Kathleen Harris and The Red Sea Pedestrians
Florida Congresswoman Kathleen Harris recently told the Florida Baptist Witness that – 1) separation of church, state is “a lie”, 2) God and America's founding fathers did not intend the country to be "a nation of secular laws", and 3) "only Christians should be elected to public office in the USA". For some reason, there was quite a hullabaloo. The loudest outcry came from Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz, a Florida Democrat who is Jewish, she told the Orlando Sentinel that she was "disgusted" by Harris's comments.
The Atheologist is having a hard time understanding why some Jews would have a problem with Ms. Harris’ pro-Christian comments. Could it be possible that this is a form of anti-Christianism? Isn't it the Christians who always remind everyone that an atheist should not "be considered as citizens", and therefore never be elected to public office. Wasn’t it the Christians who fought to have “In God We Trust”, printed on our currency and stamped on our coins? Wasn’t it the Christians who had the words, “under God”, inserted into the pledge of allegiance? And isn’t it the Christians who are trying to have this country return to its Judeo-Christian roots by having for example - the ten commandments displayed in every public space possible? “What part of Judeo- Christian”, are these Jews not seeing? And come to think of it, didn’t God hand off the ten commandments to Moses, who happened to be Jewish himself?
I mean is the Atheologist the only one who thinks that it is possible Ms. Wasserman Schultz is overreacting just a bit and maybe guily of being a little too pro-Semitic? The Jews have the honor of being God’s chosen people. As far as the Atheologist knows, they have more holidays than any other religion on earth. And we all know that everyone likes a good bagel. Isn’t that enough for them? That is only one of the Atheologist's many Jewish questions.
P.S. Here's just one example of the many unselfish good deeds that Christians have done for the Jewish people.
posted by The Atheologist | 8:42 AM
5 Comments:
Bush's Gift Horse has Hoof in Mouth, again!
Hello Atheologist,
This gets to the root of the problem of deluded and greedy politicians who seek to impose their own ignorance on millions of others. Because of our reliance on money, politics, and religion, we are teetering on the verge of worldwide disaster. Idiots like Ms. Harris couldn't care less about everyone else as long as they get their hands on wealth and power, even if it means pretending to serve the Creator. It is long past time that people stand up for truth and justice and give these scoundrels their due.
Read more here...
Peace...
You do realize that the Landover Baptist Church website is a parody, do you not? It's a little strange to accuse Christians of doing something evil to Jews that some fiction-writer invented and wrote into a satire of some of the more extreme varieties of fundamentalist Christians.
The Bush "atheists shouldn't be citizens" claim is unsubstantiated.
I think you've taken Harris' statement out of context also. She said that Christians should o vote for someone whose moral views reflect their own, which she thinks is likely only if they support Christian moral views. This isn't quite the same as saying that only Christians should be elected, and it's actually pretty dishonest to put those words in quotes when it's not just not her direct words but a very different view entirely.
It's especially stange to see my post linked to in the context you put it in, since it's not at all about Jews taking exception to Christian dominance of the political realm or marginalization of other perspectives. It's about a real resistance to Jesus and anything Christian period. In those cases, it's genuine anti-Christianism. Desires for separation of church and state or other such things, which can involve a resistance to Christian things in one's own life if one is not Christian, do not amount to the kind of anti-Christianism I was talking about. I think it constitutes a pretty serious misrepresentation of my position to link to it in the context you have put your link in.
Even Hand Star said: “…they get their hands on wealth and power, even if it means pretending to serve the Creator. It is long past time that people stand up for truth and justice and give these scoundrels their due.”
I think people will never be able to “stand up for truth and justice”, if they can’t think critically, which includes thinking for themselves. When the, “Creator”, enters the picture, isn’t it all just pretending anyway?
Jeremy, how do you know that the Landover Baptist Church website is a parody?
Some people may take your website for a parody.
Is the George Bush quote really unsubstantiated? It’s documented at the Bush Presidential Library. Look here.
Your post title was, “Jewish anti-Christianism” and you’re trying to say it has nothing to do with anti-Christianism? Did you read your post?
I did not misquote Kathleen Harris did you read the article?
Actually some Jews were not at all offended by Harris's comments. Michael Medved, the Jewish conservative talk show host even had Harris on the program last week and they were all hugs and kisses and mutual adoration.
Medved is continually making all these annoying declarations of how good it is that the Christian right is attempting to slowly establish a theocracy. Dennis Prager, also Jewish, has the same party line.
Google "Landover Baptist Church". It's a fiction. Wikipedia says this, and so does answers.com. If you want it from their own mouths, see their Terms of Service. Taking that site seriously is like reporting something from The Onion as if it's real news.
As for Harris, I did read the article. It was the disconnect between what she said and what you had her saying that prompted my comment. I tried to find the quote "Only Christians should be elected to public office in the U.S." I couldn't, because it's not there, probably because she didn't say it. What she did say is that she thinks Christians ought to support Christian candidates, not that only Christians should be allowed to hold public office. Those are not only very different views, but the former view is plausible on certain premises that aren't all that implausible (though I don't agree with them), but the latter view is downright immoral.
My post was about people whose motivations lie in their loathing of some very basic Christian views. I was not talking about simply being opposed to someone wanting some particular Christian views to influence policy. That's not anti-Christianism. It's secularism, maybe, or it might just be holding religious views that aren't Christian. The anti-Christianism that I was talking about is a deep opposition to Christianity for its most fundamental claims. I would not apply that to this, and I was objecting to the insinuation that I would. That kind of thing is not in the spirit of free discussion.
I'm not sure why you think those who believe in a creator must be pretending. Doesn't it simply make no sense to pretend anything if you believe in an omniscient creator who knows that you're being dishonest?
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