegant phrases and superficially impressive credentials, better deserve that label.
Aside from his view that Christianity cannot exist without Judaism, that the Judeo-Christian heritage is a lynchpin of Western civilization, and that the divine being loves the Jewish people and favors them having a homeland in this land, I think what attracts Beck to the Israel issue is that its demonization so well exemplifies the upside-down craziness of this era. And Beck also knows something about what it’s like to be demonized.
Your assessment of the Glen Beck phenomena is spot on. It was not for journalistic reasons that Ha’aretz was live-blogging from the rally — In the event that the “Peace Now” contingent didn’t come to blows with these lovers of Israel, they knew they could at least amuse their readers by lobbing sophisticated potshots at an easy target.
A news report said that the Peace Now fifth column was protesting Glen Beck’s ‘Support Israel’ rally and demanded that he leave Israel.
It’s an upside down world when Jewish home builders are driven off their land and supporters of Israel are treated with contempt by ‘enlightened’ Jews and that is considered normal behavior even kosher.
When Islamist within Israel openly calling for Israel’s extermination are just fine and admired, and driving them out of Israel (Judea and Samaria included) is considered unthinkable,even taboo.
You’ve come a long way,wrong way, Israel.
Whose going to straighten out the crooked path Israel has embarked on ?
I think it’s going to take a major war with great loss of life for Israel to finally change course and remove the godless,leftist,perverted rebels of Israel from any further damage to the nation.
It’s the same Kulturkampf that’s being played out here in the U.S.
How tragic that in Israel’s failed socialist democracy that overt enemies of the state can sit in the Knesset and get paid by the government for working to tear down the state while the best of the best Zionist youth of Migron(another home front for Jews destroyed by the mentally unstable court and government of Israel)are held in prison with bail set too high to break the spirit of Zionism.
Israel is a perfect example of the failure of democracy as it us used to weaken and destroy the state from within while a phony right wing Prime Minister and Defense Minister and agent serving foreign interests and not Israel.
The ” rally ” protesting Beck was attended about 30 people. You could get a larger crowd in support of the rain forest.
This inclination by American Jews to reject Glenn Beck and others like him is not excused by historic Christianity or conservatism: over the past few centuries there has been plenty of anti-Christian Judeophobia, socialist Judeophobia, and even liberal Judeophobia. But, you see, Glenn Beck is “on the right” and so was Hitler, so Glenn Beck must have a lot in common with Hitler. People should try to think, for a change, instead of being manipulated by labels.
Hitler was not on the right he was a leftist. His party was not called the National Socialist for nothing. If you were to group Hitler correct he was a Progressive. The most successful Progressive of the twenty century, of course his government crashed and burned as will all Progressive governments will after a while you run out of enemy to kill nationally and then you have to look beyond your borders.
As to what happen to the Jews in Germany that was a page out of the progressive eugenics handbook. It never ceases to amaze me how Jews in history have made so many poor choice as to whom they should support, they supported Hitler and Lenin to begin with, after all of the three people that were to replace Lenin two where of the Jewish faith.
I am very tired of having the liberal lie that Hitler was on the right most of the struggles that lead to World war two and the deaths of over a hundred and fifty million people on the twenty century were perpetuated by the left over what kind of Socialist model should be followed.
Conservative movements cannot lead to government that kill since if you are a true conservative you believe government is servant to the people. That does not allow to a all powerful government.
If you are a leftist you believe the people is servant to government and that is where and why leftist government kill so many people, Jews or otherwise.
The Nazis and Fascists were the right wing of Progressivism and Socialism and the Commies were the left wing of Progressivism and Socialism.
All Progressives and Socialists are statists who believe that the Government is the answer to everything, and are enemies of all freedom loving people.
What an ignorant statement that Hitler was on the Right.
Did you read his 1927 May Day speech to the German people?
Get hold of Toland’s biography and read it before writing rubbish.
Did you know that Stalin helped Hitler re-arm during the 1930s? They were Socialists in arms until operation Barbarossa.
Perhaps the “Hitler was on the right” should have included scare quotes. As I read the comment, the point was exactly that the left has been so successful associating “Hitler” and “Right” that many American Jews have been conditioned to be intrinsically opposed to anyone or any idea identified with the “Right.”
Of course Hitler was on the right – according to libs. You have to understand their definitions. Right = Fascist = Anyone I Don’t Like.
Responding to Stan: Anyone who knows history and the historical positions of “left” and “right” understands that Fascism (as practiced by Mousilini – one of the founders and Hitler) is not a right wing political philosophy.
Unfortunately the mainstream press and a majority of Acedemia in America would like everyone to believe this becuase it gives these groups an enemy (Hitler) with whom they cna associate their enemies (people who believe in freedom, equal rights, responsibility, accountability, individual rights and merit).
If you consider Communism (as practices on a countrywide basis, as left – then socialism more to the right, then fascism/corporitism a little futher to the right…then -in the realm of beliefs of big acedemia and mainstream press – fascism is on the right.
However if you believe in the American Cosntitution, freedom, equal rights(on an individual basis), responsibility, accountability, and status based on merit. Then Fascism is almsot as far left as socialism – the big difference is that fascism will allow freedom if that freedom furthers the goals of the state.
Stan – you should read your history and understand what fascism really is. Read up on what Mousilini said and what others say about him. Read what tools are used by fascists even in America (a good book on the subject is Liberal Fascism.)
If I cannot convice you that you are clueless when you proclaim that Fasism is right wing – maybe you will listen to a fairly famous socialist:
“Certain British intellectuals were perhaps the most smitten of anyone by fascism. George Bernard Shaw announced in 1927 that his fellow “socialists should be delighted to find at last a socialist [Mussolini] who speaks and thinks as responsible rulers do.”
http://www.banned-books.com/truth-seeker/1994archive/121_3/ts213l.html
“Another paragraph is devoted to misstating Beck’s position on financier George Soros trying to make it sound antisemitic.”
The AP article quotes Beck on Soros as “a Jewish boy helping send Jews to the death camps.” Precisely what Beck said.
I’m an Orthodox Jew and know anti-Semitism when I see it. This was not Beck’s intention at all, and any implication that it was is absurd. Beck’s very point was the terrible actions of Soros as an individual, betraying his OWN people – which is exactly what he did! In the context of the show, which I saw, the point was against Soros specifically (as many other points were), and definitely not to extrapolate against Jews in general, who Beck always defends! Indeed, Soros has referred to that time period – when he delivered deportation notices on behalf of the Nazis to scores of Jews, sending them all to the camps – as “a great adventure.” He then was able to benefit personally from the possessions these victims were made to leave behind. Asked on CBS’ 60 Minutes whether he felt any remorse for these past actions, Soros answered that he did not at all. Do you mean to defend Soros simply because, very unfortunately, he was born a Jew, even though he did not act like one?
You should have added that Soros in his TV interview added that if he didn’t do it someone else would have done it.
Now there’s some ethical problem Soros still hasn’t got over.
And precisely what Soros did, and admitted it.
Not only did Soros admit it, he said it was the most enjoyable time in his life. Leftists will never be correct because they rely solely on leftist information sources, which are always full of lies and half truths.
What Beck said was precisely what Soros was doing as a child. How is that anti-semite? Check your facts Josephine…
So Soros was not a Jewish boy before his adulthood? Or were Jews not going to death camps? Or was Soros not helping send them there?
Do people even know what bigoted words look like anymore? You might be like Maureen Dowd and able to hear what people did not say, in which case you probably heard “Jewboy”. Should Beck have said the affected “lad” simply to avoid the juxtaposition of “Jew*” and “boy”? I think Beck was also playing on the expression “nice Jewish boy”, which is not what one thinks of when one thinks of a traitor to one’s people.
We don’t see Beck here in the UK. I doubt if many know who he is. Without media hype and pre-conceived notions perhaps it is easier for us to avoid judgement.
I knew that he was going to Israel and I knew why. ‘Restoring Courage’ seems a very apt name for his movement and I wish it could have become a world-wide event. That is, others gathering in cities around the world to show their support for Israel. Not only to boost morale but also to create a psychological impact on her enemies.
Israel and her supporters have been on the back foot for too long. The only tactic used has been to defend her after the fact. Beck’s movement has the potential to help change this. As more ‘stand up’, so those who may have been silent or intimidated will be more able to find the courage to join in.
Anti-Israel feeling amongst some is simply a matter of fashion. Shallow as it sounds it is particularly true of the young. Fashions are fickle and change. They just need something to kick-start them.
Well put, Alexa. I can’t count the times in recent years I’ve heard someone — usually in academia — start ranting about Israel and apartheid. I don’t know which part is more troubling: the political ignorance, or the exuberant trendiness.
