Why the Jews? – that was the title of the book I saw the gentleman reading. My interest was aroused and I was determined to get closer to him. My wife reminded me that we were on vacation. Neither her reminder nor the fact that we were on a cruise at the time, impeded my interest. I wanted more answers to the question my World Religion college students ask each semester – why have Jews been persecuted more than any other people group in history?
My quest for answers prompted me to befriend the reader. After some two hours of conversation, I knew I had to get my own volume – I have never regretted that investment I made some years ago.
In almost every instance, whenever the reason for anti-Semitism is raised, one hears answers like, “look at what the Jews are doing to the Palestinians.” Persons who answer like that do not know Jewish history. Even before the Jews were known as a nation, an attempt was made to annihilate them. Then, it was the Egyptians, as recorded in the first chapter of Exodus.
Throughout history, other attempts were made by the Assyrians, the Babylonians, the Persians, the Seleucids, and the Romans. On at least three occasions during the last 350 years, annihilation campaigns have been waged against the Jews: the Chmelnitzky massacres in Eastern Europe (1648-49), the Nazi German destruction between 1939 and 1945 and the current attempts by Iran and radical Islam.
In their volume, Why the Jews? – authors Dennis Prager and Joseph Telushkin believe they have identified why Jews have been hated so much for thousands of years. They advance four reasons worthy of reflection.
1. Judaism was birthed in polytheistic cultures.
It was in those cultures Jews affirmed what they considered to be the one and only God of all humankind. In affirming this monotheistic position, Jews were implying illegitimacy to everyone else’s gods. This sense of religious identity is a threat to any culture that is rooted in polytheism. The result – feelings of resentment.
2. Judaism has also held from the earliest times that the Jews were chosen by God to achieve the mission of bringing the world to God and His moral law. In other words, their monotheistic God chose them as a people to accomplish His purposes. That concept of being chosen by God is fodder for hate by those who were not chosen.
3. Jews have always believed that by choosing them God intended to use them to make the world a better place. As stated in one ancient Jewish prayer, “to repair the world under the rule of God.” This is a clear appeal to make religious demands on non-Jewish societies.
4. As a result of the Jews’ commitment to Judaism, they have led higher-quality lives than non-Jewish neighbors in almost every society where they have lived. With minimal natural resources, Israel has the highest average living standards in the Middle East. Twenty-four percent of Israel’s workforce holds university degrees, ranking third in the industrialized world. Interestingly, Israel leads the world in the number of scientists and technicians in the workforce.
Authors Prager and Telushkin believe that the higher quality of life among Jews, directly results from Judaism. This they believe has provoked profound envy and hostility among non-Jews. Hence their conclusion, a belief in Judaism is the root cause of anti-Semitism.
Interestingly, Jews who abandoned their Jewish identity and assumed the religious and national identities of others were no longer persecuted. This view was clearly illustrated during the Inquisition, when Jews, who chose to convert to Christianity, were spared from persecution. A similar picture was painted some 1,000 years earlier when Jews were executed or kicked out of the city of Yathrib (Medina) if they did not accept the message of Muhammad, the founder of Islam.
History confirms that Judaism represents a threat to the core values, allegiances and beliefs of other people groups. In addition, all the super powers that overthrew the Jews are relics of history. In 1948, the tiny nation of Israel was resurrected. It was resurrected with many of the beliefs and practices they adopted thousands of years earlier.
Despite her many successes, I do not believe that modern Israel is being rewarded by God for her faithfulness to Him. Many Jews today will affirm their heritage, but not the God of their forefathers. In Israel today, many practice godless values. Many reflect a spirit of pride and intolerance.
Today, Israel is surrounded by many enemies. Anti-Semitism is alive around the world. Meaningful peace in the land of Israel seems impossible. At this time, the words of the Lord to King Solomon are so appropriate: “If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land” (2 Chronicles 7:14).
