Christian Attitudes

Link: http://www.melaniephillips.com/diary/archives/001289.html

Melanie Phillips tells us more about Anglican antisemite, Naim Ateek.

A report in the Jerusalem Post provides further evidence of the visceral theological anti-Jewish hatred of Canon Naim Ateek, the Palestinian cleric who is honoured as a ‘peacemaker’ in the Anglican Peace and Justice Network report... ...His influence in turning the Christian world against Israel cannot be overstated. Yet Ateek, president of the Sabeel Ecumenical Liberation Theology Centre, is a Jew-hater out of medieval central casting:

His use, or rather abuse, of Christian symbolism is intended to arouse hatred, not the love which is more appropriate for Christianity.

‘Ateek is regarded as a "peacemaker" in the US even as he recycles the deicide charge against the Jews and directs the hostility it arouses against the Jewish state. For example, in December 2000, Ateek wrote that Palestinian Christmas celebrations were "marred by the destructive powers of the modern-day "Herods" who are represented in the Israeli government." In his 2001 Easter Message, Ateek wrote: "The Israeli government crucifixion system is operating daily. Palestine has become the place of the skull." And in a February 2001 sermon, Ateek likened the Israeli occupation to the boulder sealing Christ's tomb. With these three images, Ateek has figuratively blamed Israel for trying to kill the infant Jesus, crucifying Jesus the prophet and blocking the resurrection of Christ the Savior. The use of such images is not the language of peacemaking, but part of an inexcusable effort to breathe new life into Christian theological hostility toward Jews and focus its vile energy on the Jewish state...

She gives us more on the lies of Naim Ateek and his influence on the recent anti-Semitic Anglican decision to support divestment from Israel here: The Anglicans lose their way

Sabeel’s own call for divestment starts with a lie, which gives a taste of its own venom: ‘The State of Israel was established in 1948 on 78% of historic Palestine leading to the displacement of most of its Palestinian inhabitants, who became refugees.’

‘Historic Palestine’, the administrative name given to the territory administered by the British Mandate which after World War 1 was charged with establishing within it a restored Jewish national home, comprised what is now Jordan, Israel and the West Bank and Gaza. Almost immediately, however, Britain gave some three quarters of this territory to the Hashemite dynasty, creating what is now known as Jordan. Of the remaining land, the Jews ware allocated a small portion. With the ceasefire lines drawn up in 1949 after the Arabs tried to destroy the fledgling Jewish state, Israel was left with only 17.5% of Mandate Palestine. The Arabs had the rest. It was still not enough for them; the Jews had to be driven out from their own homeland altogether, a project which continues to this day – and which the Anglicans now support.

Link: http://www.hcef.org/hcef/index.cfm/mod/news/ID/16/SubMod/NewsView/NewsID/1340.cfm

This is the latest piece from the Revd. Naim Ateek's Sabeel Centre, which has been so influential in recent anti-Semitic decisions made by various Protestant Churches.

What are described as ‘Facts’ and Concerns are lined up. There is so much distortion or reversal of truth that it is hard to know where to begin. It might be a useful document to read if you want some indication of how the Palestinian propaganda machine is about to go whirring now that disengagement from Gaza has occurred and there is no longer any ‘occupation’ of that area to provide an excuse for hatred and terrorism.

Hate and lies are at the basis of Naim Ateek’s Palestinian version of Liberation Theology. He is an Anglican clergyman. Had he been a Catholic priest, he would have been summoned into the presence of the then Cardinal Ratzinger at the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, many years ago, and presented with a choice: either cease teaching this pernicious ‘theology’ or leave the Church. The pride of those so summoned invariably led them to keep their theology, and end up outside the Church, where their marginalised status reduced the damage they could do.

Instead, the Anglican Ateek has been allowed to continue to peddle his poisonous wares within the Church of England and other Protestant denominations. Not only that, he and his teaching of prejudice have been encouraged, coddled and nurtured by the support of Church leaders.

Link: http://www.haaretzdaily.com/hasen/spages/617663.html

Ariel Sharon wrote a letter to Pope Benedict XVI, describing him as a "true friend of Israel", and the squabble between their officials, carried out while both bosses were elsewhere, seems to be over.