It’s all about being on the side of those deemed “ethnic minorities.” All of it. And part of that fetish — for it really is a fetish — requires loudly expressing prejudice and loathing for people who look and speak like Glenn Beck. Even if you’ve never heard a word he’s said. Even if he looks more or less like you, or your dad.
I think Beck is very interesting, and Mr. Rubin captures him well. He’s a radio entertainer, and this is something people don’t get when their form of political entertainment is limited to subscribing to the New Yorker while not reading it, or congratulating themselves for believing in sustainability because they read to food columns in the New York Times. Beck, and Limbaugh, are very smart people who are no less sincere than anyone in politics or political commentary. The difference between them and their opponents is that their message involves showing respect for working class and middle class Americans, including white male Americans.
And merely expressing this places them beyond the pale of an increasingly hateful intelligentsia.
Beck is a tremendously successful social messenger and a genius at effecting public discourse. While it’s easy to laugh at his personal style, even if you like him, you can’t deny his impact without either lying or seething with reflexive prejudice against a large number of ordinary Americans (or both). It’s a sign of the utter failure of the MSM that they can’t even begin to speak rationally about him.
Someday in the future Beck may need to be remembered as a hero for defending Israel against toxic forces aligning in the West. When I said as much at a college reunion recently, my former classmates were literally shocked into silence, then laughter. Not one of them would discuss the subject further, so deeply shaken were they that anyone disagreed with them about Israel’s apartheid, and Beck’s stupidity. These are bright people, including a few serving smugly high in government and the media.
Their myopic self-regard for having the right hatreds scares the hell out of me. The Right, and particularly evangelicals, shed their own extremism decades ago and have ostracized extremists carrying their flag ever since. In contrast, the Left continues to embrace violent radicals and have done so without discernible remorse for more than a century. They need their own Glenn Beck, and a healthy dose of humility.
This Irish-American agnostic would like to visit Israel because I want to see what everyday courage looks like. My own country seems to be suffering a lack.
When you do let me know. Drinks are on me.
I lived in Rhodesia when it was fashionable to spew hatred of Ian Smith. Look what Jame Earl Carter and the fashionable left replaced Smith with. The left may be right when they say things are bad, but listen to them too intently and you end up with much worse. Every time.
How can anyone possibly question the moral authority of Israelis given the historic struggle they have faced through the generations?
Israel is the shining light of the Middle East.
Just a point on what Stan wrote: “Glenn Beck is “on the right” and so was Hitler”; Hitler was a socialist, which makes him way over on the left. Annoys socialists and liberals all to hell when you point that out to them.
To believe that Hitler was a lefty shows comtempt for historical fact. We don’t expect ‘knownothings’ and ‘anti-intellectuals’ to know to much, considering the deluted history courses that are offered in the sanitized Texas school system.
‘Diluted’ Einstein. Stupid is as stupid does.
Lawrence, you’ve been seriously gulled by the very educational system you condemn, if you believe that Hitler was anything but a “lefty” – that is, one who follows the socialist trail, promotes Statist government, and practices pragmatic ethics, in which anything goes (including genocide), if it benefits the State, and the inclinations of its Leader (“Fuhrer”). Hitler was the Fuhrer of the National SOCIALIST German Workers Party (Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei), the “Nazi” Party.
Hitler’s Italian toady, Mussolini, was “Il Duce”, the leader, of the Italian SOCIALIST Party, before shifting his ideology to the nationalist form of socialism, which he called “fascism”. Liberals tend to confuse nationalism with patriotism, hence the confusion in their minds. Mussolini also coined the term “totalitarian”, an ideal property of the fascist leader, who promoted “everything FOR the state, nothing OUTSIDE the state, nothing AGAINST the state”.
The reason Fascism is deemed to be “rightist” is because it is to the right of communism, and incorporates nationalist loyalties that were anathema to the world unity of workers fundamental to communism. “Rightist” is an ultimate term of disparagement when uttered by a communist.
Also, use your spell-checker.
Hoo, boy. Another lib that thinks he can set people straight with condescension and stipulation only–and an ephemeral wave to an Appeal to Authority.
You can’t fool someone who has put as much research into 19th-20th century Germany as I have. Even if you disallow Table Talk per the cowardly Carrier (giving a picture of an atheist, vegetarian, animal rights-ish Hitler), there is enough that I could quote you from Mein Kampf that indicates that Hitler was no traditionalist.
Not a huge fan of Beck’s (he OK on fiscal and monetary poliyc but awful on everything else), but the way the media treats him is disgusting. Journalism is dead.
MikeK: please do! Go to Israel with your eyes open. You’ll have a wonderful time — and, given the typical hysteria of the news media vis-a-vis Israel, you’ll probably be astonished at just how normal it feels in many ways.
As the old joke goes, Israelis are just like everybody else, only more so.
A very objective assessment; thanks for it. I’ve enjoyed Beck for a couple of years, but like every person on earth, he has his limitations. When he gets “in a tree,” so to speak, he may be wrong, but he is a sympathetic character. I find myself up in the tree sometimes too. We all do.
But he self-assesses while he is there. Folks who carry on about his lunacy are just smearing baselessly.
Is Ron Paul really hostile towards Israel? I am not so sure. His isolationist view are well known, and as a result he is arguing against the governmental (federal) aid to Israel, but other than, is there anything else?
And what is he saying about the 45 billion the Mexicans send to Mexico each year?
Quite a price for keeping California’s gardens trimmed.
It’s so utterly crazy to me that any Jew in America could still be more suspicious of earnest and gung-ho Christians than of watered-down, purely cultural Christians; or, of either kind of Christian, than of American leftists.
I don’t know where this suspicion comes from, in the modern era. Oh, I know that European Christians treated both Jews, and Christians of differing theological views, really nastily throughout the Middle Ages. But nowadays? It’s the opposite of the norm, certainly since World War II. In the last fifty years, the habitual suspicion of Jews towards sincere and faith-driven Christians, while treating the secular left as reliable friends, is so utterly disconnected from reality as to be incomprehensible.
I mean, I’m in by forties. I grew up in an Evangelical Christian household, and a fairly typical one, perhaps a bit more conservative than normal (Southern Baptist).
In that household, the only terms in which Jews, as a group, were ever discussed as a group were terms of admiration and of wistfulness. The admiration can be summed up as: “Look at how God has blessed these people, and the rest of the world through them.” The wistfulness can be summed up as: “It is heartbreaking that so many of our older brothers in the worship of YHWH remain unaware that He has come to earth and begun the growing of His Messianic Kingdom already: How miserable to be disconnected from what is, after all, their inheritance.”
And so we’d pray for the health and happiness of all our non-Christian neighbors, and that they’d all be moved in their hearts to know Jesus Christ, but most especially our Jewish friends, in recognition of our intrinsic brotherhood with them. One of my Jewish friends when I was a boy came over to help my family decorate our Christmas tree; another invited me to the Seder with his family.
And of course Hitler and Stalin were our exemplar villains, not merely because of their murderous ideologies generally, but because their Satanic inspiration was evidenced in this: That they were especially brutal at killing off God’s people, the Jews. From the Southern Baptist pulpits we would hear such tidbits as, “It’s not just Christians whom Satan sends his dupes to persecute. The devil has never forgotten the central role God gave the Jews in salvation history, and he takes it out on them to this day. He even tricks Christians into murdering Jews and other Christians, for there’s nothing he likes better than to use God’s children against one another, to bring dishonor to God.”
And as an antidote to the old “Christ killers” bigotry (of which I was unaware until much later) we were taught that the Jews (not all) who shouted for Jesus’ crucifixion, and the Romans who carried it out, were no different from the rest of us, but did what they did because they were sinners, just like us. They could just as easily have been Norwegian or Vietnamese; they’d have still done the same thing. “Had you been there,” we were told, “you’d have quite likely been in the crowd shouting along with the rest.” The enemy, we were told, is the sin in your own heart: Don’t hate the other man for the sin in his heart, but rather eliminate the sin in yours.
That’s what I was taught. That’s what all the Christians I know were taught. This is the typical American Christian experience in devout households.
Yes, yes, I realize that parts of what I just described can still chafe a person who doesn’t believe Jesus is, in actual fact, the Holy One of Israel come in the flesh. It may even come across as condescending.
But I call your attention to the fact that, within the spectrum of attitudes towards Jews that a person could possibly have while still holding the view that Jesus is God, this is about the best and most respectful one you could ever see. And it is normal for devout American Christianity.
It is among the purely cultural Christians, whose beliefs are watered down and whose lives are more secular, that this respect for Jews is attenuated.
And it is among the entirely secular left, of course, that Israel is decried as an apartheid state, and the soldiery of Hamas and Hezbollah are the subject of cheap and suicidal gestures of “understanding and acceptance and compassion and solidarity.”