Monday, August 27, 2012
Sunday, August 19, 2012
Post-Olympic Syndrome
Of the 10,820 athletes participating in the London 2012 Olympics, only about 820 received medals. For years, many will remember the accomplishments of American Michael Phelps and Usain Bolt of Jamaica. Phelps became the most decorated Olympic athlete of all time, winning 22 medals. Bolt became the first sprinter to retain all three sprinting gold medals at consecutive Olympics. However, amidst the celebrations, what about the 10,000 athletes and their coaches who did not win medals?
The Trinidad and Tobago government found itself having to apologize for failing to recognize athletes who did not receive medals. Four athletes returned with Keshorn Walcott who won a gold medal for his record-breaking javelin throw. Walcott received a full college scholarship, a new stadium at the college he’ll be attending will be named in his honor, a $400,000.00 townhouse in a community designated for use by government officials and diplomats, a national aircraft will be named in his honor, and a major road in his home district will be named in his honor. He was lavished with honor while the names of other athletes were not even mentioned at a home-coming ceremony.
Team Nigeria failed to win a single medal. The Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan ordered a comprehensive re-organization of the nation’s sports sector. Appeals have also been made for the Director-General of Nigeria’s Sports Commission to resign.
Other Olympic casualities among the 204 nations participating included government officials, coaches, their support staff and many athletes.
From the 302 sporting events, we knew from up front that only 962 medals could be won. The 30 world records broken were a bonus that lifted the standard of London 2012. The Brits were terrific hosts. All eyes will now be focused on Brazil for the 2016 Olympics.
LESSONS TO BE LEARNED
Did you know that Olympic gold medals were not really made of gold? Actually, each gold medal was made up of 92.5% silver and 1.34% gold. The remainder of the gold medal was made of copper. The value of the materials used in the gold medal is about $644.00. Whereas the silver medal was made up of about 92.5% silver, the bronze medal, was 97% copper.
Obviously, that was much more expensive than the awards that were given at the Isthmian Games. Paul referred to these Games in his first letter to the Corinthians (1 Corinthians 9:24-27).
The Isthmian Games were celebrated every two years on the isthmus of Corinth. The prizes in these games were perishable wreaths. However, like our own Olympics, the games were events of patriotic pride. Athletes contested in track and field, horse and chariot racing, jumping, boxing, wrestling and throwing the discus and javelin. Compare that with our 10,820 Olympic athletes who participated in 26 different sporting events.
Paul’s reference to the Isthmian Games was not intended to promote the games. He was using the games as a metaphor to teach about the discipline necessary to become winners. Paul was contending that the Corinthians were disciplining themselves in order to receive an award that would perish in a few days. In addition, winning was accompanied by a great sense of devotion to the state and to whichever god was being honored as patron of the games.
Following the London Olympics, many countries felt a similar sense of honor and pride. As hosts, England achieved her highest tally of gold medals since 1908, finishing third in the medal table. American legislators are considering lifting the taxes imposed on the monetary value of awards. It is this sense of discipline and reward Paul captures.
He sees the Christian life as a race. As participants we must discipline ourselves in the race of life. As athletes do, we must identify and eliminate all distractions. Distractions would include activities and behaviors that will affect victorious living. Just like athletes, Christians must be focused on the goal. Sometimes we forget that the goal is not the other athletes, who are also in the race.
It is at the end of the race winners are determined. Medals are awarded to winners. Winners are determined not only by those who crossed the finish line, but also by those who ran according to the rules.
According to Paul, “…run in such a way as to get the prize”. In addition, the prize is not like the first century Isthmian wreath or the gold-plated Olympian goal medal. For the Christian, the prize is “a crown that will last forever”. Because of this Paul concludes, “I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize” (1 Corinthians 9:27).
The Trinidad and Tobago government found itself having to apologize for failing to recognize athletes who did not receive medals. Four athletes returned with Keshorn Walcott who won a gold medal for his record-breaking javelin throw. Walcott received a full college scholarship, a new stadium at the college he’ll be attending will be named in his honor, a $400,000.00 townhouse in a community designated for use by government officials and diplomats, a national aircraft will be named in his honor, and a major road in his home district will be named in his honor. He was lavished with honor while the names of other athletes were not even mentioned at a home-coming ceremony.
