tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-76350319137978284112024-02-19T02:25:00.181-08:00The Kosher NinjaAnti semites, Evangelicals, & Israel bashers of the world - beware!
The Kosher Ninja is here to counter your bigotry, expose your attempts to convert Jews, and defend Israel, the sole democracy in the Middle East.
Am Yisrael Chai!Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger29125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7635031913797828411.post-21277630926824412622009-11-06T05:24:00.000-08:002009-11-06T05:24:00.952-08:00The Truth About The BNP<em>(originally posted April 16th at original blog site)</em><br />
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Something scary is happening in British politics: the British National Party (BNP) is gaining support.<br />
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The group recently gained a seat and is clearly luring voters who are fed up with the mainstream parties.<br />
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And with its catchy – albeit unoriginal – slogan ‘<em>British jobs for British people’</em>, it’s easy to see why the BNP appeals to the thousands who are livid over British companies awarding huge contacts to foreign firms.<br />
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Watch a BNP spokesman on TV and you’re likely to see an articulate, smartly dressed man; his hair, suit and indeed his language will be immaculate. He’ll dismiss any suggestion that the BNP discriminates against non Whites. As for links between the BNP and neo Nazi groups, all of which have been well documented by the media, well, ‘that’s ‘all in the past’, he’ll assure you earnestly.<br />
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And chances are, you’ll be tempted to believe him.<br />
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But here’s the thing: no matter how much the BNP has tried to whitewash – no pun intended – its past, the fact remains: BNP policies are racist and the BNP is a neo Nazi group.<br />
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Please, examine the evidence, and ask yourself if you really want people like this running the country. Britain fought the Nazis in WW2. To now support the BNP is a slap in the face to every single British soldier who lost his life battling the Germans.<br />
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<strong>BNP: Background</strong><br />
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According to the BNP general election manifesto, “native Britons”, <strong><em>who they claim can only be white,</em></strong> would be given priority in the job market. “<strong>Non-whites” would instantly become second class citizens in Britain.</strong><br />
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Any black person who commits a crime would also be thrown out of the country, even those who were born here.<br />
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Mixed race relationships would be outlawed.<br />
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The BNP constitution says that anyone who cannot prove a link to Britain before 1948 can never be considered British. <br />
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The BNP says:<br />
“The British National Party stands for the preservation of the national and ethnic character of the British people and is wholly opposed to any form of racial integration between British and non-European peoples.<br />
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It is therefore committed to stemming and reversing the tide of non-white immigration.” <br />
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- BNP constitution<br />
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And despite their attempts to appear ‘non racist’, BNP leaders have continued to slip up and express their true views. <br />
“All black people will be repatriated, even if they were born here”, BNP leader Nick Griffin told Wales on Sunday in 1996. “We must preserve the white race, because it has been responsible for all the good things in civilisation”.<br />
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Former National Organiser Richard Edmonds was convicted for his part in a vicious bottle attack on a mixed race couple in a pub in East London 1993<br />
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BNP supporter Stuart Kerr was sentenced to 12 years imprisonment for firebombing an Asian shop in Chichester, Sussex<br />
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BNP leader Nick Griffin was convicted of incitement to racial hatred in April 1998. The magazine he edited, ‘Rune’, was full of hatred towards Jews, not to mention <strong>Holocaust Denial.</strong><br />
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The BNP organiser for Waltham Forest, Alan Gould, was convicted of racially abusing people in a pub in 2000<br />
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Former BNP member David Copeland was sentenced to six life sentences after planting bombs in London. He wanted to start a ‘race war’.<br />
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The BNP has a nasty habit of glorifying racist attacks. In 1991, the BNP newspaper gloated after several BNP supporters stabbed an African immigrant at London Bridge station. The victim had his “kidney surgically removed “kidney surgically removed”, the paper boasted.<br />
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In the same year, the BNP leadership stirred up a racist riot in Bermondsey, London, and led an attack on an anti-racist meeting that was protesting against the BNP headquaters in Welling. <strong>Thirteen people required hospital treatment.</strong><br />
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A BNP presence has almost always culminated in “race hate”. When Derek Beackon was elected as a BNP councillor in Millwall, racist attacks in the area soared by 300%<br />
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<strong>BNP and Holocaust Denial</strong><br />
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BNP leader Nick Griffin has always tried to deny the Holocaust. Indeed, he actually condemned notorious Revisionist David Irving, British Holocaust denier, for daring to admit that <em>’some people might have died in the Holocaust.’</em><br />
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Specifically, Griffin wrote: <br />
<blockquote>“<strong>True revisionists will not be fooled by this new twist to the sorry tale of the Hoax of the Twentieth Century”.</strong></blockquote>Star witness as Harrow Crown Court on Griffin’s behalf was Robert Faurisson, the famous French Holocaust denier.<br />
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In the 1990s the BNP hosted a number of revisionism seminars that were addressed by some of the world’s most infamous Holocaust deniers. They included David Irving.<br />
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<strong>The BNP’s Criminal Activity</strong><br />
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The ranks of the criminals extend to the very highest level of the party. They include:<br />
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Nick Griffin (Party Chairman) Received a two-year suspended sentence in April 1998 for inciting racial hatred. His magazine The Runecarried obscene anti-Semitic and Holocaust denial material as well as crude racism.<br />
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Tony Lecomber (Group Development Officer). In 1985 he was convicted on five counts for offences under the Explosives Act, including possession of homemade hand-grenades and electronic timing devices. Sentenced to three-years imprisonment.<br />
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In 1991 he was sentenced to another three years imprisonment for unlawful wounding for his part in an attack on a Jewish schoolteacher whom he caught trying to peel off a BNP sticker at an underground station. He has a total of 12 convictions.<br />
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Colin Smith (South East London organiser). Has amassed a total of 17 convictions for burglary, theft, stealing cars, possession of drugs and assaulting a police officer.<br />
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John Tyndall (founder of the BNP). Six convictions. In 1962 he was jailed for organising a paramilitary organisation. Four years later, he was again sent to prison for possession of a loaded gun. In 1986, he was convicted for incitement to racial hatred under the Public Order Act and sentenced to 12 months imprisonment.<br />
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Warren Bennett (Chief Steward). Supposed to keep order in the party yet has convictions for football hooliganism. In 1998, he was deported from France with over 50 other Scottish hooligans, including several BNP members.<br />
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Steve Belshaw (East Midlands BNP organiser. Was convicted in 1994 for assaulting a lawyer in his home-town of Mansfield. At the time, Belshaw combined his BNP membership with Combat 18 activity.<br />
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Kevin Scott (North East Regional Organiser). Was convicted in 1993 for hurling a glass at a black customer in a pub.<br />
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Alan Gould (Waltham Forest Organiser). Was convicted in 2000 for racially abusing people in a local pub. He told the court that it was the drink getting the better of him.<br />
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Robert Bennett. A leading activist in Oldham BNP during the 2002 elections campaign, Bennett has served five years in prison for the gang rape of a woman. He has also served seven years for armed robbery and has over 30 convictions in total.<br />
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Mick Treacy. The Oldham organiser has five convictions for violence, theft, and handling stolen goods.<br />
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Darren Dobson. Found guilty of racially aggravated assault at Oldham magistrates in November 2001. Fined £300. Connected to football hooligans in the Oldham area, and has links to the nazi terror group Combat 18<br />
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Darren Hoy. April 2002, the BNP supporter was sent to prison for 3 months for racially abusing people as they left an anti-fascist rally in Oldham.<br />
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<strong>And what does the BNP say when confronted with these facts?</strong><br />
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When interviewed by the BBC Panorama team in September 2001 on the convictions of its leading members, party leader Nick Griffin just lied. He claimed Tony Lecomber, his deputy, merely had a conviction for handling fireworks. He also claimed that party chief steward Warren Bennett had a minor conviction “some 15 years ago” but had not been in trouble since. The truth is that Bennett has been named in the Scottish press for violence as recently as 2002. Griffin also tried to claim that Colin Smith had no convictions.<br />
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<strong>The BNP’s International Neo Nazi Links</strong><br />
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The BNP is linked to some of the most extreme and fanatical nazi, fascist, and racist groups around. They include:<br />
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National Alliance, the foremost nazi group in the United States. NA speakers regularly address BNP meeting in the US and, in 1995, it founder and leader, William Pierce, spoke at the BNP annual rally in London. When Pierce died in the summer of 2002, the BNP posted an obituary on its website. <br />
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Pierce was the author of The Turner Diaries, the fictional account of a Race War. The book proved to be an inspiration for the Oklahoma City bomber, Timothy McVeigh, and the London nailbomber David Copeland.<br />
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David Duke, a former Grand Wizard of the Ku Klux, is very close to Nick Griffin and the BNP. Griffin has regularly shared platforms with Duke and the American’s antisemitic and Holocaust denial material is sold through the BNP. Duke is currently living in Russia in a bid to avoid the US taxman.<br />
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National Democratic Party, Germany’s leading nazi group. NPD leaders deny the Holocaust took place and revere Adolf Hitler. The NPD shares many of its activists with the outlawed Blood and Honour skinhead movement. Griffin addressed a NPD rally in August 2002. NPD activists have attended BNP events in Britain.<br />
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Front National, the French fascist group led by Jean-Marie Le Pen. Le Pen was convicted for dismissing the Holocaust as a “mere detail” of the Second World War and for violence. BNP supporters are regular attendees at the FN’s annual summer festival and Griffin has publicly stated his admiration for the group. A member of the FN leadership addressed the 2002 BNP Red, White and Blue festival.<br />
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Holocaust deniers. <br />
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The BNP, and especially Nick Griffin, are close to many of the world’s leading Holocaust deniers. Robert Faurisson, one of the foremost Holocaust deniers, was a star witness at Griffin’s trial for racial hatred in 1998. The German Gunter Deckert, who has been to prison for denying the Holocaust, spoke at a London BNP meeting in 2001. Even the British Holocaust denier and antisemite, David Irving, has addressed BNP meetings.<br />
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American Renaissance. A far right US based publication that supports the notion of the biological superiority of white people. Each edition is packed with the theories of race-science, and grim statistics showing the moral degeneracy of black people. Griffin spoke at their annual conference in February 2002 on “Racial friction in Britain and Europe”.<br />
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Blood and Honour. <br />
Blood and Honour is the openly nazi skinhead organisation in Britain. Many of its leaders are BNP members and Blood and Honour nazi bands have raised money for the BNP.<br />
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Speaking to a private nazi meeting in the US in 2001, Nick Griffin admitted that the party’s new-found respectability was simply a tactic to con the British people. “My politics have not changed,” he told the audience of racists and nazis. “I still believe in fighting for this,” he added, pointing to his white skin.<br />
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And here are some very recent incidents from the excellent ‘Hope Not Hate’ campaign, which is trying desperately to expose the BNP’s true colours. Visit their site here.<br />
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The wonderful <em><strong>Searchlight </strong></em>magazine is also working hard to expose the BNP. Check out Searchlight HERE<br />
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Check out this recent story from The Guardian:<br />
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A FRIGHTENED mum-of-two has been left too scared to leave her home after she was allegedly called a ‘n*****’ by a British National Party (BNP) canvasser during a racist tirade in front of her five year old son. <br />
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Shirlene Tobin, of Wanstead, has refused to leave her house since the incident – on Tuesday evening – during which she alleges the female BNP activist told her to ‘come to me because I don’t come to n*****s’ when she tried to hand back a political leaflet that was posted through her front door. <br />
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The 43 year-old – who works as a nurse at Whipps Cross University Hospital – called the police immediately after the alleged attack at about 7.30pm – which she said has left her fearing for her family’s safety. <br />
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She said: “I couldn’t believe what this woman said to me in the middle of the street in front of my son." <br />
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“I walked after her to try and give the leaflet back but got a load of racist abuse. <br />
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Original story here.<br />
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And from SEARCHLIGHT:<br />
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BNP deputy leader addresses international fascist rally<br />
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Home news <br />
credit: HOPE not hate / Searchlight by Sonia Gable on: Sunday, 5 April 2009<br />
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The deputy leader of the British National Party has spoken at an international fascist rally alongside a man convicted of a terrorism offence and a convicted Holocaust denier. <br />
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Simon Darby claims he addressed a 400-strong audience in Milan today (5 April). Representatives of extreme-right parties in Germany, France, Romania, Hungary and Cyprus were expected to take part in the meeting.<br />
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Darby, who flew out to Italy this morning, heads the BNP’s European election candidates’ list for the West Midlands, a region in which the party could win a seat. He has a “Mr Clean” reputation in a party in which many leading activists have criminal convictions, a Nazi past or both.<br />
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The rally was titled: “Our Europe; Peoples and Traditions Against Banks and Big Powers”, a change from the original, “Our Europe; Peoples and Traditions Against Banks and Usury”. The term “usury” is traditionally used by Nazis against Jews and it may have been altered to avoid accusations of antisemitism.<br />
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BNP threatens prominent anti-fascist trade unionist<br />
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Home news <br />
credit: Morning Star on: Tuesday, 3 February 2009<br />
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Source: Click here for original article<br />
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UNION activists condemned BNP threats against prominent anti-fascist and Merseyside TUC leader Alec McFadden on Tuesday.<br />
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Some 20 BNP thugs were reported to have delivered thousands of leaflets at the weekend to homes in the area in Liverpool where Mr McFadden lives, exhorting his neighbours to confront him for organising anti-nazi protests in the city.<br />
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The leaflet tries to hijack the current unofficial energy workers’ strikes by claiming that the workers’ demands in the dispute are the same as the BNP’s, and declares that Mr McFadden needs “coaching” to understand this.<br />
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Almost three years ago, Mr McFadden was stabbed on his doorstep in front of his daughter by a fascist thug and fellow union activists were quick to respond to the new threats.<br />
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North-west TUC chairman Steve Farley said that this “targeting and attempted intimidation” by the BNP “of committed trade unionists like Alec shows the true nature of this so-called political party.<br />
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“Union members will continue to oppose the BNP lies and will continue to reject their divisive and opportunist attempts to divide workers on the basis of nationality or race,” he declared.<br />
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National Union of Journalists Merseyside rep Mike Studley branded the nazi threat “an apalling act of political intimidation” and local Labour MP Angela Eagle has given Mr McFadden her support.<br />
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Mr McFadden courageously dismissed the fascists’ threats against him, but highlighted reports of BNP activists joining picket lines during the unofficial strikes to point out that unions should not be “complacent” about the nazis.<br />
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“The far-right is on the rise and they are attacking trade unionists because they know that we are organised and strong,” he stressed.<br />
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Also, from HOPE NOT HATE:<br />
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“This recently shot DVD reveals the true nature of the BNP – in their own words. It shows them behind closed doors when they think the public are not watching. It proves that they are still nazis.<br />
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The sign on the door says No Blacks. Inside, BNP members sing racist and pro-Nazi songs. They glorify the Holocaust, and call for blacks to be killed. They give nazi salutes as they chant the names of Hitler’s henchmen.<br />
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This is the real face of the BNP – the one that they try to hide from voters. <br />
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One of the people giving a Nazi salute is Scott McLean, who was until recently the deputy leader of the BNP. Another person present is Kenny Smith, who until the recent personal feud was the party’s Head of Administration. <br />
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When pressed about this video, the BNP dismissed it by claiming that the men were just messing around. It now emerges that Nick Griffin attended a similar event a few years before with many of the same people as in this video. Like now, he too gave a Nazi salute. No wonder he wasn’t keen to expel the Nazis in this video from the BNP. <br />
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The BNP say they have changed. This DVD proves they are the same Nazis they always were. “<br />
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To view the DVD, just click HERE<br />
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<strong><em>Still think the BNP may be the perfect party to rule Britain…?</em></strong>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7635031913797828411.post-82406195216357671862009-11-06T04:20:00.000-08:002009-11-06T04:20:58.079-08:00Muslim Cleric 'Explains' That Everyone 'Hates Jews'Ah... yet more love from the 'religion of peace'...!<br />
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An Egyptian cleric has cheerfully 'explained' to millions of Muslims that Jews are hated by everyone and everything. Apparently trees and animals also loathe Jews. Egyptian cleric <strong>Amin Al-Ansari</strong> made the claims two weeks ago that on Egypt's Al-Rahma satellite network. <br />
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<blockquote><strong>"People hate (Jews). They don't like them. We are not talking only about people. The same goes even for trees and animals."</strong><br />
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The program was translated from Arabic by the Middle East Media Research Institute. <br />
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Al-Ansari stated:<br />
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<blockquote><strong>"You know, there is rather peculiar footage, in which an Arab man who has a camel loves it and kisses it, and the camel kisses him back. Along comes a Jew and wants to kiss the camel, just like the Arab. What do you think the camel did? Let's watch."</strong></blockquote><br />
The network then cut to what appeared to be staged footage of a man dressed in Arab garb kissing a camel while another man wearing a white yarmulke attempts to kiss the camel - prompting the animal to try to bite the 'jew'. <br />
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<strong>"Animals can sense things,"</strong> explained Al-Ansari. <br />
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He continued:<br />
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<strong><blockquote><strong>"god has filled people's hearts with loathing for these Jews. Let's take a look at the field of sports. Let's see how the Jews are hated in the field of sports. They are abhorred. Let's take a look."</strong></blockquote><br />
The Al-Rahma program cuts to footage of an English league soccer game showing a Chelsea player kicking the Israeli soccer player Yossi Benayoun, who plays for Liverpool. <br />
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Al-Ansari 'explains':<br />
<blockquote><strong>"Look at this Jew being kicked. People hate them. They don't like them,"</strong></blockquote><br />
The cleric then goes on to quote Mohammed:<br />
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<blockquote><strong>"The proof is that the Prophet Muhammad said that when Judgment Day draws near, the final war between the Muslims and the Jews will take place. The Prophet said that the Muslims would kill the Jews. 'Judgment Day will not come before the Muslims fight the Jews and kill them.'</strong><br />
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He added, citing from a hadith, a collection of the sayings of Muhammad: <br />
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<strong><blockquote><strong>"The Muslims will kill the Jews. Be patient. All the trees and all the stones will say: 'Oh Muslim, oh servant of Allah, there is a Jew behind me, come and kill him – except for the Gharqad tree.' Only one kind of tree will not call [the Muslims]. It is the Gharqad tree."</strong></blockquote><br />
Hard to believe that Egypt signed a peace treaty with Israel in 1979, isn't it...? You'd never know it from the Egyptian news media, which includes government-run newspapers and television networks. They regularly feature anti-Semitic and anti-Israel propaganda. <br />
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Islam. The religion with so much <strong><em>lurve.</em></strong><br />
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</strong> </strong>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7635031913797828411.post-74840665884928903042009-11-06T03:29:00.000-08:002009-11-06T03:29:17.225-08:00ScriptureThis basic guide is not just for Jews. It is for anyone who would like to counter the arguments used by Evangelical Christians. As most of these debates do focus on the Jewish texts, however, this article will be especially relevant to Jews.<br />
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Most Missionaries will try and engage Jews in debate about Scripture. Beware: unless you know some basics about the Jewish Tanakh, it's easy to be taken in by the so-called 'proofs' that Missionaries will offer you.<br />
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Here are some basics about Jewish scriptures, and also some responses to use when the Missionaries come calling...!<br />
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<strong>The Torah</strong><br />
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The Jewish holy text is the Torah. This comprises the five books of Moses:<br />
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Bereshit (Genesis)<br />
Shemot (Exodus)<br />
Vayikra (Leviticus)<br />
Bamidbar (Numbers)<br />
Devarim (Deuteronomy)<br />
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In every Synagogue across the world, the Torah appears in scroll form. For Jews, it is the direct word of G-d. Traditional Jewish belief is that G-d spoke to a huge gathering of Jews at Mount Sinai, and all present heard his voice. G-d dictated the Torah to Moses, who wrote it down.<br />
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This is the view of Orthodox Jews. Less religious Jews, members of Conservative and Reform Judaism, may not agree that the Torah comes from G-d, literally. Rather, they may argue that the Torah was compiled over a long period of time, with several authors. Some support for this idea comes from the different writing styles apparent throughout the five books.<br />
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Either way, all Jews recognise the Torah as their holy text, and all Jewish boys, and many Jewish girls, learn a portion of the Torah, in Hebrew, for their bar/bat mitzvahs.<br />
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The Torah is not something which can be taken literally, nor understood at face value. Jews believe that every single letter is full of meaning. In short, we view the Torah as a message written by G-d to us as Jews. The word ‘Torah’ means ‘instruction’. Thus the Torah is G-d’s instructions to us, for Within the Torah are the commandments and teachings of Judaism.<br />
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But the Torah is also a history book. It contains within it the earliest history of the Jews. So although we might not always take it literally, we hold that much of the Torah is essentially true.<br />
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<strong>The Talmud - The Oral Torah</strong><br />
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The actual word ‘Torah’ refers also to the Oral Torah, which was given along with the written Torah to Moses at Mount Sinai.<br />
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The Oral Torah comprises explanations of the written Torah, as well as extra bits of advice and wisdom offered by Moses.<br />
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Originally, Jews did not commit the Oral Torah to written form. Instead, it was taught by fathers to their sons, generation after generation. But eventually, the Jewish leaders realised that there was a risk of all the knowledge being lost, because Jews were being attacked and killed with increasing frequency.<br />
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So in the second century CE, the Jewish leader at that time, Judah HaNasi, wrote down a basic outline of the fundamental aspects of Oral Torah. This was then divided into six parts – known as the Mishnah (’repetition’). This ratified the Oral tradition.<br />
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After this, over several generations, Rabbis and sages met to discuss and debate the Mishnah, to clarify its principles and to add other oral teachings that had been part of Judaism since Mount Sinai. These additions are known as the Gemara (’completion’).<br />
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Together, the Mishnah and Gemara make up the TALMUD.<br />
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The Talmud, then, illuminates and clarifies the written Torah, the five books of Moses. The Talmud comprises a series of volumes, full of discussions and debates, rulings and proverbs, with some folklore and humour in addition. Almost every topic under the sun is covered, for the Talmud shows us how to apply Torah to life.<br />
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<strong>As one Jewish author puts it: ‘<em>The Torah is G-d speaking to us. The Talmud is us answering!’</em></strong><br />
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<strong>Frequently asked questions about Jewish texts:</strong><br />
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Q: Is it true that there are insultings things written about Gentiles in the Talmud?<br />
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Answer: Sadly, this rumour appears to be a popular one. There is no truth whatsoever to it. The Talmud is primarily concerned with Jewish religious law and how to apply it. Where non Jews are mentioned, it is certainly not in a negative light at all. Judaism holds all humans as being equal. It makes no difference which faith a person follows. ‘Love thy neighbour’ is a Jewish teaching, found in the Torah thousands of years before Christianity also began using it.<br />
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Q: Is the ‘old testament’ the same thing as the Tanakh?<br />
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Answer: No. The ‘old testament’ is a purely Christian text. It was produced by the Church, thousands of years after the Tanakh. Some versions of the OT are very accurate and reliable. But some are not, and in these we find significant mistranslations and misinterpretations of the original Hebrew. In addition, the OT is organised differently to the Tanakh, with ‘chapter breaks’ inserted that do not appear in the original Jewish text.<br />
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Jews don’t study the OT at all. In fact, the very name ‘old’ testament illustrates it is a Christian document. Why would Judaism label its OWN scriptures as ‘old’?!<br />
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It is rather frustrating for Jews; our scriptures have been taken on by another faith, changed, and then, historically, used by Christianity to ‘prove’ that Jews are ‘wrong’ and that Jesus is ‘foreshadowed’ in the Jewish scriptures! <br />
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*Some* Christians argue that they understand the Jewish texts better than Jews themselves. Yet Jews study the Tanakh, for the most part, in the original Hebrew. Most (not all) Christians study the OT, which is a translation OF a translation OF the Tanakh.<br />
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Q:But what about the Septuagint?<br />
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The Septuagint refers to the Greek version of the Tanakh. But what many people don’t realise is that only the Torah part (five books of Moses) was actually translated by Jews. All the rest was translated by non Jews. And if we compare, for example, Isaiah in the Tanakh, with Isaiah in the Septuagint, it is clear that the Septuagint does not reflect the original Hebrew at all.<br />
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Ultimately, the entire Septuagint was revised by the Church, and ceased to have any link to Judaism.<br />
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Here is a particularly interesting comment on the Septuagint, by <strong>Rabbi Tovia Singer</strong>, from the excellent website <strong>Outreach Judaism.</strong><br />
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<blockquote>“… the Septuagint in our hands is not a Jewish document, but rather a Christian one. The original Septuagint, created 2,200 years ago by 72 Jewish translators, was a Greek translation of the Five Books of Moses alone.<br />