I relate all this to affirm what every Jew in America really ought to know viscerally by now: That American Christians are their best friends in the world, and the more sincere and gung-ho Evangelicals and Catholics more even than most Christians, and the political left, from Noam Chomsky to Barack Obama, mostly wouldn’t give much of a damn if Israel were wiped off the map, except perhaps to give a sigh of relief that they could finally stop pretending to care.
This is so utterly obvious. But, I hear there were actually German Jews who voted for Hitler. People — all people — are crazy that way, I guess: We humans sometimes just don’t know our friends from our enemies.
This is a great post. Spot on. Lover this: “most wouldn’t give much of a damn if Israel were wiped off the map, except perhaps to give a sigh of relief that they could finally stop pretending to care.” So true. and also true that God’s people act in very mysterious and strange ways.
I agree, this is a very good summing up post. I’m a cultural Christian living in Australia and it’s interesting to read this story and get an insight into how some American Christians see things these days.
Well said.
There are a few things that you say in your blog here that echo many of the reasons that I don’t embrace my new found “Christian friends” with warmth. Let me preface this by saying that I remember being told by my Christian acquaintances that I was going to Hell because I didn’t accept Jesus Christ. I looked to my other Christian friends to help me in my argument and instead they agreed with the young man damning me to Hell. Let me state that these ‘friends’ had no problem in eating my food and enjoying my hospitality. One day I asked why one of them didn’t reciprocate and share his food/hospitality with me. He answered very openly, “That’s cause you can afford it.” Never mind that I worked a full time job while I was at school with them. They didn’t work. So don’t mind me for being suspicious about my new friends or their motivations.
I feel that as long as Israel has to depend on anyone else for its survival, we are all in danger as a people.
In reply to Andy Gump:
Hey, listen, Andy, I understand completely what you say about the going to hell thing.
But…and I know this is going to sound completely incomprehensible, but just bear with me for a moment…your Christian friends saying that they think you will go to hell if you don’t accept Christ doesn’t AT ALL mean that they think you’re a bad person, let alone that they wish any evil upon you.
I know, I know. It sounds utterly insane. Hell is for bad people, right?
But back up a moment, take a deep breath, and bear with me, okay? (And if you’re inclined, please pray for me, that I say all this correctly…for these waters are much deeper than you know.)
Sheol (in Hebrew; often translated “Hades” in Greek) is the abode of the dead, who will (in Judaism and Christianity) rise at the end of time either to eternal reward or to eternal judgment, according to whether they are, as free-willed souls, in a state of emnity to God, or have chosen an attitude of loving worship towards Him. And there is some suggestion in pre-1st-century Judaism of a separation for different kinds of souls even in Sheol, which is why Jesus in the 1st century, speaking to an audience of Jews, could refer to things like Gehenna on the one hand, and “Abraham’s bosom” (his term to the good thief, “paradise,” might have been Gan Eden in Aramaic) on the other, and be understood by them.
So far, so good. So we can avoid Gehenna (or whatever one wishes to call a soul’s punishment for their sin) by not being in a state of emnity with God when we die, but by persevering in loving Him with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength, right?
Well, there it gets tricky. I cannot entirely explain the Christian doctrine here, not only because it is complex and unintuitive, but because different Christians view it sufficiently differently that they sometimes call the others’ interpretations of the same doctrines heretical. Google such terms as “state of grace” and “T.U.L.I.P.” and “Arminianism” and “regeneration” and “adoption” and “atonement” and “penance” and “temporal punishment” to get a taste, if you like. One can spend decades just becoming conversant with the terminology of Christian soteriology; and only then is one sufficiently informed to begin to try to select one opinion as one’s own. Put three Christian theologians in a room, and you get four opinions…with a side order of esoteric nomenclature.
Why does this matter?
Well, the one thing that Christians and Jews agree upon is that you can’t work your way into God’s good graces as if you, by anything you did, could make Him OWE you anything. (In fact, one of the first bits of ethical advice in Pirkei Avot (a book of the Mishnah) is: “Be not like servants who serve their master for the sake of receiving a reward; instead, be like servants who serve their master not for the sake of receiving a reward, and let the awe [loving and worshipful respect] of Heaven [of God] be upon you.”)
All is ultimately God’s gift. We can do evil by rejecting Him; but we don’t “earn” paradise by working for Him; instead, we actively love Him and He, being a loving Father/Husband/King, bestows immortality of the soul and the resurrection of the body upon us like an utterly gratuitous, unearned, gift.
But some Christians, in emphasizing this, have exaggerated; going so far as to say that even sinning against God can’t possibly prevent your salvation, because if it could, then your not-sinning would be a form of “working to earn salvation,” which is impossible since no one can ever earn even their own existence, let alone their continued existence after death.
What, then, in their view, is the path to salvation, if not-sinning isn’t sufficient? “Well, accepting rather than rejecting the free gift of God’s love and salvation,” they might say, always leaning on this phrase “free gift.”
So the issue, then, is presumably to accept and not to reject God, and if one turns away from sin and towards serving Him, to do so purely for the love of Him.
Ah, but what would that look like? What would it look like, for a person who is convinced that Yeshua of Nazareth was and is, in astounding fact, the very eternal person of YHWH projected into space and time, born miraculously of “the seed of a woman” (see Genesis 3), a descendant of David by physical lineage, in fulfillment of the promise of eternal rulership coming from David and the promise to Abraham of worldwide blessing? In fulfillment of the promise of a “new covenant” in Jeremiah? In fulfillment of the idea that in the Day of the Lord, when Messiah came, suddenly not only the Jews but every nation on earth would begin to worship YHWH, and that His name would great among the Gentiles, all day long and from east to west (from the sunrise to the sunset), and that not merely in Jerusalem but in every place incense and “a pure sacrifice” would begin to be offered to God?
Logically, if you identify Yeshua (or in Latinized form, “Jesus”) with all of that, why then it becomes obligatory upon you to accept and obey Him, because doing so is not only a loving acceptance of the YHWH Elyon Himself, but is actually receiving your share in the worldwide blessing promised to Abraham.
Not doing so — if you have reason to believe that Yeshua was and is Who He claimed to be — would of course be rejecting God.
“But what,” you might say, “if I have no reason, or insufficient reason to believe that Yeshua was what He claimed? What if I never heard that claim at all, or if I heard that claim only presented in such distasteful and unconvincing ways that it sounded like so much baloney or blasphemy?”
Well, there it gets tricky, because the Christian scriptures don’t specifically say. On the one hand, Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life; and no man comes to the Father but by me.” Sounds clear…but the He also said, “If I had not spoken to them, they would be innocent; but I have spoken to them, therefore their guilt remains” (which seems to confirm the morally intuitive principle that you aren’t held responsible for what you had no way of knowing about). And some people point out that “coming to the Father by Jesus doesn’t necessarily mean coming to know Jesus through institutional Christianity.”
Now here comes the big problem. All that sounds very loving and accepting…but it also comes across as a kind of watering-down. It’s like an ancient Jew hearing, “We must worship YHWH alone…but, y’know, the Philistines were really sincere in their worship of Dagon, and it’s vaguely possible that — since they really didn’t know better — God in His infinite mercy will reward them at the resurrection for doing the best they knew. And, hey, y’know, even the people who burned their babies alive before Moloch were obviously sincere. Perhaps it doesn’t matter which god you worship, just so long as you really believe….”
Imagine what Elijah or Jeremiah, or Joshua or Judas Maccabeus, would have said in response to THAT. (Y’know, AFTER they chopped the speaker’s head off or called down fire on their heads.)
Now, especially in America, many churches and bible studies have been set up by earnest, devout Christians in reaction to their disgust at hearing just that kind of watered-down wishy-washy indifferentism from their pulpits. It is a sort of counter-revolution within Christianity against the “liberal/progressive” theology which does to the divine truths of God Almighty what “liberal/progressive” Constitutional scholarship does to the idea of Enumerated Powers.
Andy, if you meet a Christian who seems your friend, but earnestly worries that you as a non-Christian might be going to hell, I can confidently predict that he’s from one of these churches, whose raison d’etre is to “hold fast to the faith once for all delivered to the saints” without watering it down.
But that’s the problem. If you then ask him, “Well, friend, am I going to hell?” he thinks, “Well, crap. I like this guy, and I think he’s a good man. But he thinks Jesus was just another human being. I don’t know his heart, so I don’t know if he thinks that for intellectually and morally legitimate reasons, or only because becoming a Christian would be inconvenient or embarrassing for him. And I’m personally, individually responsible both for trying to help him come to know Jesus, and for not watering down God’s truth. What do I say?”