Team Nigeria failed to win a single medal. The Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan ordered a comprehensive re-organization of the nation’s sports sector. Appeals have also been made for the Director-General of Nigeria’s Sports Commission to resign.
Other Olympic casualities among the 204 nations participating included government officials, coaches, their support staff and many athletes.
From the 302 sporting events, we knew from up front that only 962 medals could be won. The 30 world records broken were a bonus that lifted the standard of London 2012. The Brits were terrific hosts. All eyes will now be focused on Brazil for the 2016 Olympics.
LESSONS TO BE LEARNED
Did you know that Olympic gold medals were not really made of gold? Actually, each gold medal was made up of 92.5% silver and 1.34% gold. The remainder of the gold medal was made of copper. The value of the materials used in the gold medal is about $644.00. Whereas the silver medal was made up of about 92.5% silver, the bronze medal, was 97% copper.
Obviously, that was much more expensive than the awards that were given at the Isthmian Games. Paul referred to these Games in his first letter to the Corinthians (1 Corinthians 9:24-27).
The Isthmian Games were celebrated every two years on the isthmus of Corinth. The prizes in these games were perishable wreaths. However, like our own Olympics, the games were events of patriotic pride. Athletes contested in track and field, horse and chariot racing, jumping, boxing, wrestling and throwing the discus and javelin. Compare that with our 10,820 Olympic athletes who participated in 26 different sporting events.
Paul’s reference to the Isthmian Games was not intended to promote the games. He was using the games as a metaphor to teach about the discipline necessary to become winners. Paul was contending that the Corinthians were disciplining themselves in order to receive an award that would perish in a few days. In addition, winning was accompanied by a great sense of devotion to the state and to whichever god was being honored as patron of the games.
Following the London Olympics, many countries felt a similar sense of honor and pride. As hosts, England achieved her highest tally of gold medals since 1908, finishing third in the medal table. American legislators are considering lifting the taxes imposed on the monetary value of awards. It is this sense of discipline and reward Paul captures.
He sees the Christian life as a race. As participants we must discipline ourselves in the race of life. As athletes do, we must identify and eliminate all distractions. Distractions would include activities and behaviors that will affect victorious living. Just like athletes, Christians must be focused on the goal. Sometimes we forget that the goal is not the other athletes, who are also in the race.
It is at the end of the race winners are determined. Medals are awarded to winners. Winners are determined not only by those who crossed the finish line, but also by those who ran according to the rules.
According to Paul, “…run in such a way as to get the prize”. In addition, the prize is not like the first century Isthmian wreath or the gold-plated Olympian goal medal. For the Christian, the prize is “a crown that will last forever”. Because of this Paul concludes, “I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize” (1 Corinthians 9:27).
Monday, August 13, 2012
Truth and Bigotry
I am no bigot! A bigot is a prejudiced person who is intolerant of any opinions differing from their own or intolerant of people of different political views, ethnicity, race, class, religion, profession, sexuality or gender.
To be prejudiced is to form an opinion without taking time and care to judge fairly - in other words, to form an opinion before considering the facts. A prejudiced person is not particularly interested in what is the truth of a situation. To express an opinion that is not based on fact is tantamount to bigotry.
A bigot is a poor listener in that he or she fails to pay attention to what is being said. Actually, listening is an active process that requires one to be interested in both the content and the person conveying the information.
Listening is quite different from allowing someone time to speak. Allowing someone time to speak is extending a courtesy to another – it is complying with the rules of fair play. However, it does not mean that one was actively paying attention to what was being said. That attitude is fodder for bigotry.
To avoid being accused of bigotry, one must interact with facts or the truth of what is informing one’s opinions. Truth in its simplest form is an honest description of reality. Any statement is true if and only if it corresponds to or agrees with factual reality. If I tell you my car is white, then it cannot be anything else but similar to snow or salt in color.
Upon that foundation we seek to determine truthful statements, our sense of integrity, and all avenues of justice. For instance, without an appreciation for truth, our society is in trouble in that we cannot even establish a basis for trust.
Without trust, credibility and civility are lost. In some cases, many consciously distort the meaning of words in order to silence disagreement. For instance, some use the term bigot to describe anyone who shares an opinion that does not affirm homosexuality.