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It therefore did not contain prophetic Books of the Bible such as Isaiah. The Septuagint as we have it today, which includes the Prophets and Writings as well, is a product of the Church, not the Jewish people. In fact, the Septuagint remains the official Old Testament of the Greek Orthodox Church, and the manuscripts that consist of our Septuagint today date to the third century C.E. <br />
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<blockquote>The fact that additional books known as the Apocrypha, which are uniquely sacred to the Roman Catholic and Orthodox Church, are found in the Septuagint should raise a red flag to those inquiring into the Jewishness of the Septuagint.<br />
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Christians such as Origin and Lucian (third and fourth century C.E.) had an enormous impact on creating and shaping the Septuagint that missionaries use to advance their untenable arguments against Judaism. In essence, the present Septuagint is largely a post-second century Christian translation of the Bible, used zealously by the Church throughout the centuries as an indispensable apologetic instrument to defend and sustain Christological alterations of the Jewish scriptures.<br />
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The fact that the original Septuagint translated by rabbis more than 22 centuries ago was only of the Pentateuch and not of prophetic books of the Bible such as Isaiah is confirmed by countless sources including the ancient Letter of Aristeas, which is the earliest attestation to the existence of the Septuagint. The Talmud also states this explicitly in Tractate Megillah (9a), and Josephus as well affirms that the Septuagint was a translation only of the Law of Moses in his preface to Antiquities of the Jews.<br />
</blockquote><blockquote>Moreover, Jerome, a church father and Bible translator who could hardly be construed as friendly to Judaism, affirms Josephus’ statement regarding the authorship of the Septuagint in his preface to The Book of Hebrew Questions.2 Likewise, the Anchor Bible Dictionary reports precisely this point in the opening sentence of its article on the Septuagint which states, “The word ‘Septuagint,’ (from Lat septuaginta = 70; hence the abbreviation LXX) derives from a story that 72 elders translated the Pentateuch into Greek; the term therefore applied originally only to those five books.”<br />
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<blockquote>In fact, <strong>Dr. F.F. Bruce,</strong> the preeminent professor of Biblical exegesis, keenly points out that, strictly speaking, the Septuagint deals only with the Pentateuch and not the whole Old Testament. Bruce writes, “The Jews might have gone on at a later time to authorize a standard text of the rest of the Septuagint, but . . . lost interest in the Septuagint altogether. With but few exceptions, every manuscript of the Septuagint which has come down to our day was copied and preserved in Christian, not Jewish, circles.“</blockquote><br />
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Q: What are some of the specific differences between the Christian Old Testament, and the Jewish Tanakh?<br />
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Answer: Below I provide a partial list. I’d like to first reiterate: some versions of the OT have been revised and are pretty accurate and reliable. Others are not. Below are some of the discrepancies which appear in some versions of the OT:<br />
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1. Zechariah 12:10 − The Hebrew Tanakh: “and they shall look upon me whom they have stabbed/ thrust through [with swords”)<br />
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The King James Version of Zechariah changes one word [stabbed] to “pierced.”<br />
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BUT John 19:37 (New Testament) misquotes Zechariah to change the entire meaning by saying, “They shall look on him (instead of ME) whom they pierced.”<br />
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2. Isaiah 7:14 − The Hebrew Tanakh says “Therefore, the Lord, of His own, shall give you a sign; behold, the young woman (alma) is with child, and she will bear a son and she shall call his name Immanuel.”<br />
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**Take note, this was written in the present tense.<br />
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But the Greek Septuagint changed “alma,” saying “Behold, a virgin shall be with child and shall bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel” (Matthew 1:22-23). The church changed the entire verse from present to FUTURE tense and then went further to change the Hebrew alma, meaning a young woman to virgin.<br />
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3. Isaiah 53:10 − The Hebrew Tanakh says “And the Lord wished to crush him, He made him ill; if his soul makes itself restitution (acknowledge guilt) he shall see children, he shall prolong his days and God’s purpose shall prosper in his hand.”<br />
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But the KJV says:: “Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise him; he had put him to grief: when thou shall make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand”..<br />
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4. Psalm 16:9-10 − (KJV) “Therefore my heart is glad and my glory rejoiceth: my flesh also shall rest in hope. (10) For thou will not leave my soul in hell, neither will you suffer thine Holy One to see corruption”. Why not continue to the next verse? Christians can not because David wasn’t talking about Jesus; David was talking about himself. (Psalm 16:11) “You will show me the path of life, in your presence is fullness of joy; at your right hand there are pleasures for evermore.”<br />
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Psalm 16:9-10 in the Hebrew Tanakh says “Therefore, my heart rejoiced and my soul was glad; even my flesh shall dwell in safety. (10) For You shall not forsake my soul to the grave; You shall not allow Your pious one to see the pit.”<br />
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Where is ‘Hell’, and ‘Corruption’ as the New Testament stated? It did not exist! .<br />
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The Hebrew translation of Psalm 16:10 tells of David again talking to God, rejoicing that God will not forsake his soul to the grave. While David is alive he will dwell in safety because God will protect his flesh from injury, and G-d will show him the way. Does verse 11 relate to Jesus? If Jesus is part of the godhead, as Christians say, how can G-d show him the way?<br />
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5. Isaiah 9:5 − The Hebrew Tanakh reads: “For a child has been born to us, a son has been given us and authority has settled on his shoulders. He has been named “The Mighty G-d” Isaiah was referring to King Hezekiah, son of Ahaz.<br />
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Again, in an attempt to insert a Jesus prophecy, the KJV changed the tense from the present to the future, making it, “A child is born, a son is given and the government shall be upon his shoulder and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, the Mighty G-d”. [In Hebrew Hezekiah means “the mighty G-d.”]<br />
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6. In John, the New Testament author tries to make Jesus as the perfect sacrificial lamb of God (who then supposedly takes away the sins of the world) and relate this to the Jewish Passover. [John’s writings have Jesus die on Passover, while the other Gospel authors say he died the day after.] John 19:32-36 tells of soldiers breaking the legs of the crucifixion victims to hasten their deaths, yet sparing Jesus because he was already dead. To this end the author of John supposedly quotes Hebrew Scripture saying, “For these things were done, that the Scripture should be fulfilled, a bone of him shall not be broken.” The New Testament “fulfilled prophecy” supposedly refers to Exodus 12:46; Numbers 9:12 and to Psalms 34:20.<br />
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Notice how conveniently John changed the entire meaning by simply changing of Exodus 12:46 by changing one word: “it” to “him.” Exodus 12:46 refers to the PASSOVER-offering, “…and you shall not break a bone in it (the animal).”<br />
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Numbers 9:12 again refer to the PASSOVER-offering, “…nor shall they break a bone of it”. Again, by changing one word, the original message is lost.<br />
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Psalms 34:20 refers to David saying no one becomes truly righteous and great without his share of mishaps,<br />
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CONTINUATION:He guards all his bones, even one of them was not broken.” Nothing ever shows that this Psalm was intended as prophetic, certainly not applying to the future fictitious character of Jesus.<br />
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(NOTE: Jesus would have been disqualified as a Passover ’sacrifice’ because the female lamb had to be “without blemish.” Jesus was wounded, whipped and mutilated.)<br />
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7. Psalm 2: 11-12. By simply leaving off one Aramaic word, Christians altered the entire verse. The KJV reads, “Serve the Lord with fear and rejoice with trembling. Kiss the Son, lest he be angry and you perish from the way”<br />
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The original Hebrew Tanakh records the verses as “Do homage in purity (nash-ku bar) lest He be angry and you perish”. The meaning of the Hebrew word “bar” is pure or clear. Yes, in Aramaic, the word “bar” does mean son, but it is used only as a combination of two words – SON OF. If in Aramaic, the author wanted to mean just the son, he would have used the phrase “ber’a with the letter alef at the end. (Psalm 2:11-12).<br />
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8. Matthew 2:23 − “And he (Jesus) came and dwelt in a city called Nazareth: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophets”<br />
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Which prophets said that?<br />
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According to scholars, rabbis and historians, the city of Nazareth did not exist during the writings of Hebrew Scriptures.<br />
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The word “Nazareth” does not appear anywhere in Hebrew Scriptures. This is even verified by the New Testament Concordance!<br />
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Therefore, Nazareth and Nazarene are Christian words, not Hebrew words. Nazareth is not mentioned in non-Christian sources until the third or fourth century.<br />
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Nazarites are not a sect. but rather it is an individual oath taken by a person to be in effect for a time period. During this time the person is not allowed to cut their hair, go near a corpse, eat grapes or drink wine. Afterward he must bring special offerings to the Beith Hamikdash and shave his hair.<br />
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9. Psalm 22:16 from the Hebrew Tanakh when correctly translated reads “They surrounded my hands and feet like a lion” (the word “ka’ari clearly means like a lion, as evident from its use in Isaiah 38:13 and other writings, even in the KJV).<br />
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David was pursued by his enemies and often referred to them as “lions” (see Psalms 7 & 17).<br />
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Yet, when read out of context the KJV dmistranslates: “They pierced my hands and feet.” The passage was altered to indicate Jesus.<br />
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10. Using Isaiah 59:20, Christians again misquote Hebrew Scripture. The New Testament in Romans 11:26, has Paul supposedly saying, “And so all Israel shall be saved; as it is written. There shall come out of Zion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob.”<br />
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The Tanakh recorded a different event. Isaiah:“A redeemer will come to Zion, and to those of Jacob who repent from willful sin. Is it in or out of Jerusalem? Just change “to Zion” to “out of Zion.”<br />
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11. Hosea 6:2 − The Christian Bible has the authoress of Luke (24:46-47) telling that Jesus rose on the Third Day: “Thus it is written, and thus it behooved Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.” This could have only been designed to satisfy a prophecy in Hosea 6:2. The New Testament has Paul writing in I Corinthians, “and Jesus was buried and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures.” Further 1 Corinthians 15:4.says “After two days will he revive us: in the third day he will raise us up and we shall live in his sight.” Which Hebrew Scriptures are these authors talking about?<br />
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As usual, the source documents, The Hebrew Scriptures, say something entirely different:<br />
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Hosea 6:1-2 “They will say, Come let us return to God for He (God) has mangled us and He (God) will heal us; He (God) has smitten and He (God) will bandage us. He (God) will heal us after two days; on the third day He (God) will raise us up and we will live before Him. ‘We’ refers to the nation of Israel.<br />
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The last verse in Chapter 5 sets the scene and explains the situation very clearly: “I (God) will go, I will return to My place until they will acknowledge their guilt and seek My face; in their distress they will seek Me (Hosea 5:15). Hosea explains in verse 5 that God sent a clear-cut message to Israel through My prophets; you heard and refused to repent, so My offer resulted in your death sentence. How could I vindicate you after such defiance? Then Hosea explains: “Come let us return to God”!<br />
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Does this refer to Jesus?<br />
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Answer: No.<br />
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And a few more…<br />
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Psalm 2:11-12. This passage is cited often by Christians seeking to prove the Trinity. In the King James Bible, it reads:<br />
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“Serve the L-rd with fear, and rejoice with trembling. Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish from the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all they that put their trust in him.”<br />
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But the verse is mistranslated. The word rendered “the Son” is “bar”. In Hebrew, the word means “pure” and is correctly translated in Psalm 24 (”clean hands and a pure heart”). The Hebrew word for “son” is “ben”.<br />
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Confusion results from the fact that the word does mean “son” in Aramaic; but there is no Aramaic in any of the Psalms. In fact, verse 2:7, just a few verses before this passage, reads, “I will declare the decree: the L-rd hath said unto me, Thou art my Son [beni]; this day have I begotten thee”, proving that the word “ben” was known and used by the composer of Psalm 2. Verses 11 and 12 should read, “Serve the L-rd with fear, and rejoice with trembling. Desire what is pure, lest he be angry, and ye perish from the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all they that put their trust in him.”<br />
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This rendering makes it clear that the pronouns in verse 12 all refer to the L-rd, with no hint of a Trinity.<br />
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Even if we assume that “bar” means “son” here, that still doesn’t give us a Trinity. G-d has many sons. Israel is G-d’s firstborn son (Exodus 4:22; see also Hosea 11:1). The sons of G-d took wives from among the daughters of men (Genesis 6:1-2). The sons of G-d appeared before His throne, and Satan was among them (Job 1:6; 2:1).<br />
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Even Jesus says, “Blessed [are] the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of G-d” (Matthew 5:9). There is nothing in Psalm 2 which makes the “bar” any more G-d’s son than the sons mentioned above. <br />
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Isaiah 53:8 in the Christian bible reads “…for the transgression of my people he was stricken.”<br />
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Is this the correct translation from the Hebrew bible?<br />
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No. The correct translation of Isaiah 53:8 (from the Hebrew bible) is: “as a result of the transgression of my people, they were afflicted.”<br />
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The correct translation is THEY, not He! This Hebrew word for “they” appears over 40 times in the Hebrew bible – always translated as “they”!<br />
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ISAIAH 53<br />
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As all of my fellow Jews will no doubt agree, if there is one part of the Tanakh that many Christians use to ‘prove’ to us that Jesus is mentioned/referenced, it is this!<br />
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The problem is, they are not only mistranslating but also misinterpreting it.<br />
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Isaiah 53 actually starts with Chapter 52:13. In Hebrew, the scripture portions are divided by “stumas.” A space of several letters can be found at the closing of a passage before the next passage begins.<br />
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This can ***only*** be found in a Hebrew Bible. A Torah scribe has to strictly follow these rules. By reading the passage in its entirety, you learn that God is speaking to his servant and that the servant shall prosper and be exalted and be very high (Isaiah 52:13).<br />
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And who is the ’suffering servant’?<br />
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Christianity claims it is Jesus.<br />
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But in fact, it is Israel, as clearly shown in Isaiah 41:8 & 44:1-2 & 45:4. These verses continue to describe the amazement of the world when they see the Jewish people redeemed. In particular, they are written in an exclamatory fashion to describe how the nations “despised” the Jewish people and gave “no regard” for them. The reason it is written in the singular is because the Jews are regarded as one body, called “Israel.” There are many instances of the Jewish people being referred to with a singular pronoun throughout the Torah.<br />
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It’s also interesting to compare what is said in the Christian bible, *about* the Tanakh, to what is actually written in the Tanakh.<br />
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We find things that contradict the Tanakh:<br />
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Matthew 1:2-15 – His list of generations does not agree with Torah l Chronicles Ch. 1-3<br />
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Matthew 1:16 – he forgot Jewish law. The Jewish Scriptures state that a person’s genealogy and tribal membership is transmitted exclusively through the **biological** father (Numbers 1:18 Jeremiah 33:17)<br />
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Matthew 5:43 – Jesus says: “thou shalt love thy neighbor and hate thine enemy which You have heard that it hath been said”.<br />
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But in the Tanakh, Leviticus 19:18 does not mention any ‘enemy’.<br />
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Matthew 1511 – ‘Not that which goeth into the mouth defileth a man; but that which cometh out of the mouth, this defileth a man.’ Contradicted by all the dietary laws in the Tanakh.<br />
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Matthew on Isaiah:<br />
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Matt 1:23 – Mistakenly uses the Septuagint word for virgin instead of Hebrew “Almah” (young woman)<br />
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Matthew 1:23 – Misquotes Isaiah 7:14, “they” will call Jesus Immanuel, whereas Isaiah wrote “his mother” would call him Immanuel – not “they”.<br />
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Matthew 3:3 – Misinterprets and alters Isaiah 40:3 – “Prepare the way of the Lord”. Not so.<br />
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Matt 4:15 – Added “Galilee of the Gentiles” to Isaiah 9:1-2. Not in the Hebrew Tanakh.<br />
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Matt 8:17 – Took Isaiah 53:4 out of context – Isaiah was relating to a leper (nagua).<br />
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Matt 12:17-21 – Taking Isaiah 42:1-4 out of context – the Servant was Israel 4 times<br />
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Matt. 13.14-15 – Took out of context Isaiah 6:9-10 of people being “blind”<br />
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Matthew also misinterprets the Jewish Prophets:<br />
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Matthew 2:5-6 – Misinterprets Micah 5:2 – the Messiah coming from Bethlehem. It was David a Bethlemite, born in Bethlehem and from his seed would come the messiah.<br />
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Matthew 2:15 –Taking Hosea 11:1 out of context, Jesus being called out of Egypt<br />
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Matthew 2:17-18 – Distorts meaning of Jeremiah 31:1-17 of Rachel weeping.<br />
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Matthew 11.10: By changing the pronoun in Malachi 3.1 “before me” or “before you”?<br />
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Matthew 13:35 – The Christ will speak in parables – distorting Psalm 78:2<br />
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Matthew 21:1-7 – Jesus riding on two donkeys at the same time – ???????? – (Zechariah 9:9)<br />
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Matthew 22:43-44 – Capitalizes the second lord – altering the meaning of Psalm 110:1<br />
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Matthew 23:35 Mistakenly gave Zechariah’ father the wrong son. Zechariah was the son of Jehoiada, not Barachiah. II Chronicles 24:20–21<br />
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Matthew 27:9 – Quoted the wrong prophet – was not Jeremiah but Zechariah<br />
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Matthew 27:9 – Book of Zechariah was never about any “potter’s field”<br />
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————————————–… Are the ‘covenant’ and the ‘testament’ synonymous? Remember that Jeremiah wrote in Hebrew. So when Greeks–not fully understanding the correct Hebrew definition of the word “Bereeth–interpreted the Hebrew word “Bereeth”, they interpreted it as Covenant and also Testament,” They failed to realize that “Bereeth” also means a “promise.”<br />
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The Hebrew word “BEREETH” or covenant signifies a promise between God and the Jewish people. It may be made official by any number of symbolic acts such as circumcision (bris), offerings (sacrifice), etc. Bereeth binds living persons to certain behaviour. In the case of the ‘new’ Contract (Covenant), the parties involved were God, Israel, and Judah. The New Covenant is to be made with both Israel and Judah (Jeremiah 31:31).<br />
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‘Bereeth’ is a promise from God that he will never abandon the Jews as is revealed over and over again in His Torah and Tanakh.<br />
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Christianity statesJeremiah says that God replaced the old covenant with a new one. “Behold the days are coming says the Lord when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the House of Judah”.(Jer 31:30-31 quoted in Heb 8:8-12, 10:16).<br />
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Christians claim this clearly proves that the old covenant will be abolished for the new one of Jesus. Well, maybe, if you stop right there with verse 32. But continue: The very next verse 33 says,<br />
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“I will put my Torah within them.”<br />
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It does not say new Torah – instead, it is the same Torah which will become a permanent part and will not be forgotten as in the past. Verse 32 in the Jewish Bible says;<br />
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“But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord, I will put My Torah in their inward parts, and in their heart will I write it; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people.”Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7635031913797828411.post-51153884270724242812009-11-06T02:29:00.000-08:002009-11-06T02:29:19.704-08:00Jesus - A Nice Jewish Boy...?So, let’s talk about Jesus.<br />
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It’s not a topic that comes up when Jews talk. Jesus does not feature in Judaism – not at all. But as many of us are asked by our Christian friends and colleagues what we ‘<em>really think’</em> about him, let’s clarify:<br />
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Jesus occupies the same place in Judaism, as Mohammed does in Christianity. In other words: you could go to every synagogue on Earth, and I guarantee, you would never hear Jesus mentioned.<br />
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Many people find this strange; after all, millions of Christians proclaim Jesus as their ‘messiah’ and ’saviour’. Why on earth don’t Jews themselves attach any importance to this vital, most famous, and above all Jewish historical figure?<br />
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Well, let’s consider the context:<br />
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Back when Jesus was busy gallivanting around Judea, declaring himself as ‘'maschiach’, the Jews were living under Roman oppression. And it was rough. The Romans had a nasty habit of crucifying people – mainly Jews. Sometimes up to 100 Jews in a single day.<br />
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And as at other tough times in Jewish history, the Jews longed for their maschiach. They knew full well he could be right there, in their midst. After all, the Torah makes it clear: <strong>the Jewish maschiach is a normal, mortal man</strong> – he’s not <em>‘divine’</em> and he doesn’t have supernatural powers. <br />
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In short: he wouldn’t look any different from any other Jewish man.<br />
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<strong><em>So where was he?</em></strong><br />
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Numerous young Jewish blokes believed themselves to be the maschiach. They too sauntered around Jerusalem, their faithful believers scuttling after them and hanging on every word. There was nothing unique about Jesus, he was one of many. <strong>Contrary to the way he’s portrayed, Jesus was not some ancient David Beckham of the middle east, known and adored by all!</strong><br />
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Indeed, the vast majority of Jews had no awareness of Jesus. He simply led one of numerous small sects, there on the fringes of Judaism.<br />
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Christianity claims that Jesus fulfilled various messianic prophecies. It points to the ‘old testament’ in a bid to ‘prove’ this. There’s just one problem – the OT is <strong>not</strong> the Jewish bible. It never has been. <br />
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Think about it logically: why would Judaism define its <strong>own</strong> scriptures as <em>‘old’?</em><br />
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The OT is a Christian text.<br />
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It is a Church-approved, <strong>re</strong>arranged, and sadly often <strong>mis</strong>translated version of the actual Jewish bible, the <strong>Tanakh</strong>. No Jew reads nor studies the OT.<br />
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So when Jews and Christians discuss the ‘Jewish bible’ they are usually referring to two entirely different texts. Many Christians assume, for the most part, that the OT is ‘jewish’. Jews then have to break the news that in fact, it is not anything to do with Judiasm.<br />
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And since, for the most part, Jews read the Tanakh in the original Hebrew, we are bemused when <em>some</em> Christians state that we are somehow ‘misinterpreting’ it, when we explain to them that no, Jesus does not appear in the Tanakh.<br />
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Historically, Christianity has also ignored something else when it insists that Jews have ‘rejected’ Jesus.<br />
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It has ignored that <strong>the very idea of ‘messiah’ originated with Judaism.</strong> The messianic prophecies and description of the Maschiach were written in Hebrew, by Jews, for Jews.<br />
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It seems logical to conclude that the people who first described the messiah, the people who studied the Hebrew scriptures, the people who read the messianic prophecies in Hebrew, <em><strong>were sufficiently intelligent to identify their own messiah!</strong></em><br />
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But historically, Christianity has suggested that Jews managed, bizarrely, to misunderstand the Jewish bible!<br />
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One of the most well known examples of this is when Isaiah – according to Christianity – describes a ‘<em>virgin birth’</em>. A clear reference to Mary and Jesus, insist Christianity. A clear prophecy concerning the birth of Jesus. A clear example of Jews ‘<em> misinterpreting’</em> their own bible.<br />
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But the original Hebrew says nothing about a 'virgin birth'. Why would it? There is no such concept in Judaism.<br />
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What does Isaiah actually say, then...?<br />
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Isaiah uses the word ‘<strong>almah’</strong>. This means ‘young woman’. It has always meant <em>‘young woman’</em>. It has never meant ‘virgin’.<br />
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If Isaiah had wanted to say ‘virgin’ he would have used an entirely different Hebrew word: ‘<strong>betulah’</strong>.<br />
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Recently, a few Christian bibles have been amended and brought into line with the original Hebrew. Here they are:<br />
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Recent altered Christian Translations of Isaiah 7:14<br />
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Revised Standard Version: Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, a <em>young woman</em> shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.<br />
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Revised English Bible Because you do, the Lord of his own accord will give you a sign; it is this: A <em>young woman</em> is with child, and she will give birth to a son and call him Immanuel.<br />
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New English Bible Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign: A <em>young</em> <em>woman</em> is with child, and she will bear a son, and will call him Immanuel.<br />
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New Revised Standard Version: Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Look, the <em>young woman</em> is with child and shall bear a son, and shall name him Immanuel.<br />
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New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures(Jehovah Witnesses) Therefore Jehovah himself will give you men a sign: Look! The<em> maiden</em> herself will actually become pregnant, and she is giving birth to a son, and she will certainly call his name Immanuel.<br />
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Good News Bible: Well then, the Lord himself will give you a sign: A <em>young woman</em> who is pregnant will have a son and will name him “Immanuel.”<br />
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The Jerusalem Bible: Readers Edition The Lord himself, therefore, will give you a sign. It is this: The <em>maiden </em>is with child and will soon give birth to a son whom she will call Immanuel.<br />
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The Bible: A New Translation An omen you shall have, and that from the Eternal himself. There is a <em>young woman</em> with child, who shall bear a son and call his name “Immanuel” (G-d is with us).<br />
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The Bible: An American Translation:Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: Behold! A <em>young woman</em> is with child, and is about to bear a son; and she will call him “G-d is with us.”<br />
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The International Critical Commentary:Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, a <em>damsel </em>is with child, and shall bring forth a son, and call his name Immanuel.<br />
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The New Jerusalem Bible: The Lord will give you a sign in any case. It is this: The <em>young woman</em> is with child and will give birth to a son whom she will call Immanuel.<br />
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The Layman’s Bible Commentary: In reply, Isaiah says that the Lord will provide a sign. It will be a most unusual and remarkable event. A <em>young woman</em> shall bear a son and name him “Immanuel."<br />