If your friend falls more on the “I must speak the truth, no matter how uncomfortable it is” — if he’s a prophet Jeremiah kind of personality — then he may say that you will or may go to hell. He’s very sorry about it; but he’s sort of locked into that by the logic that, well, saying anything else flirts with that liberal/progressive wishy-washiness.
If he’s thought about it a little more, he can answer with more sophistication. He could say, “Well, I don’t know…are you not a Christian for legitimate reasons, or morally culpable reasons?” …but he might have to come up with that question for himself, since this is likely not the kind of distinction he’s ever heard from the pulpit, if he goes to one of those churches which was founded in reaction against theological liberalism.
So that’s the explanation. Your friend doesn’t think badly of you. He may, possibly, be sweating with inner turmoil about his answer. But he feels locked into it because he’s willing to even risk offending you, if by doing so he can avoid offending God by watering down what he understands to be God’s truth.
And, again, the fact that your friend thinks you a very good person is something he doesn’t allow to affect his response. “For,” he reasons, “if being a good person, by itself, was enough, then that would be a form of buying your salvation, a sort of spiritual bribery.” Which, as I stated earlier, Jews and Christians alike deny as impossible.
Andy, all that is very complicated, and very deep stuff.
Indeed, I have little hope that I myself, as a Christian, have managed to relate it to you without falling afoul of the specific soteriological formulations of one or another Christian theologian. My fellow Christians, reading this, have perhaps periodically said “Heresy!” here and there…I hope they accept my protest that any error on my part was accidental.
But it remains a fact that a Christian can love a Jewish friend as a dear friend, and want to think he’s going to Heaven, but also fear that that’s impossible because of the disconnect about Jesus, and feel forbidden to “make an exception on the grounds of excusable innocent ignorance of Jesus’s identity” for fear of thereby becoming a theological liberal and heretic.
Andy:
Let me also add that I disapprove of the mooching of those Christians you met, and that I too think it is unwise for Israel to be overly dependent on the good will of anyone for physical survival.
As for those Christians, well: Mooching is not Christian (I’m reminded of the Apostle Paul admonishing a certain group of moochers with the the judgment that “He who does not work, ought not eat.”) May God forgive them, and I hope you can, too.
And for that matter, may God forgive me for all the petty and stupid ways I’ve acted at times. May nobody ever mistake my behavior for the perfection that God calls me to emulate in Christ. I hope, with God’s help, that my behavior daily becomes a better imitation…but I have to admit, when I’m being honest with myself, that it’s a pretty piss-poor imitation.
All I’m saying is: If you want to see Christianity being lived out correctly, the only good examples to be found on this earth are the real saints who’re at their best moments, in the act of being saintly. John Paul II forgiving his would-be assassin, for example, or Mother Teresa of Calcutta, or Dietrich Bonhoeffer. C.S.Lewis, both in his writing and in his private charity. Folk like that. If you must judge a standard of perfection by the actions of imperfect weasely humans, these are about as close as you come.
R.C.
Thank you for your attempted explanation of how Christians act. I’m not sure that I understand it all; however, the act itself is valiant and noble. Here is my perception of Christians, and again I will go to my past as the example. At one time I worked to for the Catholic Archdiocese city of which I will not mention. I was the only Jew working for them which presented them with quite a quandary. I remember for instance a priest I knew wanting to put ashes on my forehead for Palm Sunday. When I explained to him that I was Jewish, he actually cursed me. On the other hand, he and I grew together by close association as we worked together. Although we respected one another and cared about each other’s well being, he was always bothered by the fact that I was a Jew. This is opposed to another priest who was openly hostile to me and did what ever he could to undermine me. There was no question about how he felt about a Jew. Still there were others who thought I was their confessor and tried to tell everything about their lives. There was one Spanish priest, and I was always careful around them, who one day said to me, “I’m sorry.” I asked him for what. He told me how he used to persecute Jews, it was what the church had wanted them to do. Now he realized how wrong it had been and relished being able to say “I’m sorry.” to at least one Jew. There was still another group who had secretly lost faith in their own religion but still gave masses to their parishes. One such priest quietly practiced Judaism in secret. These priests ranged from ones that I openly hated to ones I dearly loved. The range of how they accepted me was as wide as their own personalities still within one doctrine. Such is my view of Christianity as a whole. Its the person not the doctrine who makes the difference.
Andy:
Thanks for your reply.
Yes, there’s some serious, wide variation among persons, for certain.
But do you mind if I register a mild disagreement about your closing statement?
That statement was, “Its the person not the doctrine who makes the difference.”
I think that both make a difference, in the following way: If a doctrine insists that a person do good, then if the person (while claiming to hold the doctrine) does evil instead, he is either failing to obey the doctrine through weakness, or through hypocrisy, or because he doesn’t properly understand the doctrine.
But if a doctrine actually teaches evil, then if the person follows that doctrine in evil action, then neither failure to comprehend the doctrine, nor a failure of self-discipline, nor a failure of integrity, is the cause. The doctrine is at fault, and the person is at fault because he has embraced an evil doctrine.
I mean…there’s Christianity, with a bunch of people sinning by failing at it, or being hypocrites, or not knowing it well enough. And then there’s, say, Nazism or Stalinism, where the butcheries are all a matter of doing it correctly. Christians are guilty of many evils, but I hope and believe these evils are fewer than they would have been guilty of had the same persons not been influenced (however incompletely) by Christianity. Nazis are guilty of many evils, but that vicious doctrine inculcated those evils into some persons who would have acted differently had they not been exposed to Naziism. So I think doctrine matters.
I bring this up in order to say: What you describe in your post (“Christians behaving badly,” it should have been titled!) involves Christians sinning — apparently mostly Catholics on this occasion because of your workplace, though in your previous post I had a vague impression you were dealing with Evangelical Protestants — but sinning, either way.
The guy who cursed you, according to the doctrines of his religion, was required not only to apologize to you and ask your forgiveness (and make restitution if possible and appropriate), but to confess his sin to God in the confessional and, when receiving God’s forgiveness from the voice and hands of a priest, to receive also a penance, the performance of which would assist him to undo some of the temporal harm to himself and the world caused by his evil. He was in fact not supposed to receive communion until he did so. That is what Catholic Christianity requires; and the rest of Christianity, too, for that matter, although the other branches frequently forgo the priestly involvement and the formal penances.
You also say that it was a quandary for the Archdiocese that you were a Jew, and that this priest to whom you grew close at work “was always bothered by the fact that I was a Jew.” Why a quandary? I assumed you were doing something like, oh, I don’t know, I.T. work or bookkeeping, or perhaps you were an office manager or something like that. I don’t see how that should discomfit anyone; a good server administrator (or bookkeeper or office manager) is just that, regardless of his faith or his culture or his ethnic background. Perhaps there’s some detail I’m missing.
Then you mention the guy who actively worked to undermine you. Well, that’s an actual bigot. If he’s aware of that sin and trying to conquer it — it may be a habitual one inculcated by bigoted parents — then any relapses, coming through human weakness, ought to be confessed (with repentance, et cetera) as his faith requires. But if he’s unaware that it’s wrong, then he’s ignorant of his faith in that area. And if he’s aware it’s wrong, but doesn’t care, then he’s a hypocrite and in serious danger of hell.
Of those who “thought [you were] their confessor and tried to tell everything about their lives” I’m not sure what to say. I tend to run on a bit myself — just look at the length of these posts — so I’m in no position to criticize.
You add, that there was one Spanish priest who apologized to you, saying that persecuting Jews “was what the church had wanted them to do.” I call B.S. on that — though I’m not calling B.S. on you for reporting it, please understand. I’m perhaps not entirely calling B.S. on him.
But anyone who wants to know what the Catholic Church requires and teaches may look it up in the Catechism (big green book; full text available online in many places). Treating Jews with disrespect is not only not condoned; it is condemned.
(If you doubt me; check out Part One, Section Two “The Profession of the Christian Faith”, Number 597 throught 598. There’s also Nostra Aetate “Decretum de Judaeis.” They command respectful dealings with persons of other faiths and a kind of special respect due to Jews as our “elder brothers” in the worship of God. These are all thoroughly authoritative teachings: Assent is obligatory for the faithful.)
But perhaps by “the Church” he meant not what Catholic Christianity actually teaches, but only what he learned from his parents and/or from his superiors, who happened to be bigoted against Jews for European cultural reasons.
It’s very hard to tease such things apart, but a rough analogy, I think, would be female genital mutilation in Islam. It’s a practice that’s actually either forbidden, or discouraged, in Islam (depending on whom you ask); it is nowhere explicitly permitted let alone commanded. Yet so many Arab Muslims do it, and claim it’s Islamic. Why? Well, apparently it’s part of Arab tribal culture, predating Islam and Christianity…and the persons who say it’s Islamic simply aren’t careful to distinguish the religion they were taught by their parents and teachers from the culture they learned from the same sources.