That should not be - we are constantly debating and discussing topics of interest – we actually applaud such dialog. Then why can’t we applaud similar dialog when examining topics like homosexuality? At the moment our discourse on homosexuality is often more hostile than holy. Emotionally charged terms like fagot, homophobe, bigot and intolerant are inflammatory terms and are inimical to civil discourse. Civility demands that we listen before forming and expressing opinions. In addition, a Christian understanding of civility demands that violence and dehumanizing rhetoric be avoided. Jesus invites us to pray for and love persons with whom we disagree.
Disagreement must be expressed in a spirit of love. We should never forget that opponents will be attracted more to our attitude than to our debating skills. With wisdom, we must be able to distinguish assertiveness from aggressiveness; meekness from weakness and knowledge from discernment. So often we win the battle (the debate) and lose the war (ongoing opportunities for dialog).
My point was beautifully illustrated a few days ago when a hostile customer verbally abused a Chick-Fill-A cashier. In her response to the unprovoked abuse, the cashier chose to keep her composure throughout the exchange. The customer was fired by his firm for the disgusting display but eventually apologized to the woman he abused.
In his apology he admitted: “…You handled my frustrating rant with such dignity and composure. Every time I watch the video I am blown away by really the beauty in what you did, and your kindness, and your patience with me.”
In a television interview, the cashier admitted she had no intention to pursue legal action. She felt her decision to forgive the customer was consistent with her Christian worldview. It was not her arrogance that won the hearts of millions of viewers; it was her composure, her kindness and her patience.
Those are the graces that will empower us in the current culture war. This battle is nowhere near finished. We have actually lost some ground in the ideological gay-lifestyle battle. Public opinion is reflecting greater acceptance and tolerance. We have been branded negatively in the marketplace of ideas. In addition, increasing numbers of persons are relegating our biblical lifestyle to antiquity.
Paul’s words to the Corinthians are so appropriate in times like these: “For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, (our weapons) have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:3-6).
Always remember, the way we fight is often more important than the fight itself.
To be prejudiced is to form an opinion without taking time and care to judge fairly - in other words, to form an opinion before considering the facts. A prejudiced person is not particularly interested in what is the truth of a situation. To express an opinion that is not based on fact is tantamount to bigotry.
A bigot is a poor listener in that he or she fails to pay attention to what is being said. Actually, listening is an active process that requires one to be interested in both the content and the person conveying the information.
Listening is quite different from allowing someone time to speak. Allowing someone time to speak is extending a courtesy to another – it is complying with the rules of fair play. However, it does not mean that one was actively paying attention to what was being said. That attitude is fodder for bigotry.
To avoid being accused of bigotry, one must interact with facts or the truth of what is informing one’s opinions. Truth in its simplest form is an honest description of reality. Any statement is true if and only if it corresponds to or agrees with factual reality. If I tell you my car is white, then it cannot be anything else but similar to snow or salt in color.
Upon that foundation we seek to determine truthful statements, our sense of integrity, and all avenues of justice. For instance, without an appreciation for truth, our society is in trouble in that we cannot even establish a basis for trust.
Without trust, credibility and civility are lost. In some cases, many consciously distort the meaning of words in order to silence disagreement. For instance, some use the term bigot to describe anyone who shares an opinion that does not affirm homosexuality.
That should not be - we are constantly debating and discussing topics of interest – we actually applaud such dialog. Then why can’t we applaud similar dialog when examining topics like homosexuality? At the moment our discourse on homosexuality is often more hostile than holy. Emotionally charged terms like fagot, homophobe, bigot and intolerant are inflammatory terms and are inimical to civil discourse. Civility demands that we listen before forming and expressing opinions. In addition, a Christian understanding of civility demands that violence and dehumanizing rhetoric be avoided. Jesus invites us to pray for and love persons with whom we disagree.
Disagreement must be expressed in a spirit of love. We should never forget that opponents will be attracted more to our attitude than to our debating skills. With wisdom, we must be able to distinguish assertiveness from aggressiveness; meekness from weakness and knowledge from discernment. So often we win the battle (the debate) and lose the war (ongoing opportunities for dialog).