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World Biblical Commentary: Therefore my Lord himself will give you (pl) a sign. Behold, the <em>woman</em> shall conceive and bearing a son — she shall call his name “Immanuel.”<br />
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The Bible in Basic English: For this cause the Lord himself will give you a sign; a <em>young woman</em> is now with child, and she will give birth to a son, and she will give him the name Immanuel.<br />
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Thus many Christian authorities now admit that there is nothing about a ‘<em>virgin</em> <em>birth</em>’ in Isaiah – or indeed anywhere else in the Tanakh. Why would there be? The idea is totally alien to Judaism.<br />
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The Jewish G-d never, ever takes human form – and certainly doesn’t pop in to planet earth to impregnate a Nice Jewish Girl…!<br />
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Above all, though, Jesus did not fulfill any of the Jewish messianic prophecies.<br />
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Among other things, the Jewish Maschiach must:<br />
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- usher in world peace<br />
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- unite all Jews in Israel<br />
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- bring Torah to all the nations<br />
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- rebuild the temple<br />
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- REJECT doing miracles<br />
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- redeem Israel, and the world<br />
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- be from King David’s line<br />
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- create G-d’s kingdom, here on earth.<br />
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And the Jewish maschiach must achieve all 23 prophecies before he dies - in one normal, <strong>mortal</strong> lifetime. No 'second coming' in Judaism.<br />
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Now, did Jesus fulfill any of these before he died?<br />
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Answer: No. <br />
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<strong><em>Conclusion: Jesus was not – indeed could not have been – the Jewish maschiach.</em></strong><br />
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To reiterate a key point: the concept of ‘messiah’ is a Jewish concept. Judaism was the first faith to articulate the idea. Christianity has revised the definition of ‘messiah’ so much that now, many Christians don’t even know that their messiah bears no relation to the original Jewish Maschiach.<br />
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So, what do Jews think about Jesus, when the topic arises?<br />
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Well, there’s no official line on him. Some Jews probably doubt he ever existed at all – remember, Jesus is not mentioned by any contemporary writers of his own time.<br />
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Many Jews regard Jesus as a young, charismatic preacher who sought to reform Judaism – but who never intended to ’start’ a new faith. Jesus taught basic Judaism. ‘<strong>Love Thy Neighbour’</strong> <strong>appears first in the holy Jewish text, the Torah. </strong><br />
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Yet he did apparently break the Jewish shabbat, which no truly observant Jew would do. And if he claimed to be ‘god’ that also violates Torah. Yet more reasons which prove he was not our maschiach.<br />
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In short, then, Jesus was just a Nice Jewish Boy. And let’s face it – if ever he should somehow return, he’d head straight for the nearest synagogue...!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7635031913797828411.post-54093322003399185182009-11-05T13:48:00.000-08:002009-11-05T13:48:30.931-08:00MESSIANICS 3: Exposing Messianic Lies<span style="font-size: large;"><strong>For anyone who is involved in countering the lies told by Messianics, here are some additional facts, and some background information, that may be of interest. </strong></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><strong> If anyone has extra info, please do submit it!</strong></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><strong> </strong><strong> </strong><strong> </strong></span> <br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><strong>Some Christian Evangelicals Now Posing As ‘MESSIANIC MUSLIMS’ As Well As ‘messianic jews’: </strong></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><strong> </strong><em><strong> </strong></em><em><strong>Radical Missionary Approach Produces ‘Messianic Muslims’</strong></em><strong> </strong></span> <br />
<a href="http://www.blogger.com/goog_1257456801011"><span style="font-size: large;"><strong><br />
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<a href="http://www.blogger.com/%20%20%20SOURCE:%20http://www.hvk.org/articles/0204/104.html"><span style="font-size: large;"><strong>SOURCE: http://www.hvk.org/articles/0204/104.html</strong></span></a><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><strong>“Thus, for instance,<span style="color: red;"> Churches might be called “messianic mosques”</span> – and may be designed to look like Muslim places of worship, with worshippers being required to remove their footwear before entering.</strong></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><strong>“Worship services might be designed on the lines of Sufi zikr and sama sessions, with regular Christian Sufi orders in place. Certain Muslim festivals may be celebrated by Christians after being <i>suitably adapted.</i></strong></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><strong>“By thus presenting themselves as little different from Muslims in external appearance, Christian missionaries will find it easier to win Muslim friends, and, hopefully, converts.” </strong></span><br />
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<a href="source:%20http://www.hvk.org/articles/0204/104.html"><span style="font-size: large;"><strong><span style="color: red;">SOURCE: http://www.hvk.org/articles/0204/104.html</span></strong></span></a><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><strong><span style="color: red;"> </span></strong><strong><em> </em></strong></span> <br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><strong><em>“Become like the Muslims to reach the Muslims</em>. Be all things to all men, George suggests to potential Christian missionaries. </strong></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><strong>Hence, George suggests, in their encounters with Muslims, Christian missionaries must insist that they alone are the true Muslims.</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><strong> </strong><strong> </strong></span> <br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><strong>This, he says, promises to have an impact on potential converts. In order to further convince Muslims of their claims to true ‘Islamicity‘, Christian missionaries could <em>formulate their own version of the Muslim Shahada.</em></strong></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><strong>“Christian missionaries, too, might adopt taqiya, concealing their faith when occasion demands, focussing more on what unites them with the Muslims rather than on what divides them, while at the same time trying to <span style="color: red;">spread Christianity among the Muslims through subtle means. “</span></strong></span><br />
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<a href="http://www.hvk.org/articles/0204/104.html"><span style="font-size: large;"><strong> <span style="color: red;">http://www.hvk.org/articles/0204/104.html</span></strong></span></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.beliefnet.com/Faiths/2000/04/Radical-Missionary-Approach-Produces-Messianic-Muslims-Who-Claim-To-Retain-Their-Islamic-Identity.aspx"><span style="font-size: large;"><strong>http://www.beliefnet.com/Faiths/2000/04/Radical-Missionary-Approach-Produces-Messianic-Muslims-Who-Claim-To-Retain-Their-Islamic-Identity.aspx</strong></span></a><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><strong> </strong><strong> </strong></span> <br />
<a href="http://www.crossroad.to/Quotes/spirituality/lighthousetrails/08/10-oakland-missions.htm"><span style="font-size: large;"><strong>http://www.crossroad.to/Quotes/spirituality/lighthousetrails/08/10-oakland-missions.htm</strong></span></a><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><strong><em>A May/June 2000 issue of Watchman’s Trumpet magazine explains what this new missiology really entails:</em></strong></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><strong><em> </em></strong><strong>“Several international missions organizations, including Youth With a Mission (YWAM), are testing a new approach to missionary work in areas where Christianity is unwelcome.</strong></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><strong> A March 24, 2000, Charisma News Service report said some missionaries are now making converts but are allowing them to “hold on to many of their traditional religious beliefs and practices” so as to refrain from offending others within their culture.”</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><strong> </strong></span> <br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><strong> </strong><strong>The Charisma article in which Watchman’s Trumpet reports elaborates: <span style="color: red;">“Messianic Muslims”</span> who continue to read the Koran, visit the mosque and say their daily prayers but accept Christ as their Savior, <span style="color: red;">are the products of the strategy, which is being tried in several countries</span>, according to Youth With a Mission (YWAM), one of the organizations involved.</strong></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><strong>The so-called <span style="color: red;">“C5 missionaries</span>” whom Phil had met advocate that it is okay to affirm Muhammad as a genuine prophet of God; that Muslim background believers should attend the mosque perpetually; and that <span style="color: red;">Christians should consider legally converting to Islam to win Muslims as Muslims.</span></strong></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><strong><span style="color: red;"> </span> </strong></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><strong>More here:</strong></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><strong> <a href="http://www.strategicnetwork.org/index.php?loc=kb&view=v&id=8769">http://www.strategicnetwork.org/index.php?loc=kb&view=v&id=8769</a></strong><strong> </strong><strong></strong></span> <br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><strong> </strong><strong> </strong></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><strong>MAINSTREAM CHRISTIAN MOVEMENTS RECOGNISE THAT MESSIANICS ARE THEIR FELLOW CHRISTIANS: <br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><strong>“messianic jews” are<span style="color: red;"> evangelical Protestants</span>, so we evangelize them as <a href="http://www.secondexodus.com/html/evangelization/evangelizingprotestants.htm" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Protestants</a></strong> </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><strong>Source: </strong></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><strong>‘How Catholics Can Evangelise’ </strong></span><br />
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<a href="http://www.secondexodus.com/html/evangelization/evangelizingjews.htm"><span style="font-size: large;"><strong>http://www.secondexodus.com/html/evangelization/evangelizingjews.htm</strong></span></a> <br />
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<div id="yiv2090789787"><span style="font-size: large;"><strong><em> </em></strong></span></div><div id="yiv2090789787"><span style="font-size: large;"><strong><em> </em></strong></span></div><div id="yiv2090789787"><span style="font-size: large;"><strong><em>ALL RABBIS IDENTIFY MESSIANICS AS NON JEWS</em></strong></span></div><div id="yiv2090789787"><span style="font-size: large;"><strong><em> </em></strong></span></div><div id="yiv2090789787"><span style="font-size: large;"><strong><em><br />
</em></strong></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><strong><em> </em></strong></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><strong> </strong></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><strong><em></em>The Central Conference of American Rabbis has stated:</strong></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><strong><br />
</strong></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><strong> </strong></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><strong> </strong></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><strong>“Anyone who claims that Jesus is their savior is no longer a Jew and is now an Apostate. Through that belief they have placed themselves outside the Jewish community, and outside of Judaism.</strong></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><strong> </strong></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><strong> Whether the person defines himself as a Christian or as a <em>‘fulfilled Jew,</em>‘ or ‘<em>messianic jew</em>,’ or any other designation is irrelevant; to us, they are EX Jews.”</strong></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><strong><br />
</strong></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><strong> </strong></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><strong> </strong></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><strong><em>And:</em></strong></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><strong><em> ’</em> In acknowledging Jesus and the Christian Scriptures, these congregations are accepting many other theological concepts <span style="color: red;">contrary </span>to the Jewish belief system, including: </strong></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><strong> </strong></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><strong>original sin</strong></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><strong> the devil and demonology </strong></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><strong>vicarious blood atonement</strong></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><strong> the trinity.</strong></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><strong><br />
</strong></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><strong> </strong></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><strong> </strong></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><strong> </strong></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><strong>Messianic congregations are <span style="color: red;">Christians</span> portraying themselves as Jews,” said Rabbi Richard Margolis, the leader of Temple Beth Sholom in Melbourne and a member of the Jewish Federation board of Brevard. </strong></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><strong><br />
</strong></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><strong> </strong></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><strong>In an e-mail, he added:</strong></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><strong> </strong></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><strong> “The issue is deceit. This is a deceptive missionary movement, organized and heavily funded by evangelical Christians whose sole purpose is to convert Jews to (fundamentalist) Christianity. There is nothing Jewish about any of this.</strong></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><strong><br />
</strong></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><strong>I have great respect for the authentic Christian tradition and maintain an ongoing program of interfaith activities in our community. But I cannot countenance <span style="color: red;">couching fundamentalist Christianity in Jewish symbols.”</span></strong></span></div><br />
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</span></strong></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><strong><span style="color: red;"> </span></strong></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><strong><span style="color: red;">Countering A Common Messianic Claim: </span></strong></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><strong><span style="color: red;"><br />
</span></strong></span></div><div id="yiv612477836"> <div><span style="font-size: large;"><strong> </strong></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><strong>The Messianic movement insists that since the original followers of Jesus were Jews, they are not engaging in a deception.</strong></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><strong> </strong></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><strong> </strong></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><strong>They maintain that Jews who embrace Jesus don’t cut themselves off from their heritage–on the contrary, they become </strong><strong><em>‘completed’</em> or</strong> ‘<em><strong>fulfilled’ </strong></em><strong>Jews…!</strong></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><strong> </strong></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><strong> </strong></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><strong>However, it is misleading to suggest that Christianity is a legitimate Jewish option simply because Jesus’ first disciples were Jews. After all, those who built and worshipped the Golden Calf were also Jews.</strong></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><strong><br />
</strong></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><strong> </strong></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><strong> </strong></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><strong>Furthermore, the beliefs and practices of these original followers ultimately morphed when the movement was taken over in the 2nd century<span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong> by non-Jews who were never part of the</strong> original movement.</span></strong></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><br />
</span></strong></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;"> </span></strong></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><strong>They developed ideas about the nature of G-d and how to relate to Him and the concept of Messiah and sin that veered dramatically from Judaism.<span style="color: red;"> </span></strong><strong><span style="color: red;">They finally canonized a different set of scriptures and became a completely different religion.</span></strong></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><strong><span style="color: red;"><br />
</span></strong></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><strong> </strong><strong> ANALOGY:</strong></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><strong> </strong></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><strong>The United States may have been a British colony at one time. However, it would make no sense to tell people living in England today that they can be more British by becoming American citizens.</strong></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><strong> </strong></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><strong> </strong><strong> </strong></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><strong>Ultimately, England and the United States had a parting of the ways. So, too, Judaism and Christianity once split into two different religions with very different belief systems.</strong></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><strong> </strong></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><strong> </strong><strong><span style="color: red;">It is absurd to suggest that one can become more Jewish by embracing Christianity and the Christian worship OF Jesus!</span></strong></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><strong><span style="color: red;"><br />
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</span></strong></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><strong><span style="color: red;">———————————————————————————————</span></strong></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><strong><span style="color: red;"><br />
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</span></strong></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><strong><span style="color: red;"> </span></strong></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><em><strong>Messianic Groups Openly Admit They Target Jews For Conversion To Christianity:</strong></em></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><em><strong><br />
</strong></em></span></div><div id="yiv612477836"><span style="font-size: large;"><strong> </strong></span></div><div id="yiv612477836"><span style="font-size: large;"><strong>Every major Christian evangelical denomination is now preaching the same message: we love the Jews, and therefore want them to become Christians!</strong></span></div><div id="yiv612477836"><span style="font-size: large;"><strong> </strong></span></div><div id="yiv612477836"><span style="font-size: large;"><strong> </strong><strong>And they are putting their money where their mouth is: Over 300 million dollars annually to bankroll the “Messianic Jewish” conversionary campaign.</strong> <strong> </strong></span></div><div id="yiv612477836"><span style="font-size: large;"><strong> </strong></span></div><div id="yiv612477836"><span style="font-size: large;"><strong>Here are some examples: </strong></span> </div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><strong><br />
</strong></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><em><strong><em>“We are committed to the god-given Mandate of communicating the essential Gospel of Yeshua (Jesus) the Messiah to the Jewish people…We owe it to Jesus, the King of Israel, and to every living Jewish person to present the Gospel to him or her.</em></strong></em><strong>” -</strong><strong>Assemblies of god<em> “Jewish”</em> Ministries</strong></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><strong><br />
</strong></span></div><div id="yiv612477836"><span style="font-size: large;"><strong> </strong></span></div><div id="yiv612477836"><span style="font-size: large;"><strong>“<em>As evangelical Christians, we want to express our genuine friendship and love for the Jewish people… It is out of our profound respect for Jewish people that we seek to share the good news of Jesus Christ with them, and encourage others to do the same, for we believe that salvation is only found in Jesus , the Messiah of Israel and Savior of the World.</em>” –</strong><strong> World Evangelical Alliance</strong><em>, New York Times</em> ad, March 28, 2008 <em> </em><strong><em> </em></strong></span></div><div id="yiv612477836"><span style="font-size: large;"><strong><em> </em></strong></span></div><div id="yiv612477836"><span style="font-size: large;"><strong><em> </em></strong></span></div><div id="yiv612477836"><span style="font-size: large;"><strong><em>"Whereas our evangelistic efforts have largely neglected the Jewish people, both at home and abroad, and there is evidence of a growing responsiveness among the Jewish people in some areas of our nation and our world; now, therefore…be it finally resolve, that we direct our energies and resources toward the proclamation of the gospel to the Jewish people.</em></strong></span></div><div id="yiv612477836"><span style="font-size: large;"><strong><em> </em> — Southern Baptist Convention Source: “<em>Resolution on Jewish Evangelism</em>” (June 1996)</strong><strong><em> </em></strong><strong></strong><strong></strong></span> </div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><strong><br />
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</strong></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><strong><em> </em></strong></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><strong><em>"However difficult it may be for some Jews to understand, Christian love constrains the church to share the Gospel of salvation with them. </em></strong></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><strong><em> </em></strong></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><strong><em>Martin Luther, in his last sermon, said concerning the attitude of Christians toward the Jewish people, ‘We want to treat them with Christian love and to pray for them, so that they might become converted and would receive the Lord.’…</em></strong></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><strong><em> </em></strong></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><strong><em>"Therefore, the church should continue to share the Gospel with them for it is the only means by which they may be saved.</em></strong> –<strong>Lutheran Church, Missouri Synod</strong> “<strong>Excursis Regarding the Jews”</strong></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><strong> </strong></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><strong> </strong><strong> </strong><strong> </strong></span> </div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><strong>———————————————————————————————-</strong><strong> </strong><strong> </strong></span> </div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><strong> </strong></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><strong>USE THIS FOR EXPLAINING THE AIM OF THE MESSIANIC MOVEMENT TO PEOPLE UNFAMILIAR WITH THIS TOPIC: <br />
</strong></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><strong> </strong></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><strong> </strong></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><strong> </strong></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><strong>Messianics Within The Context Of Christianity:</strong></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><strong> </strong></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><strong> </strong><strong> </strong><strong> </strong></span> </div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><strong>For over 2000 years, some Christians have made it their life’s work to convert Jews. At times, these Missionaries have used torture, and other coercions, to achieve this – i.e. Spanish Inquisition.</strong> <strong>More recently, Christian Missionaries have been using a different strategy.</strong></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><strong> </strong></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><strong> They have started using Jewish names, Hebrew songs, and even posing *as* Jews themselves. They now claim that the only ‘complete jew’ or ‘fulfilled jew’ is a Jew who worships Jesus and practises….yes, Christianity!</strong></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><strong> </strong><strong> </strong></span> </div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><strong>Thus we have the rise of the “messianic jews” – who are Christian Missionaries.</strong> <strong>Judaism respects the right of Christians to worship as they please. It, however, condemns those who try to impose Christianity on Jews through deceit or any other way.</strong></span></div><div><strong> </strong></div></div><h2> <pre><strong>
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</strong></pre></h2><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: red;"><strong>“jews for jesus”</strong></span> </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><strong>This group was formed by Martin Meyer – an ordained <i>Baptist Minister</i>!</strong> <strong>All of the leaders and top staff members are evangelical Christians.</strong> <strong> </strong></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><strong>This was the first Messianic group and is arguably one of the most well known and aggressive.</strong></span><br />
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<div id="yiv1794271360"> <h3><span style="color: maroon;">COUNTERING THE LIES OF 'jews4jesus':</span></h3><h3><span style="color: maroon;"><br />
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</span></h3><span style="color: maroon;"> </span><span style="font-size: large;"><strong>“jews for jesus” maintains that a Jew can keep their religious identity, <span style="color: red;"> even after converting to Christianity.</span> </strong></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><strong> </strong><strong>“jews for jesus” is appealing because it claims that its converts can believe in Jesus, partake in baptism, celebrate Christmas, and remain Jewish, all at the same time. </strong></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><strong> </strong></span> <br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><strong>The group preaches a weird hybrid of Judaism and Christianity.</strong> <strong> </strong><strong>The <a href="http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Judaism/The_Written_Law.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Torah</a> itself argues against this idea of Judeo-Christian combination. While all Jews are considered members for life, a person who worships another god or idol is no longer considered Jewish (<a href="http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Bible/kjkings3.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">I Kings 18:21</a>). </strong></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><strong> </strong><strong> </strong></span> <br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><strong>Worship of Jesus as the “lone son of god” is considered <span style="color: red;">belief in a foreign god,</span> and the convert would not be considered Jewish. </strong></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><strong>Judaism does, however, always allow a converted Jew to return to the faith when they again accept the oneness of <a href="http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Judaism/g-d.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">G-d</a>.</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><strong> </strong><strong> </strong><strong> </strong></span> <br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><strong>”jews for jesus” claims that Jews must put faith in Jesus as their savior from sin. Original sin is an inherently <span style="color: red;">Christian</span>belief and, according to Judaism, “sin is an act, not a state of being” </strong></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><strong> The Torah does not teach that humans are born with sin, but that individual repentance is necessary when a person strays from the <a href="http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Judaism/mitzvot.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">commandments</a></strong> <strong>of G-d. </strong></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><strong>In other words, Jews <span style="color: red;">do not </span>believe that one person (namely, Jesus) is capable of repenting for all of humanity’s sins through his death.</strong> <strong> </strong><strong>Likewise, Jews do not believe that one must pray to Jesus for G-d to hear. G-d, according to the <a href="http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Judaism/mitzvot.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Tanakh</a>, can hear every individual’s prayer. </strong></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><strong> </strong></span> <br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><strong>As it is written in <a href="http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Bible/Psalms145.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Psalms 145:18</a>, “G-d is near to all who call unto Him.” </strong><strong>Christians feel that they must pray to Jesus in order for G-d to hear their words.</strong> <strong> </strong><strong>The most important argument against “jews for jesus” is the fact that Jews do not believe that the messiah has arrived. </strong></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><strong> </strong></span> <br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><strong>According to the Torah, the messiah must be a descendent of <a href="http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/biography/David.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">King David</a>. </strong><strong>Jews do not consider Jesus to be a direct descendent. </strong></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><strong> More importantly, the <a href="http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Judaism/messiah.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">messiah</a> is supposed to bring peace to all humanity. As is stated in <a href="http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Bible/Isaiah2.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Isaiah 2:4</a>:</strong> <strong> “And nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore.” </strong></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><strong>Jesus’ coming did not bring about peace and, therefore, Jews cannot accept him as the messiah.</strong> <strong>In response, “jews for jesus” might refer to the ’second coming’ of Jesus. </strong></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><strong> </strong></span> <br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><strong>The gospels predict that Jesus will ascend Earth again to fulfill his messianic prophecies. <span style="color: red;">Of course, there is no mention of a ’second coming’ in the Torah. <span style="color: black;">Therefore,”jews for jesus” is unable to use Jewish textual evidence to prove that Jesus is the messiah and will come again.”</span></span></strong></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><strong><span style="color: red;"><span style="color: black;">—————————————————————————————</span></span></strong></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><strong> Christian Responses To Messianics:</strong></span><br />