My guess is that in Europe and heavily European-dominated enclaves in America (I think it’s fair to say that Catholic organizations often fit that description) you get Christians doing something un-Christian for much the same reason. From Evangelical Protestants, you’ll get less of that (non-European cultural influences) …though you’ll also get more of the direct evangelical fervor and a less-flexible position on who’s at risk of hell…with the attendant social awkwardness that issue brings!
At the end of all of this, Andy, I find that I want to say: I’m sorry. While I myself have not treated you (or so far as I know, any Jew) badly, some of my co-religionists have, and while I have no personal guilt, I still feel personal shame because of the association. In doing this they hurt you, they displeased God, dishonoring the very King they claim to serve, who is after all, as the bumper-sticker says, “a Jewish carpenter.” To the extent that they believed any of this was obligated by their faith, they were ignorant. And that ignorance is not the same as innocence, for they should have known better.
For their sin, I ask your forgiveness. (I’m not sure how kosher that is, since they should be doing the asking, but it’s something I feel I need to do, so there it is.) I hope you will be able, to some degree, to judge our faith more by the content of its teachings, than by the behavior of the turkeys attempting to practice it.
May all your relationships with Christians in the future be ones befitting your dignity as a child of God created in His image.
spot on. thank you.
Excellent post.
Barry, I think you’re trying too hard to be GB’s apologist. The point is that his case must be argued to make him palatable.
It’s not that he’s silly, or that he says stuff he shouldn’t, or even that he makes mistakes. It’s not that we fear him or his brand of belief: it’s the public perception of GB that harms Israel and the Jews by association.
In that sense, he’s every bit as bad as Noam Chomsky.
GB is doing us no favors with his attention. He has lost credibility.
The “he should have been a preacher” comment is insightful, because he’s trying to generate an audience for himself by preaching at rallies. This is just a tactic. I believe if he really cared about us, he wouldn’t be making these rallies to draw attention to HIMSELF.
Jon Voight is vocal in his support of us and is a real friend. He supports us with words and deeds but NOT with rallies that turn him into the main event. We need more Jon Voights and fewer GBs.
So, Beck has made mistakes and the left demonized him. Ergo, we should treat him like a leper. The left, which hates us, should define our friends. And in the end, we will be lepers.
GB is doing us no favors with his attention. He has lost credibility.
He’s not doing it as a favor but to bring awareness. He hasn’t lost credibility in the eyes of people who maintain open minds.
it’s the public perception of GB that harms Israel and the Jews by association.
So you’re saying you shouldn’t defend those who are falsely portrayed?
From what I’ve been reading about Europe you can make the argument that it is the public perception of Israel that harms GB (or Rick Perry or Sarah Palin or any conservative supporter of that state.)
We have an obligation to stand up for truth in the face of lies and this means defending Beck whether you like him or not.
That’s actually a very good point, Bill. But you see, GB already has the Right Wing Christians. This way, he enlarges that audience to include the Jews. The majority of the people already cast GB as a lunatic, so associating with Jews cannot harm him further. Rather, he gains a significant sector as his supporters.
I don’t feel any need to defend GB or what he says, because I don’t believe that his words reflect his real beliefs. I think it’s just the words he knows we need to be convinced he’s on our side. I remain unconvinced, because of the way he’s been marginalized and his need to make a comeback.
I don’t feel any need to defend GB or what he says, because I don’t believe that his words reflect his real beliefs.
That’s a fair point. If there is something about him that you can’t trust there is something about him that you can’t trust.
I’m not a huge fan but I have yet to see him get caught in a lie or fail to correct an error of fact.
Until that starts to happen I’m inclined to accept that he believes what he says.
Varda, you’re not making sense.
Beck gave up a pretty lucrative job so he would have the freedom to pursue this. He feels it strongly. You are just responding to the propaganda wing.
I beg to differ. He LOST a lucrative job on Fox News because he was just so over the top he lost credibility.
Propaganda…….
Since when does a station get rid of a personality and then play back his shows for a week or more after they “canned” him? Since when do they allow him to stay and do his shows until he is ready to leave? He is so far ahead of anything being done on tv and cable today that those who watched and waived will rue the day!
I was at the Restoring Courage event yesterday. I’ve wavered in my opinion of Glenn Beck. He certainly came off as over the top occasionally. So I was willing to listen, but quite skeptical.
He and his event completely amazed me. First of all the choices he made for his prizes for Courage, particularly the joint Jewish – Arab owners of the Maxim Restaurant (where 21 people including whole families were blown up by a suicide bomber 8 years ago) were completely appropriate. Also all the people who stood up with him including an Arab from Bethlehem, a sheikh who wrote from Nablus, Rabbi Riskin from Efrat, and Nir Barkat mayor of Jerusalem, all of these people added to the power of the event.
But Glenn Beck’s speech in and of itself was exceptional. I have never heard another person with both the understanding and the courage to tell the truths which he spoke. Many people have accused Glenn Beck of dong what he is doing for ulterior reasons, for example seeking more publicity or for gain, but I don’t buy it. I think, like many of us, he has seen the writing on the wall, and he wants to avert another uprising of evil. Maybe if someone like Glenn Beck had stood with us Jews 80 years ago, history would have been different. God bless you and keep you safe Glenn Beck! From tonight forward you have a friend in me.
Today’s Ha’aretz comes up with this headline:
The extreme Israeli right’s alliance with lunatics
http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/opinion/the-extreme-israeli-right-s-alliance-with-lunatics-1.380546
I have seen many of Glenn Beck’s programs. The program on the history of Communism was excellent. It covered the Kronstadt rebellion,the collectivization, the Ukrainian famine, the Kirov murder, the great Purge of the thirties, the Gulags, the Katyn massacre, the Doctors’ Plot,the Great Leap Forward and the Cultural Revolution. His programs on the Mahdi brought to American audiences for the first time the mention of Shi’a eschatology.
I have little doubt that all the journalists in Ha’aretz put together have read less Islamic source texts and books on Islam than Glenn Beck did alone.
It is unfortunate that a leading Israeli newspaper is filled with people who are totally ignorant of what is happening around them. Just like the Church at the time of Galileo refused to look through the telescope, Ha’aretz staff refuse to educate themselves. So we have a bunch of ignoramuses calling others lunatics
just because they themselves have no clue what is going on.
I have seen many of Glenn Beck’s programs. The program on the history of Communism was excellent. It covered the Kronstadt rebellion, the collectivization,
the Ukrainian famine, the Kirov murder, the great Purge of the thirties, the Gulags, the Katyn massacre, the Doctors’ Plot , the Great Leap Forward
the Cultural Revolution. His programs on the Mahdi brought to American audiences for the first time the mention of Shi’a eschatology.
I have little doubt that all the journalists in Ha’aretz put together have read less Islamic source texts and books on Islam than Glenn Beck did alone.
It is unfortunate that a leading Israeli newspaper is filled with people who are totally ignorant of what is happening around them. Just like the Church at the time
of Galileo refused to look through the telescope, Ha’aretz staff refuse to educate themselves. So we have a bunch of ignoramuses calling others lunatics
just because they themselves have no clue what is going on,
Mladen, my friend, Haaretz went over to the enemy long ago. What can you expect from the Palestinian paper that writes in Hebrew? I have to laugh at how so many in the West quote Haaretz when almost no one reads them here in Israel. It’s not that they’re clueless, they’re mentally deranged, a tiny marginalized cult-like collection of ”true believers” less rational than the Flat Earth Society.
But it is not only Ha’aretz. A few days ago I wanted to respond to one of your arguments on Ynet and at the same time point to the blog I’ve started Mad is Dead http://www.madisdead.blogspot.com/ but the moderator never let the response through. What is more, here I was in Be’er Sheva which has been under Grad rocket attacks for the last 10 days and I wanted to fight back at least with words since our government is obviously not doing enough to protect its citizens – and an Israeli does not let it through. Almost as in the movie The Lives of Others.
Mladen, YNET censors me quite often, as a matter of fact, just this morning, the article by a Mr Yesawich, ”Israel Shouldn’t Apologize” (or something similar). I forgot what they censored yesterday, I think it was the debate between Hagai Segal & some lefty shmuck, evidently, YNET doesn’t know what the word ”debate” means. What can I say, we live in the People’s Republic, a sort of post-Bolshevik part-Arab/part Eastern European crony-capitalist system complete with oligarchs, a nomenklatura of bureaucrats, and a media that resembles PRAVDA. The JPost has moved Left as well with their new editor replacing the wishy-washy Mr Horowitz. And, did you by chance catch the article by that traitor Derfner justifying killing Jewish civilians?