My point was beautifully illustrated a few days ago when a hostile customer verbally abused a Chick-Fill-A cashier. In her response to the unprovoked abuse, the cashier chose to keep her composure throughout the exchange. The customer was fired by his firm for the disgusting display but eventually apologized to the woman he abused.
In his apology he admitted: “…You handled my frustrating rant with such dignity and composure. Every time I watch the video I am blown away by really the beauty in what you did, and your kindness, and your patience with me.”
In a television interview, the cashier admitted she had no intention to pursue legal action. She felt her decision to forgive the customer was consistent with her Christian worldview. It was not her arrogance that won the hearts of millions of viewers; it was her composure, her kindness and her patience.
Those are the graces that will empower us in the current culture war. This battle is nowhere near finished. We have actually lost some ground in the ideological gay-lifestyle battle. Public opinion is reflecting greater acceptance and tolerance. We have been branded negatively in the marketplace of ideas. In addition, increasing numbers of persons are relegating our biblical lifestyle to antiquity.
Paul’s words to the Corinthians are so appropriate in times like these: “For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, (our weapons) have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:3-6).
Always remember, the way we fight is often more important than the fight itself.
Monday, August 6, 2012
CHICK-FIL-A’s ATTACKS Backfire!
“Chick-Fil-A’s values are not Chicago values” – says Chicago Mayor Rham Emanuel. He was one of the first mayors to support Boston Mayor Thomas Menino, when he said the chicken sandwich firm “doesn’t belong in Boston.”
Their rhetoric created a national firestorm as gay rights activists accused Chick-Fil-A of homophobia and bigotry. Since their “tolerant” behavior was having little effect on Dan Cathy, Chick-Fil-A’s president, the vitriol was shifted to the WinShape Foundation – the philanthropic arm of Chick-Fil-A.
To be honest, I believe the overwhelming support shown by thousands of Americans on Chick-Fil-A Appreciation Day was a knockout punch. The fact that the effort was not promoted by Chick-Fil-A gave it so much more credibility. It was the best day of business for the 60 year-old company.
The opponents’ anger against the company became more intense when Dan Cathy announced that much of the profit earned on the Day of Appreciation would be channeled through WinShape to support more activities that reflect the interests of the shareholders.
The focus shifted to WinShape. Who benefits from their philanthropic efforts? In answer to this and many more questions, much credit must go to Dan Gilfgoff, CNN’s Religion Editor. I relied very much on his superb investigative journalism to prepare this commentary.
WinShape’s goal is simple – to help shape winners. The Foundation funds foster homes, camps for children, college scholarships and activities that are aimed at youth and families.
In response to questions from CNN, Chick-Fil-A’s executive vice president for marketing, Steve Robinson said, “our corporate giving is focused on supporting youth, family and educational programs.”
In addition, “WinShape provides camping programs for more than 13,000 girls and boys annually and 14 foster homes caring for more than 100 children. In addition, Chick-Fil-A has awarded more than $30 million in Restaurant Team Member college scholarships to hourly-paid employees.”
In 2010, the most recent year for which tax records are available, the Foundation received about $8 million. The Human Rights Campaign, the country’s largest gay rights group, believes the company funnels millions only to evangelical groups that demonize lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people on a daily basis.
At the same time, the left-leaning Southern Poverty Law Center has classified some WinShape recipients as anti-gay hate groups. The Foundation spends the vast majority of its money on internal programs like its camps, which cost five million dollars to run in 2010. The same year some $3 million was spent on foster homes.
By comparison, in that same year, the Foundation gave $1,000 to Family Research Council and $1,000 to Exodus International – a group that promotes conversion therapy for gays. These are the groups and the amounts being referred to as substantive support to anti-gay hate groups.
Interestingly, nowhere would one find any statement that would implicate these groups as hate groups. These are conservative organizations that see homosexual activities as sinful. Exodus International offers therapy to homosexuals who seek help. It is obvious that the help provided debunks the idea that homosexuality is an irreversible condition.