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<div id="yiv1794271360"><span style="font-size: large;"><strong> </strong></span></div><div id="yiv1794271360"><span style="font-size: large;"><strong>Many Messianic leaders are <span style="color: red;">ordained clergy of various Christian denominations</span>. </strong></span></div><div id="yiv1794271360"><span style="font-size: large;"><strong> </strong></span></div><div id="yiv1794271360"><span style="font-size: large;"><strong>A growing list of Christian denominations, such as the Southern Baptist Convention and the Assemblies of god movement, actively plant Messianic congregations as part of their efforts to evangelize the Jewish people. </strong></span></div><div id="yiv1794271360"><span style="font-size: large;"><strong> </strong></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><strong>At the present time, more than ten different Christian denominations count Messianic congregations as members of their denomination.</strong> <strong>Their theology, as reflected in their statements of faith, is solidly within the ambit of Evangelical Christianity. </strong></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><strong> </strong></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><strong>They believe in the <a href="http://infao5501.ag5.mpi-sb.mpg.de:8080/topx/archive?link=Wikipedia-Lip6-2/21433.xml&style" onclick="return theMainWindow.showLinkWarning(this)" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> New Testament </a> , <a href="http://infao5501.ag5.mpi-sb.mpg.de:8080/topx/archive?link=Wikipedia-Lip6-2/29473.xml&style" onclick="return theMainWindow.showLinkWarning(this)" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> salvation </a> by <span style="color: red;"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"> grace </span></span> through faith in Jesus alone, the divinity of Jesus whom they believe is Christ, and the Trinity.</strong></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><strong><br />
</strong></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><strong> </strong><strong>Apart from Jewish terminology and cultural practices, believers of this school have a much closer affinity to Evangelical and <a href="http://infao5501.ag5.mpi-sb.mpg.de:8080/topx/archive?link=Wikipedia-Lip6-2/23555.xml&style" onclick="return theMainWindow.showLinkWarning(this)" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> Pentecostal </a> Christianity than to any recognized branch of Judaism. They regard observance of the Sabbath and the Jewish dietary laws as entirely optional.</strong></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><strong> </strong></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><strong> </strong></span> </div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><strong> </strong><strong>Many <a href="http://infao5501.ag5.mpi-sb.mpg.de:8080/topx/archive?link=Wikipedia-Lip6-2/10370.xml&style" onclick="return theMainWindow.showLinkWarning(this)" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> Evangelical </a> and <a href="http://infao5501.ag5.mpi-sb.mpg.de:8080/topx/archive?link=Wikipedia-Lip6-2/23555.xml&style" onclick="return theMainWindow.showLinkWarning(this)" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> Pentecostal </a> groups have welcomed the movement and have actively founded Messianic congregations, but many more liberal Christians have been more critical. </strong></span> </div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><strong><br />
</strong></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><strong> </strong></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><strong>Some Christians, mostly liberal, feel that Messianic groups are guilty of false advertising. </strong></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><strong> </strong></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><strong>In <a href="http://infao5501.ag5.mpi-sb.mpg.de:8080/topx/archive?link=Wikipedia-Lip6-2/34549.xml&style" onclick="return theMainWindow.showLinkWarning(this)" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> 1997 </a> , for example, the Board of Governors of the Long Island Council of Churches (New York) accused <a href="http://infao5501.ag5.mpi-sb.mpg.de:8080/topx/archive?link=Wikipedia-Lip6-2/66543.xml&style" onclick="return theMainWindow.showLinkWarning(this)" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> “jews for jesus” </a> of “engaging in subterfuge and dishonesty,” and of “mixing religious symbols in ways that distort their essential meaning.” </strong></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><strong><br />
</strong></span></div></div><div id="yiv1794271360"><span style="font-size: large;"><strong> </strong></span></div><div id="yiv1794271360"><span style="font-size: large;"><strong>Another organization critical of the Messianic Movement is the <a href="http://infao5501.ag5.mpi-sb.mpg.de:8080/topx/archive?link=Wikipedia-Lip6-2/429452.xml&style" onclick="return theMainWindow.showLinkWarning(this)" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> Interfaith Conference of Metropolitan Washington </a> .</strong></span></div><div id="yiv1794271360"><span style="font-size: large;"><strong> </strong></span></div><div id="yiv1794271360"><span style="font-size: large;"><strong> In 1997 this group, comprising liberal Christian, as well as Jewish and <a href="http://infao5501.ag5.mpi-sb.mpg.de:8080/topx/archive?link=Wikipedia-Lip6-2/19541.xml&style" onclick="return theMainWindow.showLinkWarning(this)" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> Muslim </a> leaders, put out <a href="http://infao5501.ag5.mpi-sb.mpg.de:8080/topx/archive?link=Wikipedia-Lip6-2/429452.xml&style" onclick="return theMainWindow.showLinkWarning(this)" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> a strongly worded statement </a>condemning the proselytization efforts of the Messianic Movement.</strong></span></div><div id="yiv1794271360"><span style="font-size: large;"><strong><br />
</strong><strong></strong><strong></strong><strong>The statement read:</strong></span></div><div id="yiv1794271360"><span style="font-size: large;"><strong> </strong></span></div><div id="yiv1794271360"><span style="font-size: large;"><strong> </strong></span> </div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><strong><br />
</strong></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><strong> </strong></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><strong>“We condemn proselytizing efforts which delegitimize the faith tradition of the person whose conversion is being sought. Such tactics go beyond the bounds of appropriate and ethically based religious outreach.</strong> <strong> </strong></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><strong> </strong></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><strong>Examples of such practices are those common among groups that have adopted the label of <span style="color: red;">“messianic judaism”</span> or <span style="color: red;">“jews for jesus”.</span></strong></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><strong><span style="color: red;"> </span></strong></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><strong><span style="color: red;"> </span></strong></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><strong> These groups specifically target Jews for conversion to their version of Christianity, making claim that in accepting Jesus as the savior/messiah, a Jew ‘fulfills’ his/her faith.</strong> <strong> </strong></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><strong> </strong></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><strong>Furthermore, by celebrating Jewish festivals, worshipping on the Jewish Shabbat, appropriating Jewish symbols, rituals and prayers in their churches, and, sometimes, even calling their leaders ‘Rabbi’, they seek to win over, often by deception, many Jews who are sincerely looking for a path back to their ancestral heritage.</strong></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><strong> </strong></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><strong> </strong></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><strong>Deceptive proselytizing is practiced on the most vulnerable of populations – residents of hospitals and old age homes, confused youth, college students away from home. These proselytizing techniques are tantamount to coerced conversions and should be condemned.” </strong></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><strong> </strong></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><strong>(Summer, 1997, Washington, D.C., Interfaith Connector” Vol. 8, No. 2)</strong></span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7635031913797828411.post-39659436571821762792009-11-05T13:31:00.000-08:002009-11-05T13:31:12.565-08:00MESSIANICS 2: Countering Messianic Claims<span style="font-size: large;"><strong>This is a follow up about the Christian Evangelists who pose as <i>‘messianic jews’</i>. The original post was called <span style="color: red;">‘The Missionary Position’.</span></strong></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><strong>Firstly, to address a few queries I have received:</strong></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><strong>1 - Yes, of course Messianics have of course every right to their own beliefs, rituals and practices.</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><strong>They just don’t have any right to call it <i>‘judaism’</i>. </strong></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><strong>Because it isn’t.</strong></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><strong>2 - The Messianic movement is a very specific Christian Evangelical movement.</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><strong>It does not represent<i> all</i> Christians. Indeed, many Christians have spoken out in condemnation of the Messianics and their lies when they pose as ‘jews’.</strong></span><br />
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<div style="color: red;"><span style="font-size: large;"><strong>Tips For Countering The Lies Messianics Tell About Judaism:</strong></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><strong>Be warned before you start: Messianics relish the chance to debate Jews!</strong></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><strong>Their main aim is to convince *you* that yes, you ‘<i>can remain Jewish and worship Jesus’</i>. Now of cousre, this is a lie. But Messianics desperately need to believe it – it is the deceptive premise that underlies their entire ‘religion’.</strong></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><strong>The majority of Messianic groups get organised training in just *how* to debate genuine Jews. Former members of Messianic congregations often describe how they had to attend seminars and mock discussions in which they learned how to ‘<i>disprove judaism’. </i></strong></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><strong>Chances are, any Messianic that you meet, either online or in the ‘real world’ will know their bible inside out and upside down. Don’t let them distract you with scripture. Keep calm and keep stating the facts.</strong></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><strong>Here are some of the most common arguments that Messianics come up with:</strong></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><strong>Messianic Claim:</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><strong> <i>“lots of Jews have now found Jesus, and are Jewish Christians”</i></strong></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><strong>FACT:</strong></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><strong> A Jew who becomes a Christian = a Christian.</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><strong> Nobody can be both Jewish and Christian: it’s a theological contradiction. The two faiths contradict one another on almost everything.</strong></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><strong>A Jew who adopts Christianity as their religion is an EX Jew.</strong></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><strong>They are not ‘a jew for jesus’ any more than a Hindu who becomes a Christianity is a ‘hindu for christ’!</strong></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><strong><span style="color: blue;">Judaism</span> alone gets to define <span style="color: blue;">Jewish</span> identity.</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><strong>Judaism does not permit dual religious identity.</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><strong>You are a Jew <i>or</i> you are a Christian.</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><strong>Not both.</strong></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><strong>Messianic Claim: </strong></span><br />
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<i><span style="font-size: large;"><strong>“Lots of Jews are ethnically or racially Jewish, but Christian by faith.’</strong></span></i><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><strong>Note: This is one of the most common arguments used by Messianics.</strong></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><strong>FACT:</strong></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><strong>No such thing as being <i>‘racially’</i> Jewish. </strong></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><strong>Jews are not a ‘race’.</strong></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><strong>It was Hitler who tried to persuade the world that Jewish people were a separate race but it was a lie then, and it is a lie now.</strong></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><strong>You can’t change your race, but you can change your faith; many Gentiles convert to Judaism, thus proving it is not a ‘race’.</strong></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><strong>Nor is Judaism an ‘ethnicity’. How can it be? Which one ‘ethnicity’ unifies all Jews?</strong></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><strong>An Indian Jew is not the same ethnicity as a Japanese Jew. </strong></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><strong>A Japanese Jew is not the same ethnicity as a Black Ethiopian Jew.</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><strong>A Black Ethiopian Jew is not the same ethnicity as a Swedish caucasian Jew</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><strong>.</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><strong>There are Jews of *all* ethnicities!</strong></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><strong>And what we share is the Jewish religion. A person cannot be both Jewish and Christian.</strong></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><strong>Messianic Claim: “<i>Messianic ‘jews’ are simply Jews who know the truth about Jesus.”</i></strong></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><strong>FACT:</strong></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><strong> 98% of Messianics were *literally* <span style="color: red;">never</span> Jews to start with. </strong></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><strong>Not via birth. Not via faith. Not via theology. Not via worship. Not via heritage.</strong></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><strong>If they aren’t <span style="color: blue;">Jewish</span> according to <span style="color: blue;">Judaism</span>’s criteria, then they are not Jewish – period.</strong></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><strong>Christianity does not get to REdefine Jewish identity.</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><strong>Judaism and only Judaism gets to define Jewish identity. </strong></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><strong>Just as Christianity and only Christianity gets to define Christian identity.</strong></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><strong>Messianic Claim: ‘<i>But Jesus was Jewish – so why don’t Jews worship and accept him?’</i></strong></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><strong>FACT: </strong></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><strong>Woody Allen is Jewish as well. Does that mean if *he* claimed to be the maschiach we should believe him?</strong></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><strong>Let’s say Woody Allen did declare that he was the Jewish messiah. Let’s say a small group of Jews believed him and began worshipping him.</strong></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><strong>Would they still be practising Judaism?</strong></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><strong>Answer: no, of course not!</strong></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><strong>Now apply the same logic to Jesus.</strong></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><strong>Messianic Claim: ‘<i>Religion is a personal thing. I have every right to define myself as Jewish.’</i></strong></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><strong>FACT: You don’t have any ‘right’ to hijack the very word ‘jew’ and then lie about what it represents.</strong></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><strong>Judaism has defined Jewish identity the same way for thousands of years. You don’t get to REdefine ‘judaism’ to suddenly INclude worshipping Jesus.</strong></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><strong>I can wake up tomorrow and announce I’m a Native American Indian! Does that make it true? </strong></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><strong>Do I then have the ‘right’ to MISrepresent what Native American Indians stand for, in public forums?</strong></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><strong>No, of course not. And nobody has any <i>‘right</i>’ to do it with Judaism!</strong></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><strong>Messianic Claim: <i>‘Jesus was Jewish. Therefore if I worship him, I’m Jewish as well.’</i></strong></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><strong>FACT: </strong></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><strong>The ‘logic’ here is so flawed it’s almost amusing. Almost.</strong></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><strong>The facts are crystal clear: if you worship Jesus as ‘christ’ you are a <span style="color: red;">Christian.</span> </strong></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><strong>Again, let's use the Woody Allen analogy. Let’s say Woody Allen declared himself the Jewish messiah. If you believed him, would that make <i>you </i>Jewish?</strong></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><strong>Answer: no, of course not! Jesus is irrelevant to Judaism and always has been. Judaism was a complete and fulfilling faith for thousands of years before Jesus was even a twinkle in Joseph’s eye.</strong></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><strong>Messianic Claim: <i>‘The ‘old testament’ refers to Jesus again and again. Jews are just too stubborn to see it.’</i></strong></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><strong>FACT:</strong></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><strong>Given that the OT is a purely Christian text, yes, it probably does point towards Jesus.</strong></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><strong>The OT was produced by the Church; it is a MIStranslated, REorganised and REinterpreted, Christianised version OF the Jewish Tanakh.</strong></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><strong>Jews study and read the Tanakh in the original Hebrew. We don’t use any translation. And in the original Hebrew, Jesus is nowhere to be found. If he appears in the OT, it’s because the Church put him there.</strong></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><strong>* (note: you can find a detailed list of these MIStranslations in the Scripture section of this blog)</strong></span><br />
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<div style="color: red;"><span style="font-size: large;"><strong>“jews for jesus”</strong></span><br />
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</div><span style="font-size: large;"><strong>Sooner or later someone will ask you about the infamous group ‘jews4jesus’. This is the most aggressive and well known of all the Messianic groups.</strong></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><strong> Let’s be crystal clear:</strong></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><strong>‘jews4jesus’ is a Christian group. It was founded by Martin Meyer, an ordained <span style="color: red;">Baptist Minister.</span></strong></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><strong>Baptists don’t get to REdefine Judaism. Nor do Baptists get to start a ‘new jewish sect’ that practises Christianity!</strong></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><strong>Usually, Martin Meyer goes by the name Martin ‘Rosen’. He apparently feels it sounds more ‘jewish’. And at times, he claims that his parents were Orthodox Jews. This may or may not be true. Either way, it’s utterly irrelevant. Even if he started out a Jew, Martin Meyer exercised his right to leave Judaism, and to convert to Christianity.</strong></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><strong>Among the members of ‘jews4jesus’ there are a few former Jews. The key word here is of course: former.</strong></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><strong>If a few Jews convert to Islam – does Islam become somehow ‘jewish’?</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><strong>No, of course not.</strong></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><strong>If a group of Jews become Hindus – does Hinduism now equal ‘judaism’?</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><strong>No, obviously not.</strong></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><strong>Same applies to Christianity. Just because a few <span style="color: red;">ex</span> Jews are now Christians, this does not make Christianity somehow <i>‘jewish’.</i></strong></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><strong>Be aware: members of ‘jews4jesus’ are slick, quick and very practised at answering Jews who are trying to expose their lies.</strong></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><strong>One of the group’s favourite claims is:</strong></span><br />
<i><span style="font-size: large;"><strong>”The original followers of Jesus were ‘messianic jews’. We’re no different’.</strong></span></i><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><strong>FACT:</strong></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><strong> Only a tiny sect of Jews ever followed Jesus. And the minute they affirmed belief in the ‘resurrection’ and in the notion that Jesus was anything but a normal mortal man, they were effectively *leaving* Judaism.</strong></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><strong>And the original followers of Jesus never practised Christianity because it did not exist until long after Jesus died. The rituals and beliefs of ‘jews4jesus’ has little in common with those who were part of the sect headed up by Jesus.</strong></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><strong>You might also like to point out that even if Jews were the first disciples of Jesus, it’s irrelevant. </strong></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><strong>Consider: The first Australians were Brits. Does that mean that today’s Aussies get to REdefine British identity, customs and laws?</strong></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7635031913797828411.post-51610407932390623822009-11-04T09:11:00.000-08:002009-11-04T09:11:37.737-08:00The Public Pay For Hate Preacher's HouseBritain -<br />
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Hate preacher <strong>Abu Hamza</strong> is about to present taxpayers with a whopping £800,000 bill for legal fees he was meant to cover. Two years ago, Hamza was ordered by the courts to pay the £1,000,000 defence costs in his trial – but what has he actually paid? <br />
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<em>Nothing.</em> <br />
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The judge recommended that one of Hamza’s houses should be sold as a contribution. But it looks like Hamza has managed to wriggle out of that one, by claiming the house belongs to his sister – who lives in Egypt. <br />
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And property experts note that even if the 1930s property in Greenford, West London, is grabbed it will probably fetch only £200,000 instead of its original £235,000 valuation.<br />
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A Whitehall source said last night: <br />
<blockquote><br />
“If nothing else is found it means the taxpayer will have to pay <strong>£800,000</strong> for the shortfall.”<br />
</blockquote><br />
A spokesman for the Legal Services Commission, which oversees the legal aid system, said: <br />
<br />
<blockquote>“We will go to court to apply for the seizure of the property. We are waiting for a date.”</blockquote><br />
Conservative MP Patrick Mercer is more candid: <br />
<blockquote>“This is Abu Hamza continuing to thumb his nose.”<br />
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</blockquote><br />
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Hamza was jailed for seven years, in 2006, on a charge of <strong>soliciting murder.</strong>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7635031913797828411.post-35292666899589192172009-11-04T09:04:00.000-08:002009-11-04T09:04:15.533-08:00Let's Blame The JewsThis would be laughable if not for the fact that millions of Muslims will believe it. A new edict just published in <strong>Egypt</strong> has announced that the source of all the world’s pigs is – get this – Jews.<br />
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Yep. I kid you not. Jews – <em>the very people who don’t consume pork</em> – are the cause of the world’s pig population. <br />
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Well, glad we cleared that up…<br />
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The new edict was issued by <strong>Sheikh Ali Osman</strong>, a religious scholar from the Egyptian Waqf ministry, who stated that Jews are ‘cursed by Allah’, hence the appearance of all the pigs.<br />
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Due to their ‘<em>jewish roots’</em>, pigs are fair game and can be slaughtered, according to Sheikh Osman. Oh, and he adds that this accounts for why Islam bans pork, as well. <br />
<br />
Some scholar. Judaism was, as most folk know, the first faith to declare that pork must not be eaten. The same prohibition is present in Islam purely because old Mohammed nicked a fair few things from Judaism!<br />
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There have already been claims from some Muslims that Jews are the ’cause’ of Swine Flu. But then, are any of us surprised at this lunacy? <br />
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After all, <strong><em>Let’s Blame The Jews</em></strong> has been a favoured Muslim game throughout history.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7635031913797828411.post-2096696074974971072009-11-04T09:00:00.000-08:002009-11-04T09:00:40.863-08:00The Delightful Mr Anjem Choudary<em>(originally posted April 5th on old blog site)</em><br />
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Has Britain become an outpost of the Islamic world without our actually realising it…?<br />
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I ask because not only are British Muslims free to stand and hurl abuse at returning soldiers, they are apparently also now at liberty to fundraise for Islamic terrorism.<br />
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<strong>Anjem Choudary</strong>, a Muslim cleric and ’sharia judge’ has publicly urged his followers to give money to mujaheddin fighters. It was Choudary who organised last week’s hijacking of the homecoming parade for the troops. <br />
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Now a tape has come to light of him ordering British Muslims to stop giving money to their families, and instead, give it to ‘muslim soldiers’ involved in <strong>Jihad.</strong> <br />
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Choudary is a founder member of banned Islamic extremist group <strong>Al-Muhajiroun.</strong> <br />
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All of which begs the question: <em>why are the police not investigating Choudary…?</em><br />
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Choudary has also recently demanded that all British women be made to wear bhurqas. Oh, and he thinks adulterers should be killed…<br />
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Patrick Mercer, who chairs the Commons sub committee on counterterrorism, states: <br />
<blockquote><strong>‘It is crucial that Choudary is investigated by the police and if the evidence stacks up, he must be charged.’</strong></blockquote><br />
It’s not as if Britain lacks the appropriate legislation. Under the <strong>Terrorism Act 2000</strong>, it is an offence to ‘invite another person to provide money or other property for the purposes of terrorism’.<br />
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And although Al-Muhajiroun was banned, it spawned two other groups: <strong>Al Ghuraaba</strong> and the <strong>Saviour Sect.</strong> <em>Both are led by Choudary.</em> They too were banned by Tony Blair following the July 2005 <strong>London bombings.</strong> But they have apparently reappeared, under the names <strong>Islam4UK</strong> and <strong>Ahlus-Sunnah wal-Jamaah.</strong><br />
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So what are we waiting for?<br />
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Wasn’t one terrorist attack on Britain enough…?<br />
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source of news: <em>Sunday Times,</em> March 15th 2009Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7635031913797828411.post-15577280574587275822009-11-04T08:14:00.000-08:002009-11-04T08:22:41.761-08:00Messianics 1: The Missionary PositionSomething strange is happening in London. <br />
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Especially in areas with large Jewish communities. Take 14 year old Rachel, whose family lives in a north London suburb. Last month, she opened the front door to find three Orthodox Jews standing there. Greeting her warmly, they explained they were from the Beth Shalom Synagogue, and were in her area, doing ‘outreach work’. Specifically, they wanted to learn how to make Synagogue ‘more relevant’ for teenagers. <br />
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Might Rachel spare them ten minutes of her time…? <br />
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Feeling perfectly safe, Rachel invited them in, and made some tea. And for the next forty minutes,she enjoyed a lively conversation with her fellow Jews, about religion, and life in London, and sundry other topics.<br />
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And then one of these Orthodox Jews asked Rachel what she thought about Hell. Which was kind of strange – since Rachel knew that in Jewish belief there is NO ‘hell’. <br />
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Baffled, she asked ‘Chaim’ to elaborate. Leaning forward with a look of great concern, Chaim asked Rachel if she was worried about her parents, and her six year old sister. After all, surely she didn’t want them to ’spend eternity in hell?’ Chaim then explained this was just what would happen – if Rachel’s family ‘failed to find Jesus’. So Rachel now found herself, bizarrely, with three Orthodox Jews who were preaching Christianity!<br />
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Uneasy, she asked Chaim which specific Jewish sect he represented.<br />
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‘<em><strong>Messianic</strong>’</em>, came the beaming response, a ‘<em>new group in which you can remain Jewish AND still know Jesus.’</em><br />
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And while this did not enlighten Rachel, her mother knew precisely what it meant when she arrived home ten minutes later and threw ‘<em>Chaim’ </em>and his friends out.<br />
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You see, these ‘orthodox jews’ were not Jews at all.<br />
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They were <strong>Christian Missionaries.</strong><br />
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Or, as they prefer to be known, ‘<em>messianic jews’.</em><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir3ig6KmB4qudrLpoSCrqU5fVEUnRwquhRCLiEjCvErwt-5-GOjSYiLBgpSWTAmGudjSr6UWZ-kVfOHgVtEPB-Yqvp46xkWMSRVfKKausWAqqBo83IFCG8XgXSpTi72dOCXtob5LdvQ44/s1600-h/menorah.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir3ig6KmB4qudrLpoSCrqU5fVEUnRwquhRCLiEjCvErwt-5-GOjSYiLBgpSWTAmGudjSr6UWZ-kVfOHgVtEPB-Yqvp46xkWMSRVfKKausWAqqBo83IFCG8XgXSpTi72dOCXtob5LdvQ44/s640/menorah.jpg" vr="true" /></a><br />
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Confused? That’s what Messianics count upon. <br />
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The “messianic jewish” movement has been steadily expanding across North America over the past decade. Despite claiming to be ‘jewish’, it is a purely <strong><span style="color: lime;">Christian </span></strong>movement. <br />
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It was founded by <strong><span style="color: lime;">Evangelical Christians</span>,</strong> and it is funded 100% by <strong><span style="color: lime;">Evangelical </span><span style="color: lime;">Churches.</span></strong> In short, the Messianic movement is about as ‘jewish’ as a plate of pork chops. <br />
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It’s estimated that 95% of Messianics were never Jewish to start with. <br />
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<strong><span style="color: purple;">To be clear: the Messianic movement is a very <span style="color: black;">specific</span>, Evangelical Christian group. It does <span style="color: black;">not </span>represent all Christians.</span></strong> <br />
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Indeed, many Christian movements have publicly condemned Messianics, for the lies they tell.<br />
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But don’t dismiss Messianics as some fringe cult. While it may have started that way, Messianics are managing to convert thousands of naive young Jews every year from Judaism to Christianity. The most aggressive and infamous Messianic group is <strong>‘jews4jesus’</strong>, but this is just one group among many.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjdgtjOcyfk1KXb863xB7LSdop6Fj8A4z1ZwQ-m2q8eaC7fwFyASRwZdYuFw-5zNHOfjcn6lIbDPf-1PQ7C4F3gP17CLCntLUAZjxFeObMHc2NT77Ap8i-55yKgPXPODtExnaoBzL8b44/s1600-h/menorah.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjdgtjOcyfk1KXb863xB7LSdop6Fj8A4z1ZwQ-m2q8eaC7fwFyASRwZdYuFw-5zNHOfjcn6lIbDPf-1PQ7C4F3gP17CLCntLUAZjxFeObMHc2NT77Ap8i-55yKgPXPODtExnaoBzL8b44/s320/menorah.jpg" vr="true" /></a><br />