I’ll tell you, we need more than Glenn Beck, much as I appreciate his efforts.
You do, Terry, but in America, don’t underestimate what he is and what he has proven capable of doing. He singlehandedly ignited support for Israel in settings where the only source of international news had previously been the MSM, with its faults.
Gorget Ynet. Go with Arutz Sheva.
I used to be a big fan of Glen Beck when he was purely a radio talk show host. He used to be so funny, I’d pull off the road to listen to him when driving. He IS highly intelligent–maybe even brilliant–but uneducated in a formal sense. Purely self-educated, reading seriously. It is this I believe that makes him seem “all over the place” at times. He’s searching, searching, searching!
That can and does lead him into “silliness” as article put it (believe me, can be like an adolescent or college hazing level silliness including being petty, mean-spirited, making endless fun of the speech impediment of a leading TV figure, etc). What he needs is a producer, a wife–SOMEBODY–who can tell him to stop that self-destructive stuff. Like the crazy outfits Tea Partiers were wearing to meetings that Glen directed they NOT wear to his rally in D.C. because they diminish effectiveness of the Tea Party–Glen needs self-discipline if he wants to not diminish himself.
What changed him from the super comic radio talk host I used to love? He got religion! You don’t mention it, but even there he’s an anomaly. He’s not really an evangelical Christian, he converted to Mormon religion last time I heard. As did his wife. I am non-religious but my conventional Lutheran family tells me, Mormon is NOT part of Christianity. Who knew??
I have liked Glen less since he joined Fox, but I don’t necessarily blame that station–Glen just “got religion” and almost messianic causes. When he held that big rally in Washington D.C. a year or so ago, so plain he was seeing himself–acting like–a religious preacher. And for me at least, I felt he was turning off some of his Tea Party audience who came for something different from him.
If I were Glen, now that he’s moved to Texas, I’d hire best professor at best college nearby (in logic, great books, some such) and spend a year on directed reading and discussions with that teacher. Something like what happens at Oxford. He’d be formidable. Get himself “centered” and ready to pursue rest of his life. Then watch out!!
Apparently Beck was drinking heavily before he “got religion” and maybe it’s precisely religion that has got him centred enough to be doing all this amazing stuff.
Mormons, that is, members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, are not Christians? Interesting. Are you sure this isn’t just certain sects of Protestantism attempting to deal with their religious competitors by trying to re-define the public’s view of those competitors’ beliefs?
Excellent excellent article, echoing many of my own thoughts as I watched the rally on GBTV. I also read the AP story on Yahoo and was equally outraged. I posted a quick comment about how I supported Beck and within an hour had 30+ responses, almost all negative, accusing Beck (and myself) of anti-semitism (not sure how that’s possible when you support Israel), that I “would have voted for Hitler”, that “I want to kill gays and blacks”, that I was “a racist MFr” and that I was prejudice against Muslims. All of that from one comment supporting Beck and (ironically enough) commenting on the apparent lack of tolerance from liberals. My favorite comment was one of the liberals playing the Jesus card, telling me that Jesus told us to be tolerant of everyone EXCEPT people that are intolerant. Um, what? Where was that written.
On the international aspects of the conflict, however, what he’s saying is not really controversial in Israel. One of the main points Beck made in his speech, for example, is the bankruptcy of much of the “human rights” industry, which has been hijacked into giving a pass to regimes that are the biggest violators of human rights.
Not just to regimes, but to the most anti-gay-rights and anti-women’s rights fascist political ideology on the planet, which is islam (without “ism” at the end of that word, by the way.) To those islamophiles masquerading as supporters of human rights who would settle for nothing less than the rule of sharia over the whole planet, as though somehow their own necks would be safe from it, defending gays and women is something that they refuse to do and might even fight against without second thoughts; after all, if they still had anything to do with protecting those people’s rights, their bearded, sandal-clad and turbaned buddies’ wouldn’t even pretend to like their “work” any longer.
Actually, Beck is correct about the Jim Crow laws–they were not overturned by a congressional committee but by the Supremes–twice. The 1964 Voters Act provided the context of the last Court challenge.
But this sort of technicalities begs the point Beck is making. Jim Crow was not simply de jure but de facto. Washington’s laws are not so effective in penetrating the thick hide of the latter. Hence, it was neither the Supremes nor Congress that made Jim Crow vanish–it was the change in social relationships of everyday people that ended Jim Crow.
There is another meaning to Jim Crow laws and its application in the Middle East–for 1400 years or so, there have been extremely effective legal and social laws of discrimination throughout the region. The sociologist Max Weber, writing in the early part of the 20th century compared Blacks of the American South, the Untouchables of India, and the Jews of the Middle East.
It is this third use of the Jim Crow mindset that still remains in this part of the world–where the racist screed of the Middle East against Jews far surpasses anything generated from the Dixiecrat south. Just as the Dixiecrat South spawned its own terrorist arm, the Klu Klux Klan, to keep its Pariah Castes in check, Israel’s neighbors resort to a sick cultural export of terrorism and racism to reject any form of social parity with their Pariah Castes–Jews AND Christians.
The US Civil Rights movements, although social and economic, used extensive moral authority from Scripture and denominational theologies. Beck’s logic here is quite sound–this will be the only way to end millenia old discrimination to the regions Pariah groups. A large population sector of Israel are refugees from these racist states and they simply will no longer sit in the back of the bus.
The tragedy of the American liberal mindset is the complete reversal of social consciousness from the 1960′s Civil Rights Movement to the nearly universal denunciation of Israel for seeking regional parity and social recognition.
But as long as we are thinking in terms of the Dixiecrat South, let us all remember that it was President Dwight who sent in the US Army to get some young kids through the front door of a Little Rock school house. It was this Federal Commitment to enforcing the Universal Ideal of equality that gave strength to power and words.
Over in this part of the world, where such military realities have been the only continued solution to maintaining social and economic power to a Pariah People Turned Pariah State, most Israelis have the following message to the Liberal voice that scoffs at Mr. Beck, Ms. Palin, and those who truly believe that there really are “certain inalienable rights” that are self evident–
If Mr. Beck wants to come to start a movement to bring civil and social rights to this region without paratroopers opening school house doors, then let him come.
May God bless Israel, and may God bless Glenn Beck.
Just a clarification. Beck is LDS (Mormon), and Mormons, while Christian, are not part of traditional protestantism. Mormons have no history of antisemitism and consider Jews to be a vital part of God’s family. In this sense his support for Israel is both political and religious. As for acting like a preacher, that is his show business side, since LDS worship is very low key.
Just a point of clarification: It is the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day-Saints (ie. Mormons). Christ is our Savior, but the other churches say that we don’t. Invite anyone into our church service and see who is talked about all the time.
Glenn thinks and I think joining the church and changing his life, is probably the thing that saved it.
He is a good man. He has changed, and become more serious.
For varda epstein who commented above – just how much do you think Beck has paid of his own money to come and show his support for Israel? Do you think there weren’t many who wanted to end his life, both before and after he arrived in Israel? Can’t you see from the left’s retoric what damage they are trying to do to Beck and the Jews themselves? You stick with the leftists in this country who are trying to sell you out and just see where that gets you!
G-d help all those Jews who want to make nice with the dems and wait until you are the first who will be marched off to the camps, when they invite sharia in!
Ha ha ha. I’m a settler who lives in Judea. Moi? A leftist? My stand on GB has nothing to do with politics.
Of course he spent money on this campaign. Well worth it for him.
First Christian and Jewish destinies are linked. I can’t explain past Christian insanity regarding Jews in the past but it may merely be a case of the scales falling from our collective eyes. It CLEARLY states in the bible that the Jews are God’s Chosen people and that whoever blesses them will be blessed and whoever curses them will be cursed.
In the New Testament Paul, Christianity’s greatest apostle, admonishes Christians not to get uppity. That we (Christians) are merely “grafted” onto the root (Jews) and that whatever God grafts on He can certainly UNgraft.
And finally, PLEASE my Jewish friends, STOP even thinking about giving land to the arabs. Judea, Samaria and Gaza are YOUR lands. Petition Israel to annex them. The Sinai and Golan Heights I’m less clear on, but they were won in war so keep them as war booty. But STOP negotiating with these people. Treaties and ceasefires merely mean stock up on weapons and re-load to them. The only way to keep the peace is order up your borders and defend them. And for heavens sake get the arabs IN your country OUT! Populations are moved all the time. This will kill no one!
And one more thing – as a nation you need to turn back to God. He hasn’t forgotten His covenant with you.
God’s Blessings upon you!
Amen!
The blog states:
“Beck is very much in the Protestant moral revival tradition of America.”