Israel's top diplomat at the Holy See, Oded Ben Hur, brought the letter Tuesday to the Vatican secretary of state, Cardinal Angelo Sodano, in what Ben Hur called an "amicable and intimate" meeting that signaled that "we definitely see this thing behind us and are looking forward to improving our relationship."...

....Sodano expressed his satisfaction with the letter during Tuesday's meeting, saying that both sides had made mistakes and that he was happy to put the issue behind him, Ben Hur said.

Ben Hur said the Vatican said the omission of Israel on the list was unintentional and the result of hastily prepared remarks.

Israel's two chief rabbis will meet with the Pope on September 15, in connection with the 40th anniversary of the Vatican's Nostra Aetate declaration. A joint statement will be issued after the meeting and, hopefully, will include "a mutual condemnation of terrorism, of which also Israel has suffered so much."

Link: http://www.nationalcatholicreporter.org/update/bn082305.htm

Israeli authorities are to be commended for withdrawing from the Gaza Strip, a senior Vatican official said Tuesday,

All well and good, but he still finds something to complain about.

but they should have left the settlers' housing behind for returning Palestinian refugees rather than bulldozing it.

The comments by Cardinal Renato Martino, President of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, come on the heels of a barbed diplomatic exchange earlier this month between Israel and the Vatican over Pope Benedict XVI's omission of Israel in a July 24 address in which he expressed sympathy for countries that had recently experienced terrorism.

Perhaps his background in the United Nations has programmed him to criticize Israel, no matter what she does.

The settlements were in violation of international law," said Martino, who for 16 years served as the Permanent Observer of the Holy See at the United Nations prior to assuming his present post.

"Why are the Israelis destroying everything?" Martino asked. "The Palestinians were forced to live for 38 years on land that was not their own. These structures could have been turned over to them, even sold or rented to them."

There is a perfectly good explanation, which Martino would know about if he followed the news, instead of listening to the whines of Palestinian propagandists.

Contacted by telephone, the Israeli Ambassador to the Holy See, Oded Ben-Hur, told NCR that the bulldozing was worked out in advance with Palestinian authorities, who have other plans for the vacated territories...

..."The Palestinians don't need those buildings. They want to build high-rises," he said. "Egypt has agreed to spread the debris in the Sinai desert so that it doesn't have any ecological impact."

"We would have been happy to hand the structures over, perhaps selling them, because they were nice houses," Ben-Hur said. "Unfortunately, the Palestinians didn't want them."

Link: http://www.newhousenews.com/archive/lileks081005.html

An article by James Lileks, shining a spotlight on the wilful prejudice, dishonesty and stupidity of the divesting Churches.

There is something the Islamic extremists and some Christian groups share: They agree that Israel is the problem.

The Presbyterian Church (USA) -- not the members, but the learned elders -- has announced it will use its stock holdings to target Israel for being mean to the Palestinians.

But they're not anti-Semites. Heavens, nay. Don't you dare question their philosemitism! No, they looked at the entire world, including countries that lop off your skull if you convert to Presbyterianism, and what did they choose as the object of their ire? A country the size of a potato chip hanging on the edge of a region noted for despotism and barbarity. By some peculiar coincidence, it happens to be full of Jews.

A brief 'history' of Israel is even included.

According to the hard left's script, Israel was created when some Europeans (hisssss) invaded the sovereign nation of Palestine, even though we all know the Jewish homeland is somewhere outside Passaic, N.J. Then for no reason Israel invaded the West Bank and Gaza -- which for some reason had not been set up as New Palestine by the Egyptians and the Jordanians, but never mind -- and made everyone stand in line and get frisked. Those who joined the line in '67 are just getting through now. Evil Zionists.

Don't tell the Presbyterians about Tibet or Sudan. It would absolutely ruin their day.

Read the whole thing. It should be required reading for all Churches tempted by that irresistible desire to divest from Israel. Then they should seek professional help with their problem - perhaps a ten-step programme for those addicted to attacking the world's only Jewish state