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<strong><em>What is it that Messianics want?</em></strong><br />
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Simple. The same thing that Christian Evangelicals have wanted for some 2000 years. Namely, for Jews to accept Jesus as ’son of god’, as ‘messiah’ and as ’saviour’. <br />
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And when all their previous efforts to convert Jews failed, American Evangelists rebranded. Now they call their Churches <em>’synagogues’</em>, they address their preachers as <em>‘rabbi’</em>, and they themselves are not ‘Christians’ but rather ‘<em>messianic jews’</em>.<br />
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Their target audience? Naive young Jews, who fall for the line that Messianics represent a ‘<em>new jewish group which recognises Jesus.</em>’<br />
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And right now in the UK, USA, Canada, and Australia, Messianics are doing a hell of a lot more than just knocking on the doors of Jewish homes. <br />
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For they are also very busy convincing the entire non Jewish world that they, the Messianics, are in fact the ‘<em>real jews’.</em><br />
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Rachel was lucky. The approach made to her was clumsy and pretty much destined to fail. But numerous young Jewish students away from home for the first time have been lured into embracing Christianity without even realising it.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir3ig6KmB4qudrLpoSCrqU5fVEUnRwquhRCLiEjCvErwt-5-GOjSYiLBgpSWTAmGudjSr6UWZ-kVfOHgVtEPB-Yqvp46xkWMSRVfKKausWAqqBo83IFCG8XgXSpTi72dOCXtob5LdvQ44/s1600-h/menorah.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir3ig6KmB4qudrLpoSCrqU5fVEUnRwquhRCLiEjCvErwt-5-GOjSYiLBgpSWTAmGudjSr6UWZ-kVfOHgVtEPB-Yqvp46xkWMSRVfKKausWAqqBo83IFCG8XgXSpTi72dOCXtob5LdvQ44/s320/menorah.jpg" vr="true" /></a><br />
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Take Jonathan. He was away at University, in his first year, studying Politics. When a fellow student, Suzanne, befriended him, he was delighted. She was obviously Jewish – she was wearing a Magen David.<br />
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After a few weeks, Suzanne invited Jonathan to go with her to ’synagogue’. Not the one that most Jewish students at that University preferred but another, ‘more friendly’ synagogue. Jonathan said yes, and didn’t give it another thought.<br />
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And the following Friday night, he was impressed by the warm reception he got at this ‘temple’. Everyone was smiling. Welcoming. The synagogue looked like every other synagogue he’d ever attended. The ‘Rabbi’ was charismatic, and gave an interesting service. The kiddush was lovely. Jonathan went home feeling great.<br />
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And so when, a few weeks later, Suzanne and some of the other members of the temple suggested to Jonathan that he take a look at a ‘wonderful Hebrew scripture’, he shrugged and figured, ‘Where’s the harm?’.<br />
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Suzanne explained that the scripture was called the ‘<strong>Brit Chadasha’.</strong><br />
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She gave Jonathan some photocopied pages; an ‘English translation’. He glanced through them. They were fairly interesting. Prettily written. Jonathan had never been very into religion – sure, he was Jewish, but he wasn’t ‘observant’. <br />
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But Suzanne was keen to discuss the scriptures and Jonathan soon found himself enjoying their chats. When the name ‘<strong>Yeshua’</strong> came up, Jonathan didn’t make the connection. He liked this new form of “<em>messianic judaism”.</em><br />
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The problem? <strong>‘Brit Chadasha’</strong> is Hebrew for <span style="color: lime;"><strong>New Testament.</strong></span><br />
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Jonathan had been studying the Christian bible without even knowing it!<br />
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All choice had been taken away from him, as he’d been convinced that he was simply following an authentic <strong>Jewish </strong>text, as part of an authentic <span style="color: #d0e0e3;"><strong><span style="color: black;">Jewish</span></strong> </span>group.<br />
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In reality, Jonathan was not now a ‘<em>messianic jew’</em>. He was now on his way <strong>out </strong>of Judaism – <strong><em>because for a Jew to affirm belief in Jesus or any other human as ‘divine’ is blasphemy.</em></strong><br />
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Now of course, people switch faiths. <br />
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Christians become Jews. Jews become Christians. But they do it consciously. <br />
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Jonathan was troubled once he discovered that he’d been so thoroughly hoodwinked. And when he confronted his Messianic ‘friends’, their response was to turn on him and issue dire warnings about his ‘fate’ if he now ‘<em>rejected jesus’</em>. <br />
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Messianics are also busy in cyberspace. In debate forums that discuss and debate religion, they are busy representing ‘judaism’ and convincing millions of well meaning non Jews that <em>‘real jews DO embrace Jesus!’</em><br />
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Fortunately in some forums there are genuine Jews who are countering this deception. Even then, they come under attack from the Messianics who accuse the Jews of ‘discrimination’.<br />
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<strong>In other words: Jews are being told they have to accept a <span style="color: lime;">Christian </span><span style="color: black;">E</span>vangelical group as part OF Judaism – or be guilty of ‘<em>discrimination’!</em></strong><em> </em><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir3ig6KmB4qudrLpoSCrqU5fVEUnRwquhRCLiEjCvErwt-5-GOjSYiLBgpSWTAmGudjSr6UWZ-kVfOHgVtEPB-Yqvp46xkWMSRVfKKausWAqqBo83IFCG8XgXSpTi72dOCXtob5LdvQ44/s1600-h/menorah.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir3ig6KmB4qudrLpoSCrqU5fVEUnRwquhRCLiEjCvErwt-5-GOjSYiLBgpSWTAmGudjSr6UWZ-kVfOHgVtEPB-Yqvp46xkWMSRVfKKausWAqqBo83IFCG8XgXSpTi72dOCXtob5LdvQ44/s320/menorah.jpg" vr="true" /></a><br />
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Messianics are also busy hijacking Jewish festivals. At Pesach, hundreds of thousands of Messianics celebrate ‘<em>the real passover’</em>, in which Jesus is the <em>’sacrificial lamb’.</em> They have also inserted Jesus into other sacred Jewish rituals and festivals, in a way that is offensive in the extreme. <br />
<br />
<strong>In short: Messianics are slowly but surely taking everything that Judaism holds as sacred, and Christianising it.</strong><br />
<br />
<br />
And in doing so, they are twisting <strong>both</strong> Judaism <strong>and</strong> Christianity.<br />
<br />
<br />
In America, Jews are actively addressing this new threat from Christian missionaries, and have organised some great resources, primarily in the form of ‘<strong>Jews For Judaism’,</strong> which aims to counter, specifically but not exclusively, ‘jews4jesus’.<br />
<br />
<br />
But here in the UK, while Messianics are becoming more proactive, the Jewish community remains silent. Recently, ‘jews4jesus’ yet again took to the streets and started bombarding the public with leaflets and books in central London.<br />
<br />
Yet not a single Jewish newspaper so much as mentioned this.<br />
<br />
And let’s all be crystal clear: these evangelists have one basic goal: they wish to eradicate us. <br />
<br />
Oh sure – they’ll do it with smiles, and they’ll claim to ‘love’ us, but make no mistake.<br />
The Messianic movement aims to convert as many Jews as humanly possible, to its own peculiar, confused brand of evangelical Christianity. <br />
<br />
Only now, Messianics are that much cleverer. And if they have to steal our very identity in order to succeed, so be it. <br />
<br />
Perhaps the most worrying comment comes from a 30-something Jewish man who, having battled Messianics in ‘real life’ and internet forums for several years now, concludes:<br />
<br />
<strong>‘Within another ten years, nobody out there will even understand that these Messianics are not Jewish. For some bizarre reason, the world thinks that this group within Evangelical Christianity gets to REdefine Judaism, and just accepts whatever Messianics claim. Never mind that we genuine Jews are trying desperately to counter these evangelical lies. Nobody gives a damn.’</strong>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7635031913797828411.post-80071128440394050702009-11-04T06:38:00.000-08:002009-11-04T06:38:41.969-08:00The Mainstream Media, And Its Selective Attention DisorderAn interesting post over at <strong>Honest Reporting:</strong><br />
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<br />
<br />
<br />
<blockquote>Palestinian journalist Khaled Abu Toameh wonders why the MSM isn’t interested in media repression and torture when the perpetrators are the Palestinian Authority. <br />
<br />
<br />
In June, an Al-Jazeera crew investigating the death of a Palestinian prisoner apparently tortured was stopped at a PA (Palestinian Authority) checkpoint where a videotape was confiscated and erased. <br />
<br />
<br />
Yet foreign journalists and human rights activists working in Israel and the Palestinian territories either chose to ignore the story or never heard about it simply because it was lacking in an anti-Israel angle. One can also imagine how the media and human rights organizations would have reacted had a Palestinian died in Israeli prison after allegedly being tortured.<br />
</blockquote><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
It’s up to those of us who want a fairer approach to Israel in the media to spread word of incidents like this.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7635031913797828411.post-4777034528826723832009-11-04T06:26:00.000-08:002009-11-04T06:26:43.330-08:00British Police Flee Pro Gaza Mob<em>(originally posted on February 1, 2009)</em><br />
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<br />
<br />
<br />
Once upon a time, the boys in blue were a force to be reckoned with. Not any more. New video footage has been released showing Police fleeing from screaming demonstrators during a pro Palestine rally in London last month.<br />
<br />
The ten-minute amateur film shows 30 officers being chased by a crowd of up to 3,000 people.<br />
<br />
The video, posted on YouTube, shows protesters chanting ‘<strong>Allahu Akbar’</strong> (god is Greatest) and ‘<strong>Fatwa</strong>’, which is a death threat under Islamic law.<br />
<br />
As they walk past St James’s Palace, demonstrators threw traffic cones and stones at the police, who are seen running away from the threat.<br />
<br />
One demonstrator shouts: ‘<em>Run, run, you cowards. Allahu Akbar.’</em><br />
<br />
A female steward tries to calm down the protesters, insisting: ‘Back, back’ as the crowd advances on the police. But she is ignored as one male protester shouts: ‘<em>They’re going to get it.’</em><br />
<br />
After coming into Piccadilly, near the five-star Ritz Hotel, demonstrators continued chanting and screaming at the Police, who then drew their batons.<br />
<br />
Despite <strong>pleas from another officer</strong> asking the crowd to ‘calm down’, the protesters laughed at him and threw more traffic cones. One shouted: ‘<em>You swine.’</em><br />
<br />
The rally featured was one of several that grew violent, with pro Palestine supporters smashing the windows of nearby shops, and hurling things at the Police. Even after the London rallies ended, the aggression did not stop, with several Orthodox Jews in north west London being physically assaulted by men shrieking anti Israel and anti Jewish abuse.<br />
<br />
Check out the footage and see what's become of the British bobby:<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1133120/Police-ran-away-jeering-Gaza-demonstrators.html">http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1133120/Police-ran-away-jeering-Gaza-demonstrators.html</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7635031913797828411.post-70930364844015676692009-11-04T05:22:00.000-08:002009-11-04T05:22:06.735-08:00Operation Cast Lead: Setting The Record StraightHere's another superb piece on Operation Cast Lead that may prove useful to those of you who are either seeking the facts, or trying to counter the lies being told about Israel's actions in Gaza.<br />
<br />
The article is an adapted and abbreviated version of the one that appears in FrontPage magazine. To read the original, go <span style="color: red;">here</span><br />
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<span style="color: red;">"</span>From the very second that Israel started responding to eight years of Hamas terrorism, the world screamed in protest. The media did not seem to give a damn that often, their 'facts' were nothing more than rumour and misinformation.<br />
<br />
So let's set the record straight. It's interesting to look at reports by journalists who investigated properly. Those who actually spoke with Gazans.<br />
<br />
<strong>The media said:</strong> <strong><em><span style="color: red;">"Israel deliberately killed Palestinian civilians."</span></em></strong><br />
<br />
<br />
<strong>FACT:</strong> <span style="background-color: blue; color: blue;"><span style="color: white;">Israel exerted more care than any other country in history to avoid inflicting casualties</span> <span style="color: white;">on civilians, even when that meant risking the lives of Israeli soldiers.</span></span><span style="color: white;"> </span><br />
<br />
Israel’s Minister of Welfare and Social Services Isaac Herzog notes: <br />
<blockquote>"The IDF made 250,000 phone calls, it has sent text messages and delivered leaflets by air. It made broadcasts on television and on radio and asked people to move away. It did whatever it could to prevent human suffering'</blockquote><br />
Go on, read that bit again. <strong>250,000 phone calls.</strong> That's almost every home in Gaza. <strong>There is no precedent in history for any army phoning each household in enemy territory to warn them in advance to take shelter.</strong><br />
<br />
The Israelis <strong>even called up major Hamas terrorists 45 minutes in advance</strong> of bombing their houses, which were <strong>used for storing weapons and ammunition and for concealing terrorist tunnels</strong> and bunkers in their basements, in order to give the terrorists and their innocent families time to escape unharmed.<br />
<br />
When Israeli planes tracked trucks carrying weapons and ammunition to Hamas, they sometimes deflected the missiles in mid-flight, causing them to fall harmlessly in open spaces, if the trucks happened to pass by civilians on a crowded street. <br />
<br />
In deflecting their own missiles by remote control, the Israeli pilots and ground controllers lost chances to destroy enemy weapons and ammunition, <strong>solely in</strong> <span style="color: black;"><strong>order to protect Palestinian civilians.</strong></span> <br />
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These humanitarian measures by the Israeli forces have been abundantly documented by “live” video cameras, and the resulting video records have been broadcast by the IDF on YouTube.<br />
<br />
<em>Can you find any evidence of any other army behaving with such restraint and care, in order to help civilians on the enemy side?</em><br />
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<strong>The Media</strong>: <span style="color: red;"><strong>Israel killed 1300 civilians in Gaza. More than half of those killed by Israel were innocent civilians.</strong></span><br />
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<strong>FACT:</strong> <span style="color: blue;">In fact, relatively few civilians actually were killed or injured. The Italian 'newspaper of record', <em>Corriere della Serra,</em> reporting from Gaza, stated:</span><br />
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<br />
<blockquote>." . .there is fact coming to light ever more obviously, visiting the hospitals, clinics and families of the victims of Israeli fire: In reality their numbers appear much lower than 1300 dead and another 5000 injured, as reported by the men of Hamas and repeated by the UN officials and the local Red Cross.<br />
</blockquote><blockquote>"The dead can’t be more than 500 or 600. There are many youths between 17 and 23, recruited by Hamas, who sent them quite literally to the slaughter," said a doctor from the Shifah hospital who under no circumstances wanted to be quoted for he risked his life.</blockquote><br />
<br />
<br />
This data has been confirmed by a local journalist:<br />
<br />
<blockquote>“We already pointed this out to the heads of Hamas. Why do they insist on inflating the number of victims? It’s strange on the other hand that the NGOs, also the western ones, report them without any verification. In the end the truth may come to light. It could be like Jenin in 2002. Initially we spoke about 1500 dead. Then it came out that there were only 54, of whom at least 45 were militants who died in battle. ”</blockquote><blockquote><br />
</blockquote><br />
<br />
It’s sufficient to visit a few hospitals to understand that the numbers don’t add up. There are many empty beds in the European Hospital in Rafah, one of the [hospitals] that should be most involved with the victims of the Israeli “war of the tunnels.” The same goes for the “Nasser” of Khan Yunis. Only 5 out of the 150 beds in the private hospital of Al-Amal are occupied.<br />
<br />
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<strong>Analysts monitoring the Palestinian Arab media have come upon much information that supports this.</strong> They have found that over 75% of the individuals whom the Arab media have identified as having been killed in the fighting were males between the ages of 15 and 50—the ages, and gender, of the overwhelming majority of Hamas and other Palestinian fighters.<br />
<br />
<br />
<strong>They have also found that the names of many Palestinians who turn up on lists of “civilians” killed in the Gaza war published by Palestinian “human rights” organizations are identified as Hamas fighters by other Palestinian news publications.</strong> <br />
<br />
The “<em>human rights”</em> organizations also omitted from its casualty reports the names of Hamas fighters who are known from other sources to have been killed in the fighting. This misreporting and selective reporting result in a sizable overstatement of the percentage of civilians killed in the fighting. <br />
<br />
Yet much of the news media relies on these organizations, such as the Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR), for their data on civilian casualties in Gaza.<br />
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<strong>We must also note that Hamas deliberately forced Gazan civilians to serve as “human shields,” behind which the terrorists conducted their assault. Indeed, this is official Hamas policy, and the group openly boasts about it.</strong><br />
<br />
<br />
Hamas regularly sent its troops to occupy schools, hospitals, mosques and office buildings, their grounds and adjacent streets, as well as many private Palestinian houses and business, and used them to fire at Israeli soldiers and to launch rockets against Israeli civilians. <br />
<br />
The Hamas men used mosques as weapons and ammunition storage facilities, and fired anti-aircraft guns from them The Israelis have even caught on camera, and have subsequently broadcast on YouTube, videos of Hamas fighters launching rockets and mortars from the courtyards of schools, or streets directly adjoining them.<br />
<br />
<strong>On at least one occasion, Hamas operatives even launched a rocket from a building used by foreign journalists; <span style="color: red;">a reporter from an Arab television</span> and radio station reported on the incident “live” as she viewed the rocket launching from her office window, in a bizarre sequence that has subsequently been broadcast on youtube.</strong><br />
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Hamas gunmen also hijacked ambulances, and sometimes even fired at Israeli soldiers from them.<br />
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These Hamas ‘tactics” put Israeli soldiers in the impossible position of having either to allow the Hamas terrorists to keep firing at them and/or at the Israeli civilian population - or to return fire, and risking killing or injuring civilians.<br />
<br />
Israel sometimes has had no choice but to permit its soldiers to return fire in self-defense. This return of fire has sometimes resulted in civilian casualties and/or damage to civilian buildings; but in view of Hamas’ of use of civilians as human shields, blaming Israel for these casualties and calling them Israeli “war crimes,” seems utterly unfair. <strong>The actual war crimes were perpetrated by Hamas.</strong><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Apropos this situation, Italian journalist in Gaza, Mr Cremonesi, states that Gazans themselves desperately begged Hamas to stop endangering their families, saying:<br />
<br />
<blockquote>“Get away! Get away from here! Do you want our children to die under the bombs? Take your missiles and weapons away,” the inhabitants of the Gaza strip yelled at the Hamas militants and their allies in Islamic Jihad.</blockquote><br />
<br />
<blockquote>But for all of that the guerrillas didn’t listen to anyone. “Traitors, spies of Fatah, cowards! The soldiers of the holy war will punish you. And in any case you will all die, like us. Fighting Jews we are all destined for paradise. Do you not wish to die with us?” This is what they yelled furiously as they broke down doors and windows, hiding themselves on high floors, gardens, using ambulances and barricading themselves near the hospitals, schools and buildings of the UN.<br />
</blockquote><blockquote>In extreme cases Hamas shot those who sought to block them from their streets and houses to save their own families, or they beat them savagely. “The Hamas Militants looked for good places to provoke the Israelis. They were usually youths, 16 or 17 years old, armed with submachine guns. They couldn’t do anything against a tank or jet. They knew they were much weaker. But they wanted the Israelis to shoot at the the civilians’ houses so they could accuse them of more war crimes” asserted Abu Issa, 42, resident of the Tel Awa neighborhood.</blockquote><br />
<br />
<br />
Another Gaza civilian, calling herself Umm Abdallah, told Mr.Cremonesi:<br />
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<br />
<blockquote>“Practically all of the tallest buildings in Gaza that were hit by Israeli bombs, like the Dogmoush, Andalous, Jawarah, Siussi, and many others, had rocket launching pads on their roofs, or were observation decks for the Hamas. They had also put them near the big UN warehouse, which went up in flames.</blockquote><br />
<br />
Hamas terrorists may have directly caused some of the civilian casualties themselves. <strong>Numerous Gaza residents and foreign reporters confirm that Hamas took the occasion of Israel’s Gaza operation to kill Palestinians whom it claimed were collaborators with Israel.</strong> <br />
<br />
Many, although not all of these alleged collaborators were actually members of the rival Palestinian terrorist group Fatah, with whom Hamas has long been at loggerheads.<br />
<br />
<br />
We have already seen the <em>Corriere della Serra</em> report that Hamas sometimes killed Gazan civilians who tried to refuse to allow themselves and their families to be used as human shields, declaring them to be “collaborators” worthy of death.<br />
<br />
<br />
Gazan ambulance drivers told a reporter for the <em>Sydney Morning Herald</em> of similar experiences with Hamas gunmen: these sometimes attempted to hijack ambulances for their own use, and threatened the drivers with their guns if they resisted surrendering them. <br />
<br />
While the particular ambulance drivers interviewed by <em>Sydney Morning</em> <em>Herald</em>’s reporter Jack Koutsoukis survived their ordeal, others may not have been so lucky.<br />
<br />
<br />
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Then there is the question of “<em>work accidents.”</em> The Israel defense and intelligence forces have documented numerous cases in which explosives that Hamas was storing or that its operatives were manufacturing exploded accidentally, inflicting deaths and injuries on nearby civilians. <br />
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In nearly all such cases, Hamas first tried to blame Israel for the civilian casualties, although it sometimes eventually admitted to the truth. How many of the civilian casualties reported during the Gaza operation were similar <em>“work accidents?”</em><br />
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<br />
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So we have to wonder: How many civilian deaths and injuries inflicted by Hamas gunmen, one wonders, found their way into the civilian casualty statistics released by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), various NGOs, and the media?<br />
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<br />
Yet the press and the “humanitarian” agencies have attributed all of the civilian casualties to Israel.<br />
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<strong>The Media:</strong> <strong><span style="color: red;">Gaza has been utterly devastated and left in ruins by the Israeli “assault.”</span></strong><br />
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<strong>FACT:</strong> <span style="color: blue;">The Israelis targeted buildings very carefully and selectively, aiming at buildings used for military purposes by Hamas, and rarely hitting other buildings.</span><br />
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<strong>Journalists who were on the scene have admitted that Israel’s air and ground forces in Gaza were almost incredibly precise and careful in their selection of targets</strong>, and that as little damage as possible was caused to civilian buildings. Tim Butcher, in a report on the war for London’s <em>Daily Telegraph</em>, wrote that:<br />
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<br />
<blockquote>One thing was clear. Gaza City 2009 is not Stalingrad 1944. There had been no carpet bombing of large areas, no firebombing of complete suburbs. Targets had been selected and then hit, often several times, but almost always with precision munitions. Buildings nearby had been damaged and there had been some clear mistakes, like the firebombing of the UN aid headquarters. But, in most the cases, I saw the primary target had borne the brunt. . .</blockquote><br />
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<blockquote>But, for the most part, I was struck by how cosmetically unchanged Gaza appeared to be. It has been a tatty, poorly-maintained mess for decades and the presence of fresh bombsites on streets already lined with broken curbstones and jerry-built buildings did not make any great difference. </blockquote><blockquote>And the same can be said for the mindset of many of Gaza’s 1.5 million residents. Outsiders might have expected some sort of collective anger at the loss of life, or mass outrage at the Hamas authorities whose policy of firing rockets against Israel had brought down the wrath of the Israeli armed forces</blockquote>.<br />
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<strong>The media:</strong> <span style="color: red;"><strong>Israel has been blockading Gaza for years and denying its people access to vital humanitarian supplies.. This blockade was intensified during the recent Gaza war.</strong></span><br />
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<strong>THE FACT</strong>: <span style="color: blue;">There has never been an Israeli blockade of Gaza.</span><br />
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Israel has allowed thousands of truckloads of supplies into Gaza in the past eight years, despite the almost continuous armed attacks on Israeli civilians and soldiers originating in Gaza.<br />
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It continued to supply Gaza with food, medicine and all other needed civilian goods even during the three weeks of intense fighting during the recent war (December 27, 2008 - January 19, 2009). <br />
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It has supplied Gaza with electricity, fuel, and water and even money to pay its officials, (who of course work for Hamas) throughout the long years of Gazan aggression against Israel.<br />
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Israel continued to supply all of these things to Gaza, except the money, <strong>even during the three weeks of intense fighting during its Operation Cast Lead</strong>.<br />
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<br />
Since the “cease fire” on January 19 of this year and even at the height of the fighting in January, Israel observed three a hour truce daily to allow supplies to get through to the Gazan civilian population (Hamas violated even these brief truces by using them to fire rockets at Israeli civilians).<br />
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<br />
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Israel has continued to send massive humanitarian supplies to Gaza and to allow the UN relief organizations to do so as well, even though Hamas has been hijacking the relief shipments for its own fighters—which is a serious war crime. It has even resumed its money payments to the Hamas government, despite Hamas’ daily violations of the cease-fire with rocket attacks on, and terrorist raids into, Israel.<br />
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No other nation in history has treated the people of a country that was committing armed aggression against their own with the kindness, compassion, humanity and forbearance that Israel has shown towards the Palestinians in Gaza.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7635031913797828411.post-37184527228215639322009-11-04T04:40:00.000-08:002009-11-04T04:40:47.459-08:00Israel Indicted For Self Defence<em>(originally published February 19 at old blog site)</em><br />
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<br />
Excellent article here, courtesy of <strong>FrontPage </strong>magazine:<br />
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<br />
<strong><span style="color: red; font-size: large;">Indicting Israel for Self-Defense</span></strong> <br />
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<strong>By P. David Hornik FrontPageMagazine.com </strong><br />
<strong>Wednesday, February 04, 2009</strong><br />
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<br />
The ceasefire announced by Hamas on January 18, never a sterling example of the genre, further deteriorated on Sunday as over 15 rockets and mortar shells were fired at Israel from Gaza. That night, when Israeli planes struck back at Hamas targets, many Palestinians reported that Israel had telephoned them warnings to evacuate. There were no casualties in the strike.<br />
<br />
<br />
Again on Tuesday evening, after a Grad rocket hit the Israeli city of Ashkelon during the day, Palestinians in the town of Rafah on the Gaza-Egypt border received recorded telephone messages from Israel stating that “people who work in tunnels, live near them or are giving logistical help to terrorists should evacuate the area immediately.”<br />
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<br />
Israeli air strikes on the tunnels followed, again with no reports of casualties. During Operation Cast Lead, Israel reduced Palestinian casualties with such measures as disseminating warnings in leaflets or SMS messages and dropping small, harmless bombs on rooftops before attacks.<br />
<br />
<span style="background-color: black;"></span><br />
It prompted former <strong>British colonel Richard Kemp</strong> to say that <br />
<br />
<blockquote><strong><span style="color: black;">“I don’t think there has ever been a time in the history of warfare when any army has made more efforts to reduce civilian casualties and deaths of innocent people than the IDF is doing today in Gaza</span>.”</strong><br />
</blockquote><br />
<br />
Nevertheless, it was reported on Monday that a prosecutor at the International Criminal Court in The Hague had announced plans to investigate claims by Palestinian groups that Israel had committed war crimes in Gaza by using phosphorus shells in populated areas. <br />
<br />
In 2004 the ICC condemned Israel for building its security fence—believed by security officials to <strong>have saved hundreds of lives</strong>—after waves of terror from the West Bank.<br />
<br />
And the news about the ICC came hard on the heels of Thursday’s announcement that a Spanish court, after granting a petition by the Palestinian Center for Human Rights, was planning to try seven Israeli security officials for “crimes against humanity” in the 2002 assassination of Hamas kingpin Salah Shehadeh.<br />
<br />
Fourteen civilians were also killed in the strike. Shehadeh had masterminded <strong>the killings of hundreds of Israelis</strong> <strong>and was preparing a mega-attack at the</strong> <strong>time</strong>. The seven Israeli officials include a former defense minister and two former chiefs of staff. <br />
<br />
Israel, then, is between a rock and a hard place.<br />
<br />
<br />
From its complete <strong>disengagement from Gaza in August 2005</strong> till Operation Cast Lead was launched in late December 2008, <strong>6500 rockets and mortars</strong> <strong>were fired from Gaza at predominantly civilian Israeli targets</strong> with only small, tactical Israeli responses. <br />