Honestly, what was intended to crush Chick-Fil-A has heightened interest and support for the company’s commitment to Christian values. Other companies with similar values are beginning to surface.
For example, IN-N-OUT Burgers prints Bible references on their paper containers. Don and Jin Chang, owners of Forever 21 are committed Christians. The company prints on the bottom of the iconic yellow shopping bags the words – John 3:16.
Since this Chick-Fil-A fracas, Jack Phillips, the owner of a bakery in Colorado refused to provide a wedding cake for a homosexual couple. The couple made a public issue of what happened – the result? The bakery got publicity and business increased by 100% in a few days.
It is obvious that we are in a culture war. Christians are the victims of institutional bullying because of their faith. Our Lord never suggested that we would be exempt from these situations. However, He promised to be with us even “in the valley of the shadow of death.” Remember, silence is not an option.
Their rhetoric created a national firestorm as gay rights activists accused Chick-Fil-A of homophobia and bigotry. Since their “tolerant” behavior was having little effect on Dan Cathy, Chick-Fil-A’s president, the vitriol was shifted to the WinShape Foundation – the philanthropic arm of Chick-Fil-A.
To be honest, I believe the overwhelming support shown by thousands of Americans on Chick-Fil-A Appreciation Day was a knockout punch. The fact that the effort was not promoted by Chick-Fil-A gave it so much more credibility. It was the best day of business for the 60 year-old company.
The opponents’ anger against the company became more intense when Dan Cathy announced that much of the profit earned on the Day of Appreciation would be channeled through WinShape to support more activities that reflect the interests of the shareholders.
The focus shifted to WinShape. Who benefits from their philanthropic efforts? In answer to this and many more questions, much credit must go to Dan Gilfgoff, CNN’s Religion Editor. I relied very much on his superb investigative journalism to prepare this commentary.
WinShape’s goal is simple – to help shape winners. The Foundation funds foster homes, camps for children, college scholarships and activities that are aimed at youth and families.
In response to questions from CNN, Chick-Fil-A’s executive vice president for marketing, Steve Robinson said, “our corporate giving is focused on supporting youth, family and educational programs.”
In addition, “WinShape provides camping programs for more than 13,000 girls and boys annually and 14 foster homes caring for more than 100 children. In addition, Chick-Fil-A has awarded more than $30 million in Restaurant Team Member college scholarships to hourly-paid employees.”
In 2010, the most recent year for which tax records are available, the Foundation received about $8 million. The Human Rights Campaign, the country’s largest gay rights group, believes the company funnels millions only to evangelical groups that demonize lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people on a daily basis.
At the same time, the left-leaning Southern Poverty Law Center has classified some WinShape recipients as anti-gay hate groups. The Foundation spends the vast majority of its money on internal programs like its camps, which cost five million dollars to run in 2010. The same year some $3 million was spent on foster homes.
By comparison, in that same year, the Foundation gave $1,000 to Family Research Council and $1,000 to Exodus International – a group that promotes conversion therapy for gays. These are the groups and the amounts being referred to as substantive support to anti-gay hate groups.
Interestingly, nowhere would one find any statement that would implicate these groups as hate groups. These are conservative organizations that see homosexual activities as sinful. Exodus International offers therapy to homosexuals who seek help. It is obvious that the help provided debunks the idea that homosexuality is an irreversible condition.
Honestly, what was intended to crush Chick-Fil-A has heightened interest and support for the company’s commitment to Christian values. Other companies with similar values are beginning to surface.
For example, IN-N-OUT Burgers prints Bible references on their paper containers. Don and Jin Chang, owners of Forever 21 are committed Christians. The company prints on the bottom of the iconic yellow shopping bags the words – John 3:16.
Since this Chick-Fil-A fracas, Jack Phillips, the owner of a bakery in Colorado refused to provide a wedding cake for a homosexual couple. The couple made a public issue of what happened – the result? The bakery got publicity and business increased by 100% in a few days.
It is obvious that we are in a culture war. Christians are the victims of institutional bullying because of their faith. Our Lord never suggested that we would be exempt from these situations. However, He promised to be with us even “in the valley of the shadow of death.” Remember, silence is not an option.