THE CATHOLIC KNIGHT: I realize this entry may be highly controversial. That being the case, I've decided to do it anyway. Why? Because it needs to be said.
First and foremost, let it be known that members of my family are Jewish. Let it be known that 'The Catholic Knight' holds no animosity toward Jewish people nor Judaism. I also believe the Jewish people have contributed much to European and American culture that is beautiful and indispensable. I acknowledge the inexcusable suffering of the Jewish people, throughout the centuries, and most recently in the Holocaust, perpetrated at the hands of the Neopagan Nazis. I acknowledge the teachings of Pope Pius XII who said that as Christians we are all "spiritual Semites" and went to great measures to save nearly one-million European Jews from the gas chambers during World War II. After that war, I must confess that I wish all those persecuted European Jews had come to my home country of America, which has already benefited so much from American Jewry. Sadly, however, that did not happen.
After World War II many European Jews joined Zionist Jews in Palestine to complete what the Zionists had been working toward for decades -- the creation of a modern and secular State of Israel.
Let me clarify that Zionism is a political mindset, an ideology, that is apart from the religion of Judaism. This blog entry is not about Jews nor Judaism. It's about Zionism, which is different. One need not be a Jew to be a Zionists. In fact, I dare say there are more Christian Zionists in the world than Jewish Zionists. So that being said, Jews are not the problem, nor is Judaism the problem. The problem is Zionism, and it's 100% political in nature.
Zionism is the political ideology that a physical "homeland" for the Jewish people must be restored, using political and military force if necessary, on the real estate once known as Palestine. This is Zionism in it's basic form, but it doesn't stop there. Some Zionists (both Jews and Christians), believe that the Biblical Temple should be rebuilt on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem, alongside the Dome of the Rock, and the ritual animal sacrifices should be restored. It goes further than that. Some Zionists also believe the seven Noahide Laws (Noahidism) should be promoted throughout the world as a global religion under the Jewish Talmud.
It is the opinion of this blogger that Zionism is the problem, not Judaism, and certainly not the Jewish people. Zionism is a political ideology, embraced by Christians and Jews, as a para-religion that attaches itself to traditional Jewish and Christian beliefs. It's unbiblical, and defies essential tenets of both faiths. Certainly not all Jews are Zionists, just as not all Christians are Zionists. Below is an excerpt from just such a Jewish website that opposes Zionism. I invite you all to read it and explore their website...
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Now personally I don't agree with the assertion that Israel should be disassembled as a nation. I don't see how that is even practical. However, I think the rabbis at Neturei Karta (along with similar Jewish organizations) raise a legitimate point that we as Christians need to consider. While we shouldn't be wishing ill upon any nation, it is reasonable and practical to question how much we're supporting a nation. What Zionists do in Palestine is their own business. Ultimately they will reap what they've sown -- good, bad or ugly. For Christians however, to blindly support a political (and unbiblical) ideology such as Zionism is niave at best, and heresy at worst. We really must be careful who we throw our support behind. While we must strive to love all people, Jews and Muslims included, the only people Chistians should be "supporting" in the Holy Land are other Christians -- Israeli, Palestinian and Lebanese! That's it. In the end, that is what Christ will hold us accountable too.
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