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Yet the world went along its way. There were no Security Council sessions, ICC investigations, or threats by European countries to put Hamas leaders on trial.<br />
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The suffering of <strong>Sderot </strong>residents never became a chic cause on campuses where “<em>the Palestinians</em>” continued to be lionized. <br />
<br />
Then came Operation Cast Lead, and all hell broke loose. To even mention Israel’s extraordinary measures to avoid harming civilians was to be an embattled polemicist citing esoteric facts.<br />
<br />
But when some unclear number of Palestinian civilians—inevitably, given Hamas’s use of them—were nonetheless killed or wounded, it was Israel that was in the hot seat. Although some European leaders like German chancellor Angela Merkel and Czech foreign minister Karel Schwarzenberg showed Israel some degree of understanding, by the time Israel ended the operation on January 17 its diplomatic support had dwindled to zero.<br />
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<br />
And the ICC announcement is only the most dramatic instance so far of legal fallout from the operation. The expected wave of “lawfare” against Israeli soldiers and officers prompted Prime Minister Ehud Olmert to set up a special team to defend them headed by the justice minister, with legal and intelligence experts already gathering evidence related to the fighting in Gaza.<br />
<br />
<br />
In 2005 Israeli general Doron Almog barely escaped arrest on war-crime charges in Britain when he was warned by the Israeli embassy not to disembark from his plane at Heathrow Airport. And just last week Israeli colonel Geva Rapp had to flee Britain for fear of an arrest warrant for defending his country.<br />
<br />
<br />
With the war also having sparked fierce anti-Semitic eruptions particularly in Venezuela and Turkey, the worldview of Israel’s outgoing government—one of the factors behind the seemingly inhuman “restraint” in the face of the rockets—appears more wobbly than ever.<br />
<br />
It was a worldview in which Israel could expect reason and understanding from the nations in light of such facts as: <strong>Israel had withdrawn from Gaza and it was no longer occupied; Hamas is a terrorist organization that specifically targets civilians while using its own civilians for cover; and any country—<em>yes, even Israel</em>—<span style="color: red;">has the right to self-defense.</span></strong><br />
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<br />
The fact that, notwithstanding all that, the war has galvanized both heightened anti-Israeli lawfare and heightened anti-Semitic agitation has not been lost on the Israeli populace—which has, for instance, drastically cut back on tourism to once-popular Turkey. And as the rockets continue to fall, the need for a more sober outlook—one perhaps closer to traditional Jewish understandings of Israel’s role in the world—is likely to prevail in the February 10 elections.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7635031913797828411.post-49979551966399375392009-11-04T04:06:00.001-08:002009-11-04T04:12:43.417-08:00Mix Islam & Christianity And You Get... Chrislam...?<strong><span style="color: black;">I'm all for inter-faith dialogue, but this is absurd. Why do some people think you can take two faiths, swap a few concepts, then combine them to create an entirely <em>'new</em>' third faith which inevitably, dishonours the original two...?</span></strong><br />
<span style="color: black;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="color: black;"><br />
</span><br />
<strong><span style="color: black;">We've seen it, for decades, with the <span style="color: red;">specific</span> set of Evangelical Christians who <em>remain Christians,</em> but chuck in a few Jewish ideas and rituals, then alter them, before declaring they are now practising <em>"messianic judaism</em>". It's not Judaism, of course.</span></strong><br />
<span style="color: black;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="color: black;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="color: white;"><strong><span style="color: black;">Now we have some people trying to do it with Christianity</span>,<span style="color: black;"> and Islam. Here, noting this mad new trend and decrying it with a passion, is Bill Muehlenberg:</span></strong></span><br />
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<blockquote><span style="color: black;"><strong><blockquote><blockquote><strong><em><span style="color: red;">Sorry, But I am Not Buying Into Chrislam</span></em></strong><br />
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<span style="color: black;"><strong>Chrislam, as the name suggests, is a growing movement wherein some Christians are seeking to find common ground with Muslims. Indeed, it actually seeks to combine Christianity with Islam. It is a syncretistic movement that speaks about “spirituality without boundaries”. Whenever you hear that sort of talk, you should start heading for the hills.</strong></span><br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="color: black;"><strong>Yet that is what we find in some leftist evangelical Christian circles today. Incredibly, it took place last year at the National Prayer Breakfast in Canberra. I wrote that episode up in several articles at the time:</strong></span><br />
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http://www.billmuehlenberg.com/2008/11/10/islam-and-fifth-columns/<br />
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http://www.billmuehlenberg.com/2008/11/04/truth-and-tolerance-christianity-and-islam/<br />
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<br />
<span style="color: black;"><strong>But a number of leading American religious leftists are also pushing this cause in varying degrees. For example, Tony Campolo has argued that “interfaith prayers and even mystical unions are critical for all true peacemakers”. And given that a leftist vision of “social justice” seems to be the most important agenda item for Campolo, it is not surprising that he can praise Islam in these terms: “When it comes to what is ultimately important, the Muslim community’s sense of commitment to the poor is exactly in tune with where Jesus is in the 25th chapter of Matthew.”</strong></span><br />
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<span style="color: black;"><strong>More recently emerging church movement leader Brian McLaren has written a five-part blog entry on why Christians should join with Muslims in celebrating Ramadan. In it he said, “We, as Christians, humbly seek to join Muslims in this observance of Ramadan as a God-honouring expression of peace, fellowship, and neighbourliness.”</strong></span><br />
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<span style="color: black;"><strong>Once again the emphasis is on getting along, harmony and unity. Fine – to a point. But both these faiths are ultimately evangelistic, exclusive, and mutually incompatible. The heart of the Christian truth claim is that Jesus is G-d’s son, and he has come to save us from our sins. Islam claims that it is blasphemous to say G-d has a son.</strong></span><br />
<br />
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<span style="color: white;"><strong><span style="color: black;">So how far can two faiths get along when they are at heart directly opposed to each other? And the worrying thing about the McLaren posts is nowhere does he once mention that we in fact should be evangelising our Muslim friends, or praying for their conversion. This is really quite bizarre a</span><span style="color: black;">n</span><span style="color: black;">d worrying.</span></strong></span><br />
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<span style="color: black;"><strong>Of course all Christians should be in favour of making friends with Muslims, building bridges with them, and seeking to get close to them – but for the purpose of sharing with them the good news of Jesus Christ. If we simply aim for a warm and fuzzy ecumenical unity, where biblical truth is watered down or ignored all together, then we are doing no one a favour, whether ourselves or Muslims.</strong></span><br />
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<span style="color: black;"><strong>Joel Richardson has recently written up this story, and is worth quoting from here. He rightly notes that Christians often are involved in concentrated campaigns of prayer for Muslims during their holy month. Many have joined in on these 30-days of prayer and fasting for their Muslim friends.</strong></span><br />
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<span style="color: black;"><strong>But what about this interfaith initiative? Is it really what Christians should be involved in? Asks Richardson, “But does such an interreligious observance go beyond mere ‘neighborliness’ and cross the line of religious compromise and syncretism? Does observing the religious holy month of Ramadan create the impression of an endorsement of Islam?”</strong></span><br />
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<span style="color: black;"><strong>He continues, “McLaren, a leading voice in the growing left-wing Christian movement, wants everyone to know that he has not converted to Islam, but is a ‘deeply committed Christian.’ But McLaren is not fasting for the salvation of his Muslim friends. Instead he is seeking through the practice of this Islamic ritual to promote ‘the common good, together with people of other faith traditions’.”</strong></span><br />
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<span style="color: black;"><strong>While the motivations of McLaren and other might be good, we need to ask some hard questions: “Although McLaren has said that he and his followers ‘will seek to avoid being disrespectful or unfaithful to our own faith tradition in our desire to be respectful to the faith tradition of our friends,’ some have expressed that the very act of observing a Muslim religious season is itself highly unorthodox and contrary to historical Christian practice. While loving and befriending others is paramount to the Christian faith, the Bible is clear that Christians are to avoid actually participating in their religious ceremonies: ‘Do not be bound together with unbelievers; for what partnership have righteousness and lawlessness, or what fellowship has light with darkness? Or what harmony has Christ with Belial, or what has a believer in common with an unbeliever?’ (2 Corinthians 6:14-15)”</strong></span><br />
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<span style="color: black;"><strong>Indeed, just how does the Christian gospel fare in all of this? “What is also so concerning to observers of the growing emergent Christian movement is its tendencies to rarely express the Christian gospel while loudly and often proclaiming either a classic humanist message or outright religious pluralism. McLaren and other emergent leaders are often heard expressing the need to de-emphasize ‘doctrinal barriers’ between various religions including Christianity and Islam.”</strong></span><br />
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<span style="color: black;"><strong>And Chrislam is not mere theory. It is a burgeoning movement in various places around the world, and liberal denominations are already starting to lap it up. Richardson mentiones the story of Episcopal priestess Rev. Anne Holmes who announced in 2007 that she had become a Christian-Muslim. The story back then was reported this way:</strong></span><br />
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<span style="color: black;"><strong>“A Seattle priest has become a Muslim while also retaining her clergy status in the Episcopal Church. Her local bishop has described the development as ‘exciting.’ ‘I look through Jesus and I see Allah,’ explained the Rev. Ann Holmes Redding to the ‘Seattle Times,’ which reported that Redding puts on her Islamic headscarf on Fridays and her clerical collar on Sundays. … she still sees Jesus as her Savior, even if not divine, and plans to remain both a priest and an Episcopalian. Bishop Vincent Warner of the Episcopal Diocese of Olympia told the Seattle Times that Redding’s embrace of Islam has not been controversial in his diocese.”</strong></span><br />
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<span style="color: black;"><strong>That is as good of a summation of where theological liberalism and the interfaith movement are taking us as you will find. In the end it is really an anti-Christ activity, despite any benign motivations. Any movement that takes people away from Christ as Lord and Saviour is a movement which is not coming from G-d. Christians need to be very careful indeed about getting on board such initiatives.</strong></span><br />
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<span style="color: black;"><strong>As I wrote in a comment last year, “Christians in the interfaith movement tend to engage in at least three unhelpful activities. One, they tend to downplay and minimise the exclusive truth claims of Biblical Christianity. Two, they tend to downplay and minimise the horrendous Muslim persecution and dhimmitude of Christians all around the world (while there is no equivalent Christian persecution and dhimmitude of Muslims). Three, they tend to fail in the most important calling of Christians: to evangelise and disciple all nations.</strong></span><br />
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<span style="color: black;"><strong>For all the talk of harmony, unity and friendship, the Chrislam movement is a move in the wrong direction. I for one will have nothing to do with it, and I hope that all serious followers of Jesus Christ avoid it like the plague as well.</strong></span><br />
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</strong></span><br />
<span style="color: white;"><strong><span style="color: black;">Source:</span>r<a href="http://www.billmuehlenberg.com/2009/09/16/sorry-but-i-am-not-buying-into-chrislam/">Culture Watch</a>)</strong></span></blockquote><br />
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<br />
<span style="color: white;"><strong></strong></span><br />
<br />
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<strong><span style="color: black;">Noted the part about the Christian priest who is now, apparently, also a practising Muslim...?</span></strong><br />
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<strong><span style="color: black;">This makes no sense. Islam does not agree with the core Christian belief that Jesus was the 'son of god'. How on earth can anyone adhere to two, contradictory faiths?</span></strong><br />
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<strong><span style="color: black;"><em>'Chrislam'?</em></span></strong><br />
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<strong><span style="color: black;">G-d forbid.</span></strong>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7635031913797828411.post-15715944895673035782009-11-04T04:01:00.000-08:002009-11-04T04:01:48.381-08:00Ahmadinejad Cohen...?!Another week, another bizarre story. Right now, British newspapers are jumping onto the ‘Mahmoud is Jewish!’ bandwagon with such indecent haste, it’s really something to behold. Yep, the notion of this four foot three, jumped up little Hitler Wannabe actually being Jewish? It was apparently just too delicious a story to turn down for the <em>Daily Telegraph.</em><br />
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The <em>Telegraph</em> ‘broke’ the story and in doing so, displayed a combination of naivete and lack of journalistic integrity that puts it on a par with the Guardian’s smear campaign against Israel.<br />
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So let’s put this mad story into perspective. The ‘evidence’ for Mahmoud’s ‘<em>jewish roots’</em> is that in pictures, his identity papers apparently reveal a <em>‘jewish surname’.</em><br />
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Right…<br />
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Well, if that was ‘proof’ of Jewishness, there’d be a lot more Jews in the world! There are numerous people out there with ‘jewish surnames’, but they aren’t Jewish!<br />
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I mean, come on people. Does anyone truly think that Mad Mahmoud would brandish ‘proof’ of being Jewish so openly, right in front of the cameras? Of course he blinking well wouldn’t!<br />
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Over at <strong>Elder Of Ziyon</strong> is this interesting post on the topic:<br />
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From <strong>Karmel Melamed,</strong> an Iranian Journalist, at the (LA) <em>Jewish Journal blog:</em><br />
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<blockquote>This reporter and blog were bombarded with e-mails and questions since last night from readers of this blog asking me whether the story published in Britain’s <em>Daily Telegraph</em>’s that Ahmadinejad was born a Jew had any validity. </blockquote><br />
<blockquote>After reading the Telegraph’s original story published yesterday and consulting with a number of local Iranian Jewish scholars with regards to the story’s claims of Ahmadinejad’s supposed Jewish identity, as an Iranian Jewish journalist I cannot verify a single shred of evidence that would suggest this story is accurate in any way.</blockquote><br />
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<blockquote>The article lacks any real or credible sources cited that can unequivocally prove that Ahmadinejad had any Jewish roots and it seems as if the story was just leaked to the Telegraph by “reformist” leaders in Iran as a part of a larger smear campaign against the newly “re-elected” hardliner president of Iran.</blockquote><blockquote><br />
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The article’s authors, <strong>Damien McElroy</strong> and <strong>Ahmad Vahdat</strong> claim that “Iranian experts” they consulted with have seen the supposed “Jewish name of Sabourjian –meaning cloth weaver” in a photo of Ahmadinejad’s identity papers from March of 2009. My main problem with this claim about the “Sabourjian” name is that the Iranian Jewish experts, scholars and religious leaders in L.A. I have interviewed today, have never heard of any Jewish family in Iran with such a name.<br />
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Likewise the handful of English to Farsi dictionaries authored by Solomon Haim (a 20th century Iranian Jewish scholar of Persian language) found at UCLA’s library I have research through today do not identify the word “sabour” as “the name for the Jewish tallit shawl” as both McElroy and Vahdat claim in their article! For that matter, none of the English to Farsi dictionaries I came across even had the word “sabour” nor a definition listed for it!<br />
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Where these journalists came up with this nonsense about the word “sabour” having a Jewish meaning is beyond me! As an Iranian Jewish journalist fluent in the Persian language for the last 31 years, I have never heard of the word “sabour” uttered by members of my community and the Iranian Jewish community has never used this word as a reference to the Jewish prayer shawl. We Iranian Jews refer to the Jewish prayer shawl by it’s Hebrew name of “seat-seat” (the Hebrew word for the fringes of the prayer shawl) or we use the Hebrew word of “tallit” just like the millions of other Jews living on this planet.<br />
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Likewise I also have a problem with McElroy and Vahdat’s supposed expert sources they used in their article who are not even Iranian Jews nor credible scholars with any real familiarity with the subject of Iranian Jewry! The authors of the article list “Ali Nourizadeh, of the Centre for Arab and Iranian Studies” in London and some Iranian internet blogger “Mehdi Khazali” as their experts who back the unproven claim that Ahmadinejad was supposedly born a Jew.<br />
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Both Nourizadeh and Khazali are clearly NOT Jewish and my question as a reader of the article (and not as an Iranian Jewish journalist) is a simple one; why would anyone cite non-Jewish experts unfamiliar with Iranian Jewry as supposed accurate sources on a story about the Jewish origins of a country’s leader? <br />
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You’d think these journalists would go through some effort to find some sort of a Jewish scholar or expert familiar with Iran to substantiate their claims—but no, McElroy and Vahdat instead rely on Iranian Muslims with no real knowledge of Iranian Jewry to prove their allegations of Ahmadinejad supposed Jewish roots. Therefore the articles authors’ use of these non-Jewish experts who lack any real credibility or knowledge of this topic clearly places the entire accuracy of their overall story on Ahmadinejad into question for me.<br />
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Iranian Jewish experts I consulted with also said they were unable to read the unclear photo of the Ahmadinejad’s identity papers to properly verify the <em>Telegraph</em>’s story.<br />
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<br />
Another serious question I have with the accuracy of McElroy and Vahdat’s story is their claim that Ahmadinejad’s alleged Jewish name “is even on the list of reserved names for Iranian Jews compiled by Iran’s Ministry of the Interior”. Again I am perplexed at why these seasoned journalists would place any kind of credibility on an official Iranian government document when most experts familiar with the current Iranian regime know very well that any time lists of names are “complied by the Iranian government” they are used by different forces in the regime for nothing more than to attack another official, party or faction in the country. <br />
<br />
<br />
The most classic and detrimental way Iranian government officials have attacked one another is to claim that the “such and such official was born a Jew, or was once a Jew who converted to Islam, or his family was Jewish a generation ago and then converted”. The “Jewish identity label” is your classic textbook example of anti-Semitism at its prime that is thrown around as a type of public insult or verbal assault officials in Iran and in most Islamic nations used against one another in smear campaigns. <br />
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The Iranian Jewish experts I interviewed this morning in L.A. informed me that for one Iranian government official to call or accuse another government official of being Jewish is the equivalent to individuals or groups in the U.S. to accuse an elected official in America of being a child molester or pedophiliac! This is the sad and unfortunately reality that being a Jew in Iran has a very derogatory meaning.<br />
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<strong>The negative connotation of claiming that someone Muslim in Iran is Jewish or has Jewish roots brings me to my final analysis of the true origins of this entire Ahmadinejad-Jewish story</strong>. Iran experts here in L.A. I recently interviewed said that even before Ahmadinejad, various “reformist” leaders during the “open era” of the past Iranian President Mohammad Khatami during the 1990s and early 2000s were using “Jewishness” as a verbal assault against other rival officials they hated or against other Iranian officials who presumably had Jewish blood. <br />
</blockquote><br />
<blockquote>Frank Nikbakht, an L.A.-based Iranian Jewish activist and director of the Committee for Minority Rights in Iran, said the accusations Iranian officials make of each other being Jewish is nothing new for Iran’s current regime. <br />
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“I remember in early 2000 when members of Khatami’s reformist party in Iran accused one of their hardliner rivals, a man named Habibollah Ashkaroladi Mosalman, of having Jewish roots,” said Nikbakht in a telephone interview today. “What we are seeing today with this story of Ahmadinejad being supposedly Jewish is the same smear tactics the reformists have used in the past against their hardliner opponents”. It seems as if even the supposed “reformists” in Iran, who Obama administration officials and other Western leaders have long hail as being supposedly “open-minded”, are also now showing their true anti-Semitic tendencies by vilifying Ahmadinejad with disgusting anti-Semitic rhetoric!<br />
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Why else would Ahmadinejad be such an evil and horrible dictator trying to take over the world and kill people? He must no doubt be a Jew. Sounds like garbage you might read in the classic anti-Semitic book the “<strong><em>Protocols of the Elders of Zion”!</em></strong> (By the way, the Persian language copies of the Protocols have long been best sellers in Iran with more than 400 pages added to the original Russian version published in the 1880s).<br />
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<strong>As an journalist I am shocked at the lack of accurate reporting and very poor journalism in McElroy and Vahdat’s story regarding Ahmadinejad in this instance.</strong> Shame on the <em>Daily Telegraph’s</em> <strong>editors for publishing such inaccurate claims with no real experts familiar with Iranian Jewry cited.</strong> The reporters and editors at this paper are either completely brainless or stooges and mouth-pieces for “reformists” officials in Iran who have begun this smear campaign against Ahmadinejad. <br />
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<strong>It’s poor journalism like this story that fan the fires of anti-Semitism and hate around the world.</strong> Readers and bloggers worldwide should condemn this story published by the <em>Telegraph</em>, call for McElroy and Vahdat’s resignation and write letters to the newspaper about their poor journalism in this instance.<br />
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Lastly, even if this story is true (which I highly doubt) it is well known in Iran that those who have converted to Islam over the years have done so because of different family disputes including inheritance rights. <br />
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<blockquote>According to Iran’s radical Shiite Islamic laws, new converts to Islam who came from a non-Muslim family, can automatically inherit all of their dead non-Muslim relative’s assets without the need to go to probate court and their non-Muslim family members are entitled to none of the inheritances. These new Muslim converts from Judaism (also known as “jadid-ol-eslam” or new to Islam) today and in the past have typically been the most anti-Semitic of Muslims living in Iran.<br />
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<blockquote><div></div><div><blockquote></blockquote></div></blockquote></blockquote>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7635031913797828411.post-9574907373933731172009-11-04T03:52:00.000-08:002009-11-04T03:52:21.325-08:002000 Years + LaterIf there is one question that Jews get asked ad infinitum, it’s: <em>why don’t you worship Jesus?</em><br />
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There are so many answers to this, though none satisfy of course. Many Christians believe with a passion that we Jews have somehow managed to misunderstand and misinterpet our own religious texts, the Tanakh.<br />
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<br />
Perhaps one way of answering the age-old Jesus question, though, is to remind our Christian friends that in fact, Jesus was nothing unique at that time. He was one of many young Jewish blokes wandering around Judea, proclaiming himself ‘<strong>maschiach’. </strong><br />
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Many other men did exactly the same and just like Jesus, they too failed to fulfill the 23 Jewish messianic prophecies before they died. There is no <em>’second coming’</em> in Judaism.<br />
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Take a look at these other aspiring maschiachs. Some fulfilled more of the prophecies than Jesus – he, after all, only fulfilled one, namely that he was born to a Jewish mother.<br />
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Note also how many of these other claimants were also executed by the Romans.<br />
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<strong>Judah Maccabee</strong> – delivered the Jews from oppression by leading rebellion against Syria. The Maccabee familes ruled over Israel for over 250 years – and there was peace. Maccabee priests were all anointed. Judah Maccabe qualifies as a would-be Maschiach.<br />
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<strong>Theudas:</strong> claimed to be a prophet and a would-be maschiach. He is mentioned in Josephus (Antiquities, 20:97).<br />
In 44 C.E. he was <strong><em>crucified by the Romans</em></strong>.<br />
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<strong>Judas of Galilee</strong>: led Jewish uprising against Rome, 6.C.E. Mentioned in Josephus (Wars, 2:118). He tried to liberate the Jews from Roman rule – his followers called him the Saviour, and the Messiah.<br />
<strong><em>He was crucified by the Romans.</em></strong><br />
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<strong>Benjamin the Egyptian:</strong> Mentioned in Josephus (War 2.261263). He claimed to be the Maschiach, and he inspired rebellion against Rome.<br />
<strong><em>He too was crucified by the Romans.</em></strong><br />
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<strong>Menachem</strong>: grandson of Judas the Galilean, 67.C.E. Outspoken, zealot, leader, claimed to be the Maschiach.<br />
<strong><em>He was crucified by the Romans.</em></strong><br />
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<strong>Cyrus</strong>, <strong>King of Persia</strong>: called lthe ‘mash’aka’ (anointed) according to Isaiah (Isaiah 45:1)<br />
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<strong>King David &</strong><br />
<strong>King Hezekiah:</strong><br />
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- both were anointed, both ruled and brought peace. Both named the ‘king of the Jews’.<br />
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And there were many others, including:<br />
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Menahem ben Judah.<br />
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Moses of Crete.Serene.<br />
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David Alroy.<br />
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Abraham Abulafia.<br />
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Asher Lemmlein.<br />
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Reubeni and Solomon Molko.<br />
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Isaac Luria.<br />
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Moses Luzzatto.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7635031913797828411.post-34751162817663302242009-11-04T03:04:00.000-08:002009-11-04T03:10:54.159-08:00Britain: Democracy:0, Neo Nazis:1Let’s get one thing straight: it is the fault of Labour that the vile BNP is enjoying more success than ever before. It is not because Britain is a land of neo Nazis and racists. Far from it: Brits are a tolerant and amiable lot, far too tolerant, if anything.<br />
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Labour is determined to ignore the huge pink elephants in the room; namely, immigration, and islamification. Never mind that the majority of Brits are worried about these issues. Never mind that we have been beseeching our MPs to tackle them. Labour doesn’t give a damn. Enter the BNP – which does address these issues, albeit from awful motives.<br />
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You don’t have to be a Hitler wannabe to worry about immigration. We have a tiny country, with a national health service that is on its knees, and schools where entire classes don’t speak English. The Labour immigration policy is a disgrace; we all know full well that thousands of illegal immigrants have vanished into the ether, never to be seen again, let alone be made to contribute anything to the country they now call ‘home’. The benefits system is an equal sham and frankly, if I read one more story about how a Muslim immigrant is getting benefits for each of his five wives, I think I’ll scream.<br />
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Nor do you have to be a racist to worry about the gradual islamification of Europe – and how Britain is leading the trend. There are now books we can’t read or buy, because Muslims didn’t like the topic. There are restaurants that have ceased providing non halal meat – meaning customers can’t get ham on their pizzas. There are entire areas of this country that are no-go for non Muslims. Public swimming pools insist that all women wear ‘burkinis’. Churches are being torn down, to make way for Mosques. Muslim protestors insult and bully and take photographs of returning British troops out on parade.<br />
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And we don’t like it. We wouldn’t like it if it was Hindus, or Jews, or Sikhs behaving in this manner either. It happens to be Muslims. Acknowledging this does not make one a racist any more than it’s ‘racist’ to note that most serial killers are white males.<br />
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But Labour doesn’t care. And so in saunters the BNP. Watching the party leader on Question Time recently was a highly unpleasant experience. You just knew, watching Nick Griffin’s face, that he’s waited years to appear on a mainstream – in fact, a flagship – political programme. When his name was called, along with the ‘other’ politicians, you could just see him inwardly preening.<br />
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As for the pathetic BBC argument that it was a matter of ‘free speech’ to allow him onto the show – rubbish. Free speech means you can hold and express your own opinions and no matter how much others might disagree, they can’t prosecute you for them. Free speech does not mean there is any duty to invite known racists such as Griffin onto popular programmes where they get a chance to woo potential supporters.<br />
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I guarantee that – given the atrocious performance by Labour in the shape of Jack Straw on Question time - some viewers would have finished watching and then quietly gone to their computers, and paid a visit to the BNP website. And we can thank the BBC for that. The show was a chance for our government to really show its metal – and it failed. Miserably.<br />
