Letters to the Editor
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The 800 Pound Gorillas are Radical Islam and Israel's Right to Exist
Is there strong Christian Fundamentalist support for Israel? Of course. Is this the main reason the US supports Israel? Of course not!
The United States supports Israel because it is a democracy and our strongest ally in the Middle East. Israel needs time to destroy or weaken an enemy of the United States (Hezbollah) and the United States is giving Israel as much time as possible.
Any war with Hezbollah is abolutely going to result in escalating violence to civilians since Hezbollah has no qualms about firing missiles at Israeli civilians and using Lebanese civilians as human shields. Does that mean Israel should never fight Hezbollah? Even when attacked? Should Israel be attacking Hezbollah in South Lebanon to create a buffer zone to be filled by Lebanon's army and a UN or NATO army that can ensure peace and the possibility of true democracy in Lebanon?
I challenge Salon to write one article that describes the complete history, politics and beliefs of Hezbollah and Hezbollah's place in Lebanon's future. It would be much better reading than the sum of articles that dance around the truth and attack Israel with innuendo. I'm sure Juan Cole, Mitch Prothero or some of Salon's other journalists would be happy to write such a piece.
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"Israel's current conflict with Lebanon"
Israel's conflict is with Hezbollah, NOT Lebanon. Lebanon has become the unwilling and unwarranted sacrifical lamb for two hate-filled antagonists, both of whom are in the wrong.
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"Can you feel the soft beating of your heart in anticipation of His soon return?"
"Can you hear the soft tread of the Messiah's footstep? Can you feel the soft beating of your heart in anticipation of His soon return?"
Son of Sam
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And the identity of the "New Rome" is.................
the United States of America.
Face it: there is only one country in the world today that matches the might of ancient Rome, there is only one country that matches the same degree of decedence as ancient Rome, there is only one country that has the same disparity of wealth distribution between the classes of society as ancient Rome, and that country is the United States of America. The multi-headed beast is the USA. At the head of the USA is a man who has proclaimed himself to have been anointed by God to be President of the Imperial United States of America, namely, George W. Bush.
Far from the USA being on the side of the angels, the USA is increasingly on the side of the demons.
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Why misuse the text?
The primary problem with the whole rapture polemic, as it is reported in both conservative and liberal media, is a profound ignorance of critical biblical scholarship. If you think that you can make sense out of the bible without studying it critically, you are mistaken. The problem with liberal media is that they don't generally think there's anything worth mining in the scriptures - so it can be dismissed with ironic ease. The problem with conservative media is that they don't consider that the scriptures can be read with anything but willful disregard for twenty centuries of critical study. Either approach misuses the text.
The bible doesn't talk about the rapture. It isn't in the book. The Revelation does not contain the narrative of LaHaye or any of the rest of the "Left Behind" mafia. The Revelation isn't about current events - it never was and it never will be. The Revelation is a book about the nascent Christian community at a particular time in its history, that's all.
The bible is full of wisdom. But to believe that you can pick out end-time data from it cafeteria style is to misuse it. Better for us to use our hearts and minds to create a better world for everyone. That's honoring the bible's wisdom.
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False Teachers at the End...
In the Bible, another sign of the approach of the End is the rise of false teachers. I sometimes try to suggest to Christianist preachers and radio hosts that they themselves may be the false teachers. But they never listen to me. They think I am just a Salon-posting smart-ass.
Our high officials in Washington are NOT all apocalypse-welcoming fundamentalists. But plenty of their supporters are. And these people are so certain, so sure of themselves, that they cannot even have a rational conversation.
Ironically, the only way they might come to their senses would be if we actually had an apocalypse, and they found themselves left behind, and realized they have been fighting for Satan all along.
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When you rapture
I got dibs on your stuff.
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Left Behind in Nordstrom's
you beat me to it. HA! Can I be left behind at Saks?
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Dear Joy David
I also have known Jason's family since before he was born, and let me assure you he is no hipper than...well...anyone. Unless you call oversized plaid button-down shirts and half a bottle of Zima before naptime "hip."
But I can also vouch that there is no agenda other than trying to build understanding. And reading some of the other letters posted leads me to think that some understanding is needed. Yes there are crazy christians. But most of them just want to live simply and compassionately. I would count the Boyett family among those.
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ally? democracy?
re "The United States supports Israel because it is a democracy and our strongest ally in the Middle East"
This is the same old AIPAC propaganda. Does an ally bomb your ship, kill your sailors (USS Liberty), spy on you (Pollard,Franklin) and act other ways that do not serve your best interests? Democracy? I suppose that depends on your definition of "democracy." Perhaps Israel is a "democracy" for its Jewish citizens, but then that leaves out an entire population of non-Jewish citizens who do not have full rights or access to the benefits of citizenship in a Jewish state.
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History of Hezbollah
Hey Michael B; Hezbollah was formed in the year after Israel's 1981 invasion of Lebabon, an ivasion that killed 14,000 Lebonese within months. Tell me how the Lebonese people should have responded to such carnage. Tell me how America would have responded to an invasion of such overwelming force (perhaps one has to go back to the days of the War of Independence).
If it is irresponsible for the Lebanese people and government to allow this group to stay involved in Lebanonese life and politics, it is no less responsible than the American voter giving the current gang of liars and criminals "4 more years".
On a differnet note, how is the joy that the Muslim fundamenatlist over dying a marter in a suicide bombing any different than the joy an "end times" true believer feels about the "end of days"? I wonder how these wingbats feel that their belief system is superior to anyone else's, given the joy they feel about a vast chunk of humanity having no future at all.