1.) Beck was raised as a nominal Roman Catholic
2.) Today Beck is a Mormon — although he almost never makes this known in his programs. If he did, he might lose a large section of his American evangelical audience. Although Mormons currently self-identify as Christian, they did not do this until the 1970′s. In a classic traditional definition of what constitutes Christian belief (belief in the Holy Trinity), Mormons are not Christians, although they do incorporate Jesus into their theology, not unlike Muslims.
I think it is very important that whenever one offers comment and criticism on Beck, one is very careful to consider Beck’s personal religious affiliation as his church has some very “unique” beliefs and practices. For example: Mormons have storing enough food and water for at least one year as a tenet of their faith. Mormons also have a prophecy that one day “The (U.S.) Constitution will hang by a thread” and the people of the U.S. will look to the Mormon Church for leadership. In Mormon theology, Jesus plays no role in salvation. The Mormon church, from its inception, has been at odds with and even in actual combat sometimes in the 19th century, with the majority of U.S. society and the U.S. government. The Mormon Church is probably the richest church in the world (they don’t make their assets publicly known), and the largest private land owner in Great Britain.
In order to better understand Beck, it is absolutely critical to understand what his actual religious beliefs are and not be inclined to paint him and Mormonism, with the same brush one does all “American evangelicals”.
Just my opinion….
This completely freaked me out. If true, Mikel, we should all be alarmed. It’s bad enough having the Muslims fighting for world domination. Imagine the Muslims fighting the Mormons for supremacy. Sheesh. Mitt Romney? Glenn Beck? No thank you.
Mikel: I hae been a member of the “Mormon” – Church of Jesus Christ of Latter day Saints for a lot longer than 1970 and I want you to know that Jesus Christ is and always has been the Savior. He is not a prophet, he is the Savior. Quit reading all the anti that you can and get real! I know what people call us and that we are not Christian – I will let Jesus judge me, how about you?
“In contrast to the past authoritarian-oriented right….”
“the post-reactionary conservative and religious right….have accepted many things that their counterparts decades ago fought against. They are anti-racist, more tolerant …. and willing to accept equality for women ….”
I stopped reading after that.
You obviously were raised with then-MSM attitudes of what non-corridor Americans were like, especially Southerners. You haven’t shaken them, and they seep into your reporting.
Though it’s heartening to see you examening your precepts.
I agree with your assessment of Beck, that he is much more reasoned and reasonable that his portrayals by the left would suggest. I read the AP article you linked to and I didn’t think it was that biased. It quoted him correctly, and charactising him as a fiery conservative is quite reasonable. You do have a good point that the piece would have been better if it quoted some pro Beck people, and not just anti Beck people. But this AP peice was pretty mild on the leftist bias front. I have seen pieces in the NYT and other places that were much worse.
He is this weeks “pinata” of the Israeli Left, the “joke” of the month. Many in Israel cannot accept somefellow from overseas coming to lecture about morality under the old city walls, from a fellow who had drinking problems, gone Mormon and a fella who makes a habit of making numerous gaffes on the air. His mistakes make him vulnerable, his stature diminshed, his brand tarnished and is open to nasty takes by the leftiy pundits: Lefty opinionator Yossi Sarid, in Haaretz, calls him names and smears him to no end. The Israeli T.V turned his visit into a kind of a freak show. Check for more information in the Blaze where Beck provides samples of the coverage. It is a fact that the two “middle of the road” dailies, were not as nasty as the lefty Haaretz (an Israeli copy of the NY Times with all its usual negatives). I am happy to see Israel still has a friend or two, but Beck is overreaching in a way. His advance team and contacts in israel, served him poorly, and his big mouth was no help either. He has no journalistic discipline. he has to decide if he is a journalist, a prophet, a preacher or an amateur radio guy!
Without the famous Biblical, military strategic high ground of Judea and Samaria, Israel will be defenseless.
Deceitfully called the Arab-Israeli conflict, it’s global jihad against Israel and the Free World. Everyone except the naive understand that the “peace process” is the WAR process against Israel’s Jews.
Because the victims of jihad are Jews, the Palestinian Authority are adored, financed, armed and have been given, and continue to be given advanced military training by the U.S. for many years. One of the U.S. trained Muslim terrorists told journalist Aaron Klein, that all of the training is used against Israel. They are American leaders’ proxy army against the Jewish people.
From birth, Muslim children are inculcated with a venomous hate for Jews and brainwashed with the wicked lie that Israel belongs to Islam. Even though there NEVER was an Arab country of Palestine and Jerusalem was NEVER the capital of any Arab or Muslim entity. Jerusalem is mentioned hundreds of times in the Bible, not once in the Koran.
Not one inch of Jewish land to barbaric enemies bent on Jewish genocide!
Barry Rubin suggests that Glenn Back’s enemies are to be compared with Stalinists — seeking absolute state power and without any interest in the truth of Beck’s statements.
Maybe, leftists fitting Mr. Rubin’s description ARE Stalinists and, therefore, have zero interest in the American tradition of liberty for all?
Republicans — conservatives — Tea Party Movement — where are you?
its drives me nuts..the media and the left just use talking points re: beck…if they took the time to actually listen to the speeches on 8/28 and 8/24 i think they would think differently..god knows he can be over the top..but he can also be spot on…ive learned alot from watching him over the past few years..esp about our history..if anything ya have to say hes brave..doesnt care what people think about him..
As for Becks Mormonism, and whether Mormons are Christians. I am agnostic/Catholic, but have had Mormon friends in the past, and some Mormon missionaries have made several conversion attempts, so I understand their doctrine pretty well.
They say Jesus Christ is the Devine son of God the Father, and consider the old and new testament to be devine doctrine. That is enough to be considered Christian in my book.
A good case could be made that mormons are not mainline protestants though, since they have some pretty important doctrinal differences.
1. They regard Joseph Smith as not just their founder and an important preacher, but as a devinely inspired prophet, directly called by God, who had direct angelic contact.
2. They regard the Book Or Mormon to be devine word, direct from God, with equal, or perhaps higher precedence than the bible.
3. In these 2 respects, having a devinely inspired prophet, and having holy scripture other than the bible, they are more like muslims that most protestants. Of course Catholics beleive the Pope can speak with devine authority (although no Papal writing would take precedence over the bible), and thus they might be closer to Catholics than to protestants, who would say that only the bible has devine weight. However, unlike Muslims, they do recognize Jesus Christ as the Savior, and the Devine Son of God, and that should be enough to classify them as Christians, despite their important differences.
What do you expect? He was treated like any other religious zealot.
As an afterthought, Mikel, do you not think that those preachers who stand with Beck don’t know of his religion? Are you so deaf that you don’t hear him, he doesn’t make a secret of what changed him? He is not a spokesman for any religion, he is an individual who found his truth and he doesn’t hide it, but he doesn’t flaunt it either.
” The problem is that many Israelis — including myself — would be quite willing to see many settlements dismantled as part of a real and lasting two-state solution. ”
Barry, I am surprised to see someone as intelligent as yourself willing to make the same mistake twice. Menachem
Mr Ben Yakov.
I’m one of those Israelis who would like to see the settlements dismantled.
I would start with Ramallah.
Terry, you have to watch out. A lot of people will not understand your humor.
I watched Restore Courage on GBTV and I found Beck’s speech very interesting.
It’s a call to walk the path of Faith, Hope and Charity and to abandon fear.
It’s a “declaration of independence” from evil.
It’s a call to do something to save Israel, the whole West, and Freedom, to do something in our personal lives.
God bless him and all those who support the Truth.
This movement will grow, its roots are not in the world, they are in the Infinite Love of God.
It is so easy to say what you really think while posting anonymous comments on this blog or the other.It is so much harder to say that out loud, for the whole world to hear and to see.Glenn Beck is the man. He has the courage to say that he stands with Israel and its citizens, because he refuses to jump off the cliff with the rest of the world – he does NOT want to mourn dead jews, he wants to defend them while they are alive. I am sure that these rallies in support of Israel did not made him any richer or brought him fame, but if they did, he and his team deserve that and more.
I listened to him – sincerity of his convictions cannot be doubted.
If you think otherwise, you must be a progressive or willfully deaf.
I too watched Glenn Beck’s rally at the Temple Mount on GBTV. I noticed that the camera never panned around behind Glenn’s audience to show Silwan with all of that blue tarp hanging from the windows. The Israeli government moving Jewish families into an Arab village and those same Jewish families hanging that blue tarp out of their windows as a giant “f*** you” and “I’m here and I ain’t leaving and by the way the army and the police are on my side so you’re the ones who are going to get shoved out” to the Palestinians who live there. But I’m sorry, Israel is just a tiny little democracy who has never done anything to anyone and is beset by such baseless and insane hatred. Oh tisk, tisk, tisk…
Thomas, Your comments remind me of what the Klu Klux Klan used to say about african americans going to white schools in Americas south. What hoops does your mind have to go through to justify such racism? Or perhaps you think Jews should live only in ghettos? Shame on you.