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Instead, we were treated to the sight of Jack Straw, stammering and stumbling over his words, before finally boasting of his own immigrant credentials by suddenly announcing that he was the grandson of a Jewish immigrant to Britain.<br />
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Funny. Mr Straw didn’t seem to give a damn about his ‘jewish roots’ last year when he took every opportunity to stick the boot in and bash Israel for trying to end eight years of Hamas terrorism.<br />
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The rest of the panel didn’t fare any better. Bonnie Greer lounged at the end of the table, occasionally half turning to bait Nick Griffin in the manner of a 12 year old schoolgirl taking on a nervous supply teacher. <br />
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In fact, the entire thing resembled nothing so much as playground antics. Hardly the way to combat the lure presented by the BNP to a population so desperate to have its concerns heard that it will even embrace the toad-like, Holocaust denying, repulsive little man that is Nick Griffin.<br />
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I pray that Labour fails at the next election. I don’t suppose the Tories will be much better, but I’m not sure they could be much worse for the country than the lacklustre Brown and devious Mandelson. Labour’s legacy? Among other things, it may well be a more popular, more powerful BNP, for which we’ll all pray a price. <br />
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<br />
Here’s <strong>Melanie Phillips:</strong> <br />
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<strong><em><span style="background-color: blue; color: red;">The outrageous truth slips out: Labour cynically plotted to transform the entire make-up of Britain without telling us.</span></em></strong><br />
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<strong>So now the cat is well and truly out of the bag. For years, as the number of immigrants to Britain shot up apparently uncontrollably, the question was how exactly this had happened.</strong><strong><br />
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<strong>Was it through a fit of absent-mindedness or gross incompetence? Or was it not inadvertent at all, but deliberate?</strong><strong><br />
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<strong>The latter explanation seemed just too outrageous. After all, a deliberate policy of mass immigration would have amounted to nothing less than an attempt to change the very make-up of this country without telling the electorate.</strong><strong><br />
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<strong>There could not have been a more grave abuse of the entire democratic process. Now, however, we learn that this is exactly what did happen. The Labour government has been engaged upon a deliberate and secret policy of national cultural sabotage.</strong><br />
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<strong>This astonishing revelation surfaced quite casually last weekend in a newspaper article by one Andrew Neather. He turns out to have been a speech writer for Tony Blair, Jack Straw and David Blunkett.</strong><strong><br />
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<strong>And it was he who wrote a landmark speech in September 2000 by the then immigration minister, Barbara Roche, that called for a loosening of immigration controls. But the true scope and purpose of this new policy was actively concealed.</strong><br />
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</strong><br />
<strong>In its 1997 election manifesto, Labour promised ‘firm control over immigration’ and in 2005 it promised a ‘crackdown on abuse’. In 2001, its manifesto merely said that the immigration rules needed to reflect changes to the economy to meet skills shortages.</strong><br />
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<strong>But all this concealed a monumental shift of policy. For Neather wrote that until ‘at least February last year’, when a new points-based system was introduced to limit foreign workers in response to increasing uproar, the purpose of the policy Roche ushered in was to open up the UK to mass immigration.</strong><strong><br />
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<strong>This has been achieved. Some 2.3million migrants have been added to the population since 2001. Since 1997, the number of work permits has quadrupled to 120,000 a year.</strong><br />
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<strong>Unless policies change, over the next 25 years some seven million more will be added to Britain’s population, a rate of growth three times as fast as took place in the Eighties.</strong><br />
<strong><br />
</strong><br />
<strong>Such an increase is simply unsustainable. Britain is already one of the most overcrowded countries in Europe. But now look at the real reason why this policy was introduced, and in secret. The Government’s ‘driving political purpose’, wrote Neather, was ‘to make the UK truly multicultural’.</strong><br />
<strong><br />
</strong><br />
<strong>It was therefore a politically motivated attempt by ministers to transform the fundamental make-up and identity of this country. It was done to destroy the right of the British people to live in a society defined by a common history, religion, law, language and traditions.</strong><strong><br />
</strong><br />
<strong><br />
</strong><br />
<strong>It was done to destroy for ever what it means to be culturally British and to put another ‘multicultural’ identity in its place. And it was done without telling or asking the British people whether they wanted their country and their culture to be transformed in this way.</strong><strong><br />
</strong><br />
<strong><br />
</strong><br />
<strong>Spitefully, one motivation by Labour ministers was ‘to rub the Right’s nose in diversity and render their arguments out of date’.</strong><br />
<strong><br />
</strong><br />
<strong>Even Neather found that particular element of gratuitous Left-wing bullying to be ‘a manoeuvre too far’.</strong><br />
<strong><br />
</strong><br />
<strong>Yet apart from this, Neather sees nothing wrong in the policy he has described. Indeed, the reason for his astonishing candour is he thinks it’s something to boast about. Mass immigration, he wrote, had provided the ‘foreign nannies, cleaners and gardeners’ without whom London could hardly function.</strong><br />
<strong><br />
</strong><br />
<strong>What elitist arrogance! As if most people employ nannies, cleaners and gardeners. And what ignorance. The argument that Britain is better off with this level of immigration has been conclusively shown to be economically illiterate.</strong><br />
<strong><br />
</strong><br />
<strong>Neather gave the impression that most immigrants are Eastern Europeans. But these form fewer than a quarter of all immigrants.</strong><br />
<strong><br />
</strong><br />
<strong>And the fact is that, despite his blithe assertions to the contrary, schools in areas of very high immigration find it desperately difficult to cope with so many children who don’t even have basic English. Other services, such as health or housing, are similarly being overwhelmed by the sheer weight of numbers.</strong><strong><br />
</strong><br />
<strong><br />
</strong><br />
<strong>But the most shattering revelation was that this policy of mass immigration was not introduced to produce nannies or cleaners for the likes of Neather. It was to destroy Britain’s identity and transform it into a multicultural society where British attributes would have no greater status than any other country’s.</strong><br />
<strong><br />
</strong><br />
<strong>A measure of immigration is indeed good for a country. But this policy was not to enhance British culture and society by broadening the mix. It was to destroy its defining character altogether.</strong><br />
<strong><br />
</strong><br />
<strong>It also conveniently guaranteed an increasingly Labour-voting electorate since, as a recent survey by the Electoral Commission has revealed, some 90 per cent of black people and three-quarters of Asians vote Labour.</strong><br />
<strong><br />
</strong><br />
<strong>In Neather’s hermetically sealed bubble, the benefits of mass immigration were so overwhelming he couldn’t understand why ministers had been so nervous about it.</strong><strong><br />
</strong><br />
<strong><br />
</strong><br />
<strong>They were, he wrote, reluctant to discuss what increased immigration would mean, above all to Labour’s core white working class vote. So they deliberately kept it secret.</strong><br />
<strong><br />
</strong><br />
<strong>They knew that if they told the truth about what they were doing, voters would rise up in protest. So they kept it out of their election manifestos.</strong><br />
<strong><br />
</strong><br />
<strong><br />
</strong><br />
<strong>It was indeed a conspiracy to deceive the electorate into voting for them. And yet it is these very people who have the gall to puff themselves up in self-righteous astonishment at the rise of the BNP.</strong><br />
<strong><br />
</strong><br />
<strong>No wonder Jack Straw was so shifty on last week’s Question Time when he was asked whether it was the Government’s failure to halt immigration which lay behind increasing support for the BNP.</strong><br />
<strong><br />
</strong><br />
<strong>‘No wonder Jack Straw was so shifty… when he was asked whether it was the Government’s failure to halt immigration which lay behind increasing support for the BNP’</strong><br />
<strong><br />
</strong><br />
<strong>Now we know it was no such failure of policy. It was deliberate. For the government of which Straw is such a long- standing member had secretly plotted to flood the country with immigrants to change its very character and identity.</strong><br />
<strong><br />
</strong><br />
<strong><br />
</strong><br />
<strong>This more than any other reason is why Nick Griffin has gained so much support. According to a YouGov poll taken after Question Time, no fewer than 22 per cent of British voters would ’seriously consider’ voting for the BNP.</strong><br />
<strong><br />
</strong><br />
<strong>That nearly one quarter of British people might vote for a neo-Nazi party with views inimical to democracy, human rights and common decency is truly appalling.</strong><br />
<strong><br />
</strong><br />
<strong>The core reason is that for years they have watched as their country’s landscape has been transformed out of all recognition – and that politicians from all mainstream parties have told them first that it isn’t happening and second, that they are racist bigots to object even if it is.</strong><br />
<strong><br />
</strong><br />
<strong>Now the political picture has been transformed overnight by the unguarded candour of Andrew Neather’s eye-opening superciliousness. For now we know that Labour politicians actually caused this to happen – and did so out of total contempt for their own core voters.</strong><br />
<strong><br />
</strong><br />
<strong>As Neather sneered, the jobs filled by immigrant workers ‘certainly wouldn’t be taken by unemployed BNP voters from Barking or Burnley – fascist au pair, anyone?’</strong><br />
<strong><br />
</strong><br />
<strong><br />
</strong><br />
<strong>So that’s how New Labour views the white working class, supposedly the very people it is in politics to champion. Who can wonder that its core vote is now decamping in such large numbers to the BNP when Labour treats them like this?</strong><br />
<strong><br />
</strong><br />
<strong><br />
</strong><br />
<strong>Condemned out of its own mouth, it is New Labour that is responsible for the rise of the BNP – by an act of unalloyed treachery to the entire nation.</strong>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7635031913797828411.post-38918758795528036442009-11-03T15:14:00.000-08:002009-11-04T02:38:07.844-08:00No, Judaism Was Not Just The Warm Up Act For Christianity!Some Christian Evangelicals have a new mantra. Namely: Christianity is 'judaism completed' or 'judaism perfected'. <br />
<br />
Of course, this is as about as logical as stating that Islam is 'christianity completed'. It represents a unique arrogance on the part of fundamentalist Christians; they believe that Judaism was merely the warm up act, if you will, for Christianity, the main attraction.<br />
<br />
What's extremely irksome is the way that many people who are neither Jewish nor Christian, accept this Christian narrative and develop the view that <em>'oh, judaism is just christianity, sans jesus!'. </em>I've lost count of how many times I've heard someone confidently state 'Judaism and Christianity are virtually the same, they just disagree on Jesus.'<br />
<br />
Although they probably mean no offence, it is an insulting view of Judaism, which after all was a complex and meaningful faith for thousands of years before Jesus was even a glint in Joseph's eye.<br />
<br />
In fact, Judaism and Christianity are not remotely similar. They are blatantly contradict each other. Core Christian ideology is blasphemy for any Jew. The two religions also have very different philosophies. Simply put: Judaism and Christianity are mutually exclusive. If you believe one, then by default, you disagree with the other.<br />
<br />
That's not to imply that one is better than the other. Naturally, I'm biased, as I'm Jewish. Still, I recognise that both have good, moral teachings to impart, and both have some lovely aspects to them.<br />
<br />
As for their theological differences, of which there are many, here are just a sample:<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
JUDAISM: is lineage-based, and is a tribal faith. You are Jewish if your mother is Jewish - or you convert to Judaism, when you are then 'adopted' by the Jewish people.<br />
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CHRISTIANITY is a belief based religion. If a person affirms belief in and worship of Jesus, and the other core Christian beliefs of their particular Christian group, they are welcomed as a member.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
JUDAISM<br />
- says that no human can ever die for the sins of others<br />
CHRISTIANITY<br />
- says that Jesus died for the sins of mankind<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
JUDAISM<br />
- says that all humans are born pure, and innocent<br />
CHRISTIANITY<br />
- says that all humans are born with 'original sin'.<br />
<br />
<br />
JUDAISM<br />
- says that G-d would never allow/enable a 'virgin birth'<br />
CHRISTIANITY<br />
- says that Mary gave birth, though a virgin<br />
<br />
<br />
JUDAISM<br />
- says that no man gets a 'second coming'<br />
CHRISTIANITY<br />
- says that Jesus will have a 'second coming'<br />
<br />
<br />
JUDAISM<br />
- says that every human should speak directly to G-d<br />
CHRISTIANITY<br />
- Jesus claims in the 'new testament' that the 'only way' to G-d is via him<br />
<br />
<br />
JUDAISM<br />
- says G-d is one, indivisable, cannot be separated into three aspects/incarnations<br />
CHRISTIANITY<br />
- speaks of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit<br />
<br />
<br />
JUDAISM<br />
- says that we are ALL equally G-d's children<br />
CHRISTIANITY<br />
- says that Jesus was 'god's son' above all others<br />
<br />
<br />
JUDAISM<br />
- has no concept of 'hell'<br />
CHRISTIANITY<br />
- *****some***** Christians say that non believers go to 'hell'<br />
<br />
<br />
JUDAISM<br />
- has no 'devil', the Jewish 'satan' is just an ordinary angel, under G-d's control<br />
CHRISTIANITY<br />
- describes 'satan' as a devil and 'fallen' angel<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
JUDAISM<br />
- the 'messiah' will be a normal, mortal man who must fulfill all the Jewish messianic prophecies in one normal, mortal lifetime<br />
CHRISTIANITY<br />
- Jesus was the 'messiah' and will fulfill the prophecies when he 'returns'<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
JUDAISM<br />
- says that the righteous of ALL faiths will reach 'gan eden' or 'garden of eden'.<br />
CHRISTIANITY<br />
- *****some****** Christians insist that only those who 'know Christ' can reach heaven<br />
<br />
<br />
JUDAISM<br />
- forbids Jews from trying to convert anyone to Judaism<br />
CHRISTIANITY<br />
- believes in actively 'witnessing' and encouraging people to convert to Christianity<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Obviously, nobody can agree with both Judaism and Christianity. And it's time that Evangelicals cease being so patronising towards Jews and instead recognise that Judaism is an independent faith and not just the precursor to Christianity.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7635031913797828411.post-65021510463832283292009-11-03T13:58:00.000-08:002009-11-03T14:00:40.054-08:00The War Of Words That Israel Must Start Winning<h3 style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="color: white;"><span style="color: black;">I </span><span style="color: black;">almost got lynched last week. My crime? I dared to defend Israel in public. I even — brace yourselves — declared myself a <i>Zionist.</i> I might as well have confessed to torturing tiny animals, given the horrified response.</span></span></span></h3><h3 style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="color: white;"><span style="color: black;"> </span></span> </span></h3><h3 style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: black;"><br />
Within minutes, a relaxed dinner party became a veritable contest to see who could most malign Israel. Yep, it’s a tad traumatic being the lone zionist at any gathering these days. Israel-bashing has become a national sport in many countries. </span></h3><h3 style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: black;"> </span></h3><h3 style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: black;">Following the Israeli strikes on Hamas enclaves in Gaza, the court of public opinion hasn’t just judged Israel ‘guilty’; rather she’s been hung, drawn and quartered. </span></h3><h3 style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: black;"> </span></h3><h3 style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: black;">The Arab nations may have failed, thus far, to destroy the physical Israel, but their revisionism of Middle East history is winning hearts, minds and newspaper columns across the globe.</span></h3><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: black;"><br />
</span><br />
</div><h3 style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: black;"> </span></h3><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><h3><span style="color: black;"> </span></h3></div><h3 style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: black;">Slowly but surely, the world is coming round to the Arab lie that Jews are the ‘aliens’ in the Middle East. Tell most people that the very term ‘<i>Palestinian</i>‘ always included the <i>Palestinian Jews</i> who have inhabited the region for 3,500 years — continuously — and they’ll just smile pityingly, and claim you’ve been hoodwinked by <i>‘zionist propaganda’.</i></span></h3><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i><br />
</i><br />
</div><h3 style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: black;"> </span></span><br />
<div><h3><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: black;">And oh, the bitter irony of this particular slur! Because by any objective standards, Israel’s PR is dire. It has been for a while, actually. Back in 2002, the <a href="http://www.jcpa.org/">Jerusalem Centre For Public Affairs</a> published a detailed report, in which it noted:</span></span></h3><h3><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: black;"> </span></span></h3><h3><blockquote> <span style="color: black;">The Israel State Comptroller’s report released on October 7, 2002, levelled unprecedented criticism on Israel’s public relations efforts.</span> <br />
</blockquote><blockquote> <span style="color: black;">The State Comptroller revealed that ’since its establishment in 1948, Israel’s intelligence organs have not succeeded to respond to the broad-based propaganda and incitement by the Arab world.’</span><br />
</blockquote></h3></div><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: black;"></span></span><br />
</h3><h3 style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"></h3><h3 style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
<br />
<span style="color: black;">During Operation Cast Lead, I sat with my head in my hands, as a series of increasingly inarticulate figures <i>‘represented’</i> Israel. Do the powers-that-be scour the streets to find the least sympathetic, least sophisticated, least effective spokespeople? It would almost appear so.</span><br />
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<br />
<span style="color: black;">As the Jerusalem Centre report notes:</span><br />
<br />
</h3><blockquote style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><blockquote><span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="color: black;">Leading U.S. media relations experts sent to Israel by private sponsors in May 2002 described Israel’s PR efforts in the United States as “disastrous.”</span></b></span><br />
</blockquote></blockquote><br />
<blockquote style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><blockquote><span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="color: black;">Israel’s Consul General in New York, Allon Pinkas, complained that Israel’s image in the U.S. suffered from a lack of clear and “disciplined” messages. </span></b></span><br />
</blockquote></blockquote><br />
<blockquote style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><blockquote><span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="color: black;">International media consultant Lillian Wilder, a media advisor to former U.S. President Richard Nixon, noted in an interview that Israelis are often unprofessional and “wordy” on television.</span></b></span><br />
</blockquote></blockquote><h3 style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
<br />
<span style="color: black;">Now at this point, some of you will roll your eyes and stop reading. After all, doesn’t the tiny Jewish nation have enough to cope with, given the spectre of a nuclear Iran, and the ghastly sight of an American President openly wooing Islam? </span><br />
</h3><h3 style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
<span style="color: black;">What, is Israel also meant to fret over what ill-informed folk in other lands believe??</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: black;">My answer? Hell <i>yeah!</i></span><br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="color: black;">Yes, Israel does need to argue her case more effectively on the world stage. Because when hatred of the Jewish state was confined to the Arab and Muslim worlds, that was one thing. Alarming? Sure. Surprising? Hardly, given what Islam says about ‘infidels’ and Jews in particular.</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="color: black;">Now, though, the loathing for Israel that has festered in Arab and Muslim hearts for six decades is being exported by Islam as it goes marching unfettered through Europe. It is no coincidence that in nations with large influxes of Muslims, hating Israel is now <i>de rigueur</i>.</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="color: black;">Take Britain. During the Gaza Operation at the end of last year, Britain went berserk with rage towards the Jewish state. Thousands marched through the streets, brandishing banners that read ‘Death to Israel!’, while they chanted ‘We are all Hamas now!’</span><br />
<span style="color: black;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="color: black;">And please recall that Britain itself suffered a terrorist attack in 2005.</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="color: black;"><i>So why did not one Israeli spokesman make the vital yet basic point that terrorist attacks in Israel are the same as terrorist attacks in America and Britain? </i></span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: black;"><i>And that, unlike both these countries, Israel suffers terrorism on a regular basis?</i></span><br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="color: black;">Let me make it clear: I supported Operation Cast Lead. I defended Israel passionately — at work, online, in restaurants, at parties, to friends and colleagues and strangers alike. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: black;">Like many fellow diaspora Jews, and our Gentile friends who love Israel, I wrote letter after letter to the British press, trying to counter the unfair bias against Israel.</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="color: black;"><i><span style="color: blue;"> It was like trying to stem a tidal wave with your thumb.</span></i><br />
</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="color: black;">In the UK, physical attacks on Jews increased. Some Israelis in Britain found themselves being refused service in pubs, clubs and other venues. One Israeli family was actually forced into hiding, so intense was the hostility directed at them.</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="color: black;">In north London, one Orthodox Jewish man was dragged out of his car, in broad daylight, and beaten. Shops that were — wrongly — linked with Israel had their windows smashed. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: black;">Supermarkets stocking kosher or Israeli products were threatened with boycotts. Tescos, one of the largest UK supermarkets, was swift to create a special ‘<i>helpline</i>‘ for customers wishing to avoid Israeli goods. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: black;">(Suffice it to say that I, along with many others, am now boycotting Tescos.)</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="color: black;">In schools, colleges and University campuses across the country, Jewish and Israeli students found themselves marginalised and verbally abused. At Cambridge and also the LSE (London School Of Economics) students staged mock ‘occupations’ to express their ’sympathy’ with Gaza. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: black;">The fact that Gaza had been under <i>Palestinian</i> control for several years by this time was a mere detail.</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="color: black;">Nor was this anti Israel sentiment confined to the ‘ordinary’ person in the street. The Arab propaganda has a vice-like grip on the British media, with the <cite>BBC</cite>, the <cite>Guardian</cite>,and <cite>The Independent</cite> cheerfully leading the charge.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: black;">These media outlets ignored the fact that Israel had endured years of Palestinian terrorism, and instead chose to portray Israel as the sole aggressor in the conflict. False accusations against Israel appeared daily, with no corrections — let alone apologies! — when the true facts later emerged. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: black;">The <cite>Guardian</cite>, especially, delighted in publishing grotesque cartoons which painted Israel as a brutal Goliath, hell-bent on destroying the weaker, Palestinian David.</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="color: black;">The effect of this British media bias against Israel? During Israel’s anti-Hamas strikes, Jews and Muslims met — separately — with their respective MPs. My local MP explained that in the House Of Commons, Israel was being demonised on a daily basis. Several government members were demanding that Britain instigate an arms embargo on Israel. </span><br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="color: black;">This same MP told us that every single member of Parliament was ‘being bombarded’ by their Muslim constituents, who were insisting that they condemn Israel and then sever all ties with it.</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="color: black;">And fuelled by the <cite>BBC</cite>, and the <cite>Guardian</cite>, many non Muslims added their voices — and of course their potential votes — to this anti-Israel agenda.</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="color: black;">We should note that the <cite>BBC</cite> took to bashing Israel with a vengeance. This surprised no one. Indeed, the accusations of bias against the <cite>BBC</cite> go back several years. Keen to disprove them, the corporation even organised its own review, the Balen Report, in 2004.</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="color: black;">And the findings?</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="color: black;"><i>We don’t know.</i> The <cite>BBC</cite> has refused to make them public. It has, in fact, spent a whopping £200,000 [$328,560] to keep the report private. A London solicitor is pursuing the <cite>BBC</cite> through the courts in a bid to bring the Balen Report into the public domain. </span><br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="color: black;">As the <cite>Sunday Telegraph</cite> noted:</span><br />
<br />
<br />
</h3><blockquote style="color: black; font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><blockquote><span style="font-size: small;"><b>The <i>BBC</i> is mounting a landmark High Court action to prevent the release of The Balen Report under the Freedom of Information Act, despite the fact that <i>BBC</i></b> <b>reporters often use the Act to pursue their journalism.</b></span><br />
</blockquote></blockquote><blockquote style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><blockquote> <span style="font-size: small;"><b>The action will increase suspicions that the report includes evidence of anti-Israeli bias in news programming.</b></span><br />
</blockquote></blockquote><blockquote style="color: black; font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><blockquote></blockquote></blockquote><h3 style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
<br />
<span style="color: black;">Now, in light of all this, consider an item that appeared a while back at the superb<a href="http://www.honestreporting.com/"><cite>HonestReporting</cite></a>:</span><br />
</h3><h3 style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</h3><blockquote style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><blockquote><b><span style="color: black;">Israel’s Finance Ministry shot down an idea for a ‘Jewish Al-Jazeera’. Isaac Herzog has been quoted as saying: ‘We considered establishing a Jewish Al Jazeera, especially one that would broadcast in Arabic and Farsi. But it was torpedoed by the Finance Ministry’.</span></b><br />
</blockquote></blockquote><h3 style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
<br />
<span style="color: black;">Hamas has a huge advantage precisely because of <cite>Al Jazeera</cite>, since the station is also watched by the English speaking world. </span><br />
</h3><h3 style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
<span style="color: black;">Compare this to Israel, which has to filter reports through foreign journalists. A ‘Jewish Al Jazeera’ which offered reports in English, would be a massive help.</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="color: black;">And think about how simple the Palestinian propaganda is. It concentrates on one clear, albeit deceitful and historically inaccurate message: <i>We were here first. The Jews kicked us out. We’re the victims.</i></span><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="color: black;">The 2002 Jerusalem Institute report noted an interesting example where Palestinian propaganda excelled while Israeli PR failed miserably:</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<blockquote><blockquote><i><span style="color: black;">Losing the “Al Aqsa” Brand War</span></i><br />
</blockquote></blockquote><br />
<br />
</h3><blockquote><blockquote><blockquote><span style="font-size: large;"><b> <span style="color: black;">Naming the current war the “Al Aqsa intifada” proved to be a stroke of Palestinian PR genius, as much of the Western news media adopted this Palestinian brand name that casts the conflict internationally in the image Arafat sought.</span></b></span> <span style="font-size: large;"><b></b></span><br />
</blockquote></blockquote></blockquote><br />
<blockquote><blockquote><blockquote><span style="font-size: large;"><b>For its part, Israel’s failure to “rebrand” the conflict on its own terms to reflect the conflict’s true nature — a pre-planned war of terror against Israeli citizens — placed the Jewish state on the defensive in the international court of public opinion from the first day of the conflict.</b></span><br />
</blockquote></blockquote></blockquote><h3 style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
<blockquote style="color: black; font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-weight: normal;"></blockquote><br />
<br />
<span style="color: black;"> </span><br />
<span style="color: black;">Yet, a full seven years on, it seems that Israel has not learned anything about how to improve its PR and indeed, empower those of us in the diaspora who are passionately putting its case. Israel is still miscalculating. Badly.</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="color: black;">Witness what happened recently when Israeli tourism posters appeared around London. Anti-Israel groups quickly began lodging official complaints.</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="color: black;">Result? The posters were all removed. It’s clear that pictures of golden beaches and bronzed bodies won’t cut it.</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="color: black;">Instead, Israel needs to remind the world that she is the sole democracy in the region.</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="color: black;"><i>And where are the images of Palestinians being treated in Israeli hospitals?</i></span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: black;"><i>Where are the maps illustrating how tiny Israel is compared to the 99.9999% of the Middle East that the Arabs control?</i></span><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="color: black;">Where are the public roll-calls of all the Israelis who have lost their limbs, loved ones and lives to Palestinian terrorism?</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: black;">And yes, I realise that antisemitism lies at the heart of much unfair bias against Israel. No doubt about it. But that’s even more reason why Israel needs to organise some decent PR.</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="color: black;">This begs the question: why doesn’t Israel just take a leaf out of the Palestinian book?</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: black;">After all, the world is bombarded with images of wounded Gazan children, even when those children are suffering purely because of Hamas aggression.</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="color: black;"><i>Why are there never any images of Israeli children as they lay injured on the ground following a Hamas attack?</i></span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: black;"><i>Where are the public roll-calls of all the Israelis who have lost their limbs, loved ones and lives to Palestinian terrorism?</i></span><br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="color: black;">It’s time to play by some of the same rules as the Palestinians, unpalatable though this may be.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: black;">Either that, or Israel continues to be unfairly and insanely singled out as the villain of the piece.</span><br />
<span style="color: black;"><br />
</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="color: black;">Finally, I’d like to suggest that there is one bit of rebranding that we can and must all do, right now.</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="color: black;">And that is to reclaim the word ‘<i>Zionist</i>‘. We have to stop allowing the Arabs and Muslims to hijack this word and turn it into an insult. So next time you hear someone using ‘Zionist’ as a pejorative term, make this clear:</span><br />
<br />
<blockquote><span style="color: blue;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="color: blue;"><i>A Zionist is simply anyone who supports Israel’s right to </i><span style="color: red;">exist.</span></span><br />
<span style="color: black;"><i> </i></span><br />
</blockquote><br />
<br />
<span style="color: black;">After all, we don’t hear people bashing Muslims for supporting the existence of their twenty-two Islamic nations, do we…?</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="color: black;"></span><br />
<br />
</h3><h3 style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: red;"><span style="color: black;">This piece is cross posted at </span><i><a href="http://emetnews.org/"><span style="color: black;">EMET NEWS – it’s a superb site, I urge you to check it out; just click here!</span></a></i></span></h3>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7635031913797828411.post-31873459182198459262009-11-02T18:16:00.000-08:002009-11-02T18:17:43.759-08:00Muslims Target Moroccan Jews<h2 style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Moroccan Muslims are a tad excited. </b></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Having seen their co religionists in Yemen finally force out the tiny Jewish community there, they seek to accomplish the same thing in Morocco:</b></span><br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>From Agence France-Presse, May 21:</b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>RABAT (AFP) — </b></span><br />
<br />
</h2><blockquote style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>A group of Islamists recently arrested in Morocco planned to attack Jewish interests in the country, a court source said Thursday, citing the charges against them.</b></span><br />
</blockquote><div style="color: black;"><br />
</div><blockquote style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>The suspects, alleged to be members of a cell that was part of the radical Islamist movement Salafia Jihadia, were also preparing attacks against Moroccan security services, the source said.</b></span><br />
</blockquote><div style="color: black;"><br />
</div><blockquote style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>The cell — Jamaat Al Mourabitine Al Jodod, or New Fighters Group — allegedly began operating in March 2008 in southern Morocco and sought to recruit militants from Koranic schools with the intention of infiltrating political parties.</b></span><br />
</blockquote><div style="color: black;"><br />
</div><blockquote style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Authorities announced their arrest on May 12 and they face charges including forming a criminal gang with the aim of carrying out “terrorist” acts. They are being held in jail.</b></span><br />
</blockquote><div style="color: black;"><br />
</div><blockquote style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>“Police dismantled the cell as part of a regular operation in the battle against terrorism,” the court source said.</b></span><br />
</blockquote><div style="color: black;"><br />
</div><blockquote style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Jews have been living in Morocco since the time of Antiquity. Prior to WWII, the Jewish population of Morocco reached 225,000.</b></span><br />
</blockquote><div style="color: black;"><br />
</div><blockquote style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>But life in Morocco was not without its problems. In 1943 a series of pogroms occurred. And in June 1948, forty-four Jews were murdered during riots in Oujda and Djerada. Also in that year, an unofficial economic boycott was instigated against Moroccan Jews.</b></span><br />
</blockquote><div style="color: black;"><br />
</div><blockquote style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>In 1965, Moroccan writer Said Ghallab had this to say about the feelings of his fellow Muslims towards Jews:</b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>The worst insult that a Moroccan could possibly offer was to treat someone as a Jew.</b></span><br />
</blockquote><div style="color: black;"><br />
</div><blockquote style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>My childhood friends have remained anti-Jewish. They hide their virulent anti-Semitism by contending that the State of Israel was the creature of Western ‘imperialism’</b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>A whole Hitlerite myth is being cultivated among the populace. The massacres of the Jews by Hitler are exalted ecstatically. It is even credited that Hitler is not dead, but alive and well, and his arrival is awaited to deliver the Arabs from Israel.</b></span><br />
</blockquote><div style="color: black;"><br />
</div><blockquote style="color: black;"><h2 style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-weight: normal;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">And this is hardly surprising. For the Quran is replete with anti semitism. Mohammed may have started off by wooing Jews in a bid to convert them to his new faith, but the second they declined, his ‘love’ turned to hate and Islamic anti semitism was born.</span></b><br />
</h2></blockquote><div style="color: black;"><br />
</div><blockquote style="color: black;"><h2 style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Author Andrew Bostom (The Legacy of Islamic Antisemitism) presents an enormous amount of documentary evidence testifying to the humiliations Jews experienced at the hands of Muslims.</b></span><br />
</h2></blockquote><div style="color: black;"><br />
</div><blockquote style="color: black;"><h2 style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Bostom also points out that the extremist, Jihadist description of Jews as “apes and pigs,” in accord with the Qur’an, has historical precedent.</b></span><br />
</h2></blockquote><div style="color: black;"><br />
</div><blockquote style="color: black;"><h2 style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Indeed, Muhammad himself used it before ordering that every adult male of the Banu Qurayza, a Jewish tribe, be killed, calling the Jews “you brothers of monkeys.”</b></span><br />
</h2></blockquote><div style="color: black;"><br />
</div><blockquote style="color: black;"><h2 style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>And Zaynu’d-Din Ali b Said, praised the anti-Jewish riots and massacres in Baghdad in 1291 (which spread widely in the region), saying, “These apish Jews are done away and destroyed.”</b></span><br />
</h2></blockquote><div style="color: black;"><br />
</div><blockquote style="color: black;"><h2 style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Bostom also references another slaughter:</b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Referring to the Jews as “brothers of apes,” who repeatedly blasphemed the prophet Muhammad, and whose overall conduct reflected their hatred of Muslims, the Moroccan cleric al-Maghili (d. 1505) fomented, and then personally led, a Muslim pogrom (in ~1490) against the Jews of the southern Moroccan oasis of Touat, plundering and killing Jews en masse, and destroying their synagogue in neighboring Tamantit. </b></span><br />
</h2></blockquote><div style="color: black;"><br />
</div><blockquote><h2 style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: black; font-size: large;"><b>Al-Maghili’s virulent Islamic antisemitism was perhaps captured best in a line from a verse diatribe he composed: “Love of the Prophet requires hatred of the Jews.”</b></span><i style="color: red;"><br />
<span style="color: red; font-size: large;"><b>“Love of the Prophet requires hatred of the Jews.”</b></span></i> <br />
</h2></blockquote>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7635031913797828411.post-1026454353970565332009-11-02T16:54:00.000-08:002009-11-02T16:57:12.582-08:00An Apology To Israel...?<h2 style="font-weight: bold;" face="georgia"><br /></h2><h2 style="font-family: georgia; font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-size:100%;">During the Cast Lead Operation inGaza, IDF tank fire near a United Nations school in Gaza was blamed for the deaths of dozens of civilians who had taken refuge in the building. </span> <p><span style="font-size:100%;">The incident became one of the most highly publicized attacks in the war, and led to heavy international criticism.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:100%;">Recent reports suggest that the incident was not accurately portrayed by senior U.N. officials. John Ging, the director of the U.N. Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) in Gaza, spoke to the Toronto Globe and Mail last week and agreed that no shell had actually struck the school building.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:100%;">Ging said he had never claimed that the school itself was hit, and he blamed Israel for confusion over where the strike took place.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:100%;">Shortly after the alleged attack, Ging harshly criticized Israel for firing near the school, saying he had given the exact coordinates of the compound to the IDF. He charged that the IDF had failed to avoid hitting the building.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:100%;">While many Israeli news outlets reported that the strike had taken place near the school, several international media networks reported that the UN school building itself was hit.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:100%;">The U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs may have added to the confusion by releasing a report stating that Israeli fire “directly hit two UNRWA schools.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:100%;">Almost all reports said that the victims were primarily civilians who had fled to the school for shelter – a version of events cast into suspicion by the report.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:100%;">A teacher who was in the school at the time of the shelling reported that several people within the compound were injured, but that none were killed. Those killed were all outside in the street as the shells were fired, he said. Only three of those killed were students at the school, he added.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:100%;">The teacher did not give his name, explaining that U.N .officials had told staff not to talk to the media.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:100%;">The IDF responded to criticism over the attack by explaining that soldiers were simply responding to terrorist fire and did not mean to hit a civilian area.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:100%;">So:<i> will the UN be apologising to Israel, then?</i></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:100%;">What about all the British newspapers, and of course the BBC; all of whom fell over themselves to villify Israel…?</span></p></h2>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7635031913797828411.post-63811357848098196662009-11-02T15:49:00.000-08:002009-11-02T15:55:50.123-08:00Facing Facts About Hamas<h4 style="font-family: georgia; font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-size:130%;">Despite the Liberal media trying to portray Hamas as a band of doe-eyed young 'freedom fighters', the truth is far uglier.<br /></span></h4><h4 style="font-family: georgia; font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-size:130%;">In fact, Hamas is a radical Islamic group which openly states it aims to kill all Jews, all over the world.</span></h4> <p style="font-family: georgia; font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span></p> <h4 style="font-family: georgia; font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-size:130%;">This is not mere rhetoric.</span></h4> <p style="font-family: georgia; font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span></p> <p style="font-family: georgia; font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span></p> <h4 style="font-family: georgia; font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><img title="hamas1" src="http://ajewwithaview.files.wordpress.com/2009/02/hamas1.jpg?w=254&h=300" mce_src="http://ajewwithaview.files.wordpress.com/2009/02/hamas1.jpg?w=254&h=300" alt="hamas1" height="300" width="254" /></span></h4> <h4 style="font-family: georgia; font-weight: bold;"><br /></h4><h4 style="font-family: georgia; font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-size:130%;">Iran funds and backs Hamas to the tune of millions of dollars every year, and Hamas has killed thousands of Israelis with suicide bombings and missile attacks.</span></h4><br /><br /><h4 style="font-family: georgia; font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-size:130%;">Hamas repeatedly denies the right of Israel to exist. Its beliefs are stated in the official Hamas Covenant or Charter. Here are a few highlights:<br /></span></h4><h4 style="font-family: georgia; font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-size:130%;"></span> <blockquote><p><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span></p><p style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><blockquote>“Israel will exist and will continue to exist until Islam will obliterate it, just as it obliterated others before it.” - The Martyr, Imam Hassan al-Banna, of blessed memory</blockquote></span></p></blockquote> <p><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:130%;">and:</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span></p> <blockquote style="font-style: italic;"><p><span style="font-size:130%;"><blockquote>“There is no solution for the Palestinian question except through Jihad. Initiatives, proposals and international conferences are all a waste of time and vain endeavors.”</blockquote></span></p></blockquote> <p><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:130%;">One of the most ominous aspects of the Charter is this Hadith:</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span></p> <blockquote><p><span style="font-size:130%;">The Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him salvation, has said:</span></p> <p style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><blockquote>“The Day of Judgement will not come about until Muslims fight the Jews (killing the Jews), when the Jew will hide behind stones and trees. The stones and trees will say O Muslims, O Abdulla, there is a Jew behind me, come and kill him. “</blockquote></span></p></blockquote> <p><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:130%;">The implication is clear: Allah promised that the Jews will be murdered, and the Hamas “aspires to the realisation of Allah’s promise, no matter how long that should take.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:130%;"><i><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);" mce_style="color: #ff0000;">Hamas and the Muslim Brotherhood</span></i></span></p><p><span style="font-size:130%;"><i><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);" mce_style="color: #ff0000;"></span></i><br />Hamas is part of the Muslim Brotherhood, which was founded by Nazi sympathiser, <span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);" mce_style="color: #ff0000;">Hassan Al-Banna.</span> The Muslim Brotherhood spawned a number of radical Islamist movements including <span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);" mce_style="color: #ff0000;">Al-Qaeda.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);" mce_style="color: #ff0000;"> </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:130%;">The Hamas Charter states:</span></p><p><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span></p><p style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-size:130%;"> <blockquote>“The Islamic Resistance Movement is one of the wings of Muslim Brotherhood in Palestine. Muslim Brotherhood Movement is a universal organization which constitutes the largest Islamic movement in modern times.<br /><br />It is characterised by its deep understanding, accurate comprehension and its complete embrace of all Islamic concepts of all aspects of life, culture, creed, politics, economics, education, society, justice and judgement, the spreading of Islam, education, art, information, science of the occult and conversion to Islam."</blockquote></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);" mce_style="color: #ff0000;">Hamas statements about Jews:</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:130%;">Hamas openly states it wants to kill all Jews, all over the world. Hamas is both a terrorist group and a radical Islamist movement, and its official Charter cites the Quran:</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span></p> <p style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);" mce_style="color: #ff0000;"></span></span></p><blockquote><p style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);" mce_style="color: #ff0000;">Quran condemns Jews to extermination:</span></span></p> <blockquote style="font-style: italic;"><p><span style="font-size:130%;">Palestine’s blessing is linked to destruction of the center of global corruption [Jews of Israel], the snake’s head. When the snake’s head of [global] corruption is cut off, here in Palestine, and when the octopus’s [Jew's] tentacles are cut off around the world, the real blessing will come with the destruction of the Jews, here in Palestine, and it is one of the splendid real blessings in Palestine.”<br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size:130%;">[Palestinian cleric ,Al-Aqsa TV (Hamas), July 13, 2008]</span></p></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote style="font-style: italic;"><p><span style="font-size:130%;"></span></p></blockquote> <p><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);" mce_style="color: #ff0000;"><i><br /></i></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);" mce_style="color: #ff0000;"><i>Muhammad’s promise: Jews will be killed</i></span></span></p> <blockquote><p><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size:130%;"><blockquote style="font-style: italic;">“Regarding the Jews, our business with them is only through bombs and guns… the prophet [Muhammad] promised that we will fight you, with Allah’s help, until the tree and stone say: “Oh Muslim, servant of Allah, there is a Jew behind me, come and kill him.”</blockquote><br />[Nizar Rayan, Hamas religious and military leader, Al-Aqsa TV (Hamas), Jan. 1, 2009. Note: Rayan was killed on Jan. 2, 2009]</span></p></blockquote> <p><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);" mce_style="color: #ff0000;"><i>Extermination of Jews – good for humanity:</i></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:130%;">In an article promoting the continued use of suicide terror in the official Hamas newspaper:</span></p><p><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span></p> <blockquote><p> From Al-Rissala, (Hamas weekly) April 23, 2007<span style="font-style: italic;"></span><span style="font-size:130%;">Eventually everyone will know that we did this only because our Lord commanded so that people will know that the extermination of Jews is good for the inhabitants of the worlds.”<br /><br /><br /><br /><blockquote></blockquote><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);" mce_style="color: #ff0000;"></span></span></p></blockquote> <p><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span></p> <p style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(255, 0, 0);"><span style="font-size:130%;">Kill A Jew, Go To Heaven</span></p><p><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size:130%;">A poster that Hamas posted on its web site taught that killing a Jew is enough to grant the rewards of Heaven.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:130%;">Text on Hamas poster: “I will knock on Heaven’s doors with the skulls of Jews, Hamas terror wing: “Ezz Din Al Kassam”]</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);" mce_style="color: #ff0000;"><i>Resurrection dependent on Muslims killing Jews</i></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:130%;">Hamas goes even further in its religious packaging of genocide. Hamas teaches that the redemption of all of humanity, the anticipated Islamic “Hour” of Resurrection, will happen only when Muslims are killing Jews and the remaining Jews will be exposed by the trees and stones.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:130%;">Hamas write in Article 7 of the Hamas Charter:</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span></p> <blockquote><p><span style="font-size:130%;"><blockquote><span style="font-style: italic;">“Hamas has been looking forward to implement Allah’s promise whatever time it might take. The prophet [Muhammad] said: ‘The time (of Resurrection) will not come until Muslims will fight the Jews; until the Jews hide behind rocks and trees, which will cry: 0 Muslim! there is a Jew hiding behind me, come and kill him!’”</span><br />- Sahih Muslim, Book 041, Number 6985</blockquote></span></p></blockquote> <p><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:130%;">So there can be no doubt here. Hamas is committed to the slaughter of Jews and indeed, to other non Muslim ‘infidels’ as well. And these are not just empty threats.<br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size:130%;">For eight years, Hamas has been sending suicide bombers and missiles into Israeli civilian areas. Countless Israelis are dead because of Hamas terrorism.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:130%;">Yet the British media would have us believe that Hamas is some type of legitimate ‘resistance’ movement! It ignores the fact that Jordan <span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);" mce_style="color: #ff0000;">bans</span> Hamas completely.</span></p><p><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:130%;">Hamas shares the same goals that the Nazis tried so hard to implement.</span></p><p><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:130%;"><i>The question surely is: <span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);" mce_style="color: #3366ff;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);" mce_style="color: #ff0000;">Why are so many people trying so hard to deny</span> <span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);" mce_style="color: #ff0000;">it?</span></span></i></span></p></h4>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7635031913797828411.post-56948263940495268892009-11-02T15:40:00.000-08:002009-11-02T15:46:51.868-08:00'anti zionism' IS Anti Semitism<div style="font-family: georgia;"> <div> <h3><b>So let’s clear this up, once and for all, shall we...? </b></h3><h3><b></b> <p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Criticising Israeli policy is <span style="color: rgb(255, 102, 0);">not </span><span style="font-style: italic;">‘anti semitism’.</span></b></p><p><b><span style="font-style: italic;"><br /></span></b></p> <p><b>Criticising/expressing dislike for Israeli politicians is <span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">not </span><span style="font-style: italic;">‘anti semitism’.</span></b></p><p><b><span style="font-style: italic;"><br /></span></b></p> <p><b>Criticising Israel’s weather/restaurants/beaches/airline etc is <span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">not </span><span style="font-style: italic;">‘anti semitism’.</span></b></p><p><b><span style="font-style: italic;"><br /></span></b></p> <p><b>Criticising various actions taken by Israel is <span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">not </span><span style="font-style: italic;">‘anti semitism’</span>.</b></p><p><b>But:<br /></b></p> <p><b>*Stating that Israel ‘has no right to exist’ <span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">IS</span> anti semitism:</b></p> <p><b>By doing this, you are singling out the Jewish state, in a manner that is unfair, irrational, and arrogant.</b></p> <p><b>*Stating that <span style="font-style: italic;">‘zionists’</span> are to blame for the problems in the Middle East <span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">IS</span> anti semitism.<br /></b></p><p><b>You are placing the blame for the centuries-old problems squarely upon those who live in and support the right to exist of the Jewish state.</b></p> <p><b>Applying a tougher moral standard to Israel than to her Arab neighbours, or indeed any other nation IS anti semitism. You are demanding things of Israel that you do not demand of any other nation.</b></p> <p><b>*MISrepresenting verifiable history about Israel <span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">IS</span> anti semitism:</b></p> <p><b>It means you are spreading lies about the Jewish state.</b></p> <p><b>So for example:</b></p> <p><b>If you state: ‘Jews don’t have any right to be in Palestine’ – then that IS anti semitism:</b></p> <p><b>You are misrepresenting history, and ignoring the fact that Palestinian Jews have been living in the region for the past 3500 years, non stop.</b></p> <p><b>You are also denying the existence OF the Jewish state, by referring to it as <span style="font-style: italic;">‘Palestine’. </span>Palestine was a <span style="font-style: italic;">region</span>, and it was divided up by the British. Roughly 80% went to the Arabs. We know it as <span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">Jordan.</span><br /></b></p> <p><b>Over 50% of Israelis are natives OF the Middle East, going back countless generations.</b></p> <p><b> It was the <span style="font-style: italic;">Arab rejection </span>of the two state plan that caused the 1948 war between Israel and the six Arab nations that attacked her.</b></p> <p><b> The very term ‘Palestinian’ originally referred <span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">TO Jews.</span> The Palestinian Philharmonic Orchestra: totally Jewish.</b></p> <p><b>The Palestinian Post newspaper: totally staffed by Jews – it went on to become today’s Jerusalem Post.</b></p> <p><b>The Palestinian Brigade that fought WITH the allies AGAINST the Nazis: was 100% JEWISH.</b></p></h3> </div> </div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7635031913797828411.post-71274240226908449392009-11-02T15:36:00.000-08:002009-11-02T15:38:29.079-08:00The Voice Of Truth<p style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><b><br /></b></span></p><p style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><b>Amidst all the hypocrisy surrounding Israel's strikes on <span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);" mce_style="color: #ff0000;">Hamas<span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"> last year</span></span>, one person has quietly and consistently defended Israel.</b></span></p> <p style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);" mce_style="color: #ff0000;"><b><br /></b></span></span></p> <p style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><b><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);" mce_style="color: #ff0000;">Colonel Richard Kemp,</span> former commander of British forces in Afghanistan, has stated, time and again, that Israeli actions in Gaza were ethical and necessary. Last week he told the UN that the Israeli Defence Force took more precautions during Operation Cast Lead than <i>any military in the history of warfare.</i></b></span></p><p style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><b><i><br /></i></b></span></p> <div style="font-style: normal; font-family: georgia;" mce_style="font-style: normal;"> <div><span style="font-size:130%;"><b><a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1194419829128&pagename=JPost%2FPage%2FVideoPlayer&videoId=1255694826665" mce_href="http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1194419829128&pagename=JPost%2FPage%2FVideoPlayer&videoId=1255694826665" target="_blank"><span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;" mce_style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;"> </span></a></b></span></div> <div style="width: 250px;"> <p><span style="font-size:130%;"><b> </b></span></p></div> </div> <p style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><b>Col. Kemp made the comment in an address to the president of the UN 'Human Rights Council', Alex Van Meeuwen of Belgium, at its special session on the Goldstone Report in Geneva. Kemp spoke on behalf of <span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);" mce_style="color: #ff0000;">UN Watch</span>, an NGO that <i>monitors UN activitie</i>s.</b></span></p><p style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><b><br /></b></span></p> <p style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><b>Here's his speech in full: </b></span></p> <p style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><b><br /></b></span></p> <blockquote style="font-family: georgia;"><p><span style="font-size:130%;"><b>I am the former commander of the British forces in Afghanistan. I served with NATO and the United Nations; commanded troops in Northern Ireland, Bosnia and Macedonia; and participated in the Gulf War. I spent considerable time in Iraq since the 2003 invasion, and worked on international terrorism for the UK government's Joint Intelligence Committee.</b></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:130%;"><b><br /></b></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:130%;"><b>Mr. President, based on my knowledge and experience, I can say this: During Operation Cast Lead, the Israeli Defense Forces did more to safeguard the rights of civilians in a combat zone than any other army in the history of warfare.</b></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:130%;"><b><br /></b></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:130%;"><b>Israel did so while facing an enemy that deliberately positioned its military capability behind the human shield of the civilian population.</b></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:130%;"><b><br /></b></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:130%;"><b>Hamas, like Hizbullah, are expert at driving the media agenda. Both will always have people ready to give interviews condemning Israeli forces for war crimes. They are adept at staging and distorting incidents.</b></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:130%;"><b><br /></b></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:130%;"><b>The IDF faces a challenge that we British do not have to face to the same extent. It is the automatic, Pavlovian presumption by many in the international media, and international human rights groups, that the IDF are in the wrong, that they are abusing human rights.</b></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:130%;"><b><br /></b></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:130%;"><b>The truth is that the IDF took extraordinary measures to give Gaza civilians notice of targeted areas, dropping over 2 million leaflets, and making over 100,000 phone calls. Many missions that could have taken out Hamas military capability were aborted to prevent civilian casualties. During the conflict, the IDF allowed huge amounts of humanitarian aid into Gaza.</b></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:130%;"><b><br /></b></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);" mce_style="color: #ff0000;"><b>To deliver aid virtually into your enemy's hands is, to the military tactician, normally quite unthinkable. But the IDF took on those risks.</b></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:130%;"><b><br /></b></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:130%;"><b>Despite all of this, of course innocent civilians were killed. War is chaos and full of mistakes. There have been mistakes by the British, American and other forces in Afghanistan and in Iraq, many of which can be put down to human error. But mistakes are not war crimes.</b></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:130%;"><b><br /></b></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:130%;"><b>More than anything, the civilian casualties were a consequence of Hamas's way of fighting. Hamas deliberately tried to sacrifice their own civilians.</b></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:130%;"><b><br /></b></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:130%;"><b>Mr. President, Israel had no choice apart from defending its people, to stop Hamas from attacking them with rockets.</b></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:130%;"><b>And I say this again: The IDF did more to safeguard the rights of civilians in a combat zone than any other army in the history of warfare.</b></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:130%;"><b>Thank you, Mr. President.</b></span></p></blockquote>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0