Racism? American blacks? Ghettoes? The Ku Klux Klan?!! Where in my comment did you get any of this from? I am speaking of a specific place (Silwan, Kefar HaShilo’ah, whatever name you choose to call it by) at a specific time (right now!) And for the record, it is nationalistic Israelis and their American acolytes who make it seem as if the State of Israel was never founded and that Jews are still living in the Warsaw ghetto, constantly under threat of annhilation from the Waffen SS marching out of the fenced off pile of rubble that is the Gaza Strip. Israelis have created an amazing country these last seventy years that should be the envy of many in the world and is more than able to defend itself against any threat that it faces. BUT Israel does many things to provoke its enemies and if its government feels that is the best policy to follow then this is its right as a sovereign nation and it is also its responsibility to accept the consequences of its actions. In other words: I’m sure that Hamas would love to eradicate the State of Israel, but they are about ten billion miles away from the ability to do that and, sensational media reports aside, they really don’t seem to be getting any closer to that goal. So quit ascribing any criticism of Israel’s actions to mindless anti Semitism and a hidden Nazi or fascist agenda and start dealing with the consequences of your decisions both good and bad.
No longer any need to doubt but time to escape the ignorance.
Take a look at this map of Israel and the Arab world and try to wrap your brain around the reality that the greedy Arabs have more than enough land already.
It’s not about land it about islam being exposed for the lie that it is.
if allah is truly God then want are infidel Jews doing controlling land once under dar al Islam.
Israel’s existence makes Islam look bad and this is why there will never be any real peace ever with Islam.
Once Islam is gone Arab and Jew will live together in real lasting peace.
http://www.iris.org.il/sizemaps/arabwrld.htm
It’s time for Israel to expand and stop giving a millimeter of land to the ungrateful Islamic hordes.
Look at how Israel was treated by the worshipers of death after they surrendered their land in Gaza to the cult that worships death.
Rubin concedes that Beck is relatively sane and then moves on, the implication being that there’s a screw loose somewhere. It’s a serious charge, to imply that someone is only relatively sane and calls for some specifics to establish where Beck is “off.” Or are we just to accept that Rubin is the measure of all things sane because he’s…well, Rubin?
Re: “The problem is that many Israelis — including myself — would be quite willing to see many settlements dismantled as part of a real and lasting two-state solution.”
Than those “many Israelis” are delusional. Instead of parroting some stupid “peace now” lines, they should marry, produce 3-4 kids the more the merrier) and wait ~20 years.
And, BTW, try to speed up oil/gas development now.
Re: “The problem is that many Israelis — including myself — would be quite willing to see many settlements dismantled as part of a real and lasting two-state solution.”
I live in Israel and I do not know any Israeli who wants to dismantle Jewish towns and villages in Judea and Samaria. We’ve tried this already – twice.
Sinai is one example – look at the everlasting peace that we have with Egypt.
Gush Katif was a disaster too – a barren land now, Hamas in power, thousands of rockets showering our South.
The left, or what is left of it, still lives in a lalaland , dreaming about peace with the falestinians. Most of their parties had disintegrated in the harsh reality of the Israel’s everyday life.
Stop lying to yourself and to others – have a courage to tell the truth.
GB came to Israel to help you find the courage, not excuses.
We do not have to apologize to anybody for our existence and do not have to appease our enemies by giving up our land.
“admiring Israel as a nation-state that defends itself, and a trend in evangelical Christianity appreciating their religion’s Jewish roots and being ashamed of past antisemitism.”
Thanks for having the courage to discuss Beck fairly. Good article, but I do have to add an “excuse me?” to the quote above. Do you really feel that because you can find examples of anti-semitism by Evangelical Christians that it is fair to smear all Evangelical Christians in such an off hand manner? Evangelical Christians have little changed over the years in their beliefs. One could counter that perhaps it is a trend of Jewish liberals finally appreciating Christian principals of grace and being ashamed of their past senseless bigotry and snickering against men and women passing on a message of peace and forgiveness which combined with Jewish law makes up the bedrock of western civilization. Just food for thought.
What an amazing website this is! I can’t believe I read everyone of the comments, I never do that,they always get down to just name calling and I move on. To see people having intelligent conversation(heated is good) is amazing! Maybe you experience it everyday, I sure don’t. This is more than proof that MSM is no longer of any importance, just shows their true colors or should I say color-red). I have read more responses(real responses not just name calling) to Glenn Beck personally and his Restoring Courage Rally, than I have read in all other media combined.
Thank you all for providing an enlightening/educational/entertaining
Sunday afternoon for this Idaho woman (yes we DO believe in God and Guns)
Quote Rubin: “PS: When people ask me why I have positive views of Beck, I respond that I actually have watched him on television and listened to him on radio.”
I had a lengthy discussion with a fellow who dislikes and fears Beck even though he never bothered to view his program – he was listening to friends and those whose agenda does not mesh with with Beck’s agenda. Beck actually want Israel to prosper – liberals want socialism to prosper and Palestinians to prosper over the dead bodies of Israelis. It is strange how narrow-minded and cowardly people when it comes to defending themselves and how willing they are to take sides with and pander to those who hate them. Obama gives these folks a pat on the back for doing his bidding.
I guess that I should not be surprised given this kind of behavior repeats itself throughout history; most recently during the Holocaust when some Jewish liberal leaders in saw fit to remain silent and counseled others to engage in silence who insisted on calling for action against Nazi atrocities during the war. The Jewish leaders were afraid that the actions of their co-religionists would incite anti-Semitism at home.
We observe the same kind of silence on the part of mainstream organizations who are now faced with many Jews supporting “peace” groups lost in their world of love for everyone else but angered against Israel because it is a nation that must rely on military solutions to remain in existence. They chant Free-free Palestine when they ought to be shouting: Free-free Syria, Free-free Libya, Free-free Egypt, Free-free Lebanon, Free-free Yemen, Free-free Saudi, Free-free Bahrain, Free-free Tunisia, Free-free Somalia, Free-free Sudan, Free-free Jordan, Free-free Afghanistan, Free-free Iran, Free-free Iraq, Free-free Pakistan, etc….
Quote Rubin: “PS: When people ask me why I have positive views of Beck, I respond that I actually have watched him on television and listened to him on radio.”
I had a lengthy discussion with a fellow who dislikes and fears Beck even though he never bothered to view his program – he was listening to friends and those whose agenda does not mesh with with Beck’s agenda. Beck actually wants Israel to prosper – liberals want socialism to prosper and Palestinians to prosper over the dead bodies of Israelis. It is strange how narrow-minded and cowardly people are when it comes to defending themselves and how willing they are to take sides with and pander to those who hate them. Obama gives these folks a pat on the back for doing his bidding.
I guess that I should not be surprised given that this kind of behavior repeats itself throughout history; most recently during the Holocaust when some Jewish liberal leaders saw fit to remain silent and counseled others who insisted on calling for action against Nazi atrocities during the war to engage in silence. The Jewish leaders were afraid that the actions of their co-religionists would incite anti-Semitism at home.
We observe the same kind of silence on the part of mainstream organizations who are now faced with many Jews supporting “peace” groups lost in their world of love for everyone else but angered against Israel because it is a nation that must rely on military solutions to remain in existence. They chant Free-free Palestine when they ought to be shouting: Free-free Syria, Free-free Libya, Free-free Egypt, Free-free Lebanon, Free-free Yemen, Free-free Saudi, Free-free Bahrain, Free-free Tunisia, Free-free Somalia, Free-free Sudan, Free-free Jordan, Free-free Afghanistan, Free-free Iran, Free-free Iraq, Free-free Pakistan, etc….
George Soros and his ilk do not like states because they get in the way of global control and of making billions. Capitalism is way too uncertain and competitive for a man who sees how easy it is to grease the palms and corner certain markets via his personal relationships and favors owed to him in the quid pro quo relationships he has built up over the years.
Socialism works well for globalists because all one has to do is feed unwitting citizens lies about how capitalists and the “Jooos” control everything – setting them on fire and re-directing their frustrations and energies against a convenient enemy.
Islamists also hate the “state.” It gets in the way of their religious Caliphate that is their end goal. They, just like the Soros globalists, also incite hate against Israel and “Joos” because it is deemed correct according to their holy books and it diverts eyes away from a violent, dictatorial, jihadist and sharia agenda.
Is it any surprise that Soros and the Islamists make such strange yet logical bedfellows?
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