Response to commenter Marcos Berenstein
Reader comment on item: Anti-Semitism Evolves
in response to reader comment: 90th ANNIVERSARY OF THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE

Submitted by Rob James (United States), Feb 20, 2005 at 02:27

----------QUOTE------------What do those countries do have in common? CATHOLICISM. The same fuel that propelled Mel Gibson in his blood libel turned into a movie,"THE PASSION OF CHRIST",in which the principal argument that made the hatred, persecution, torture, humiliation, vilification, mutilation and wanton massacre of Jews possible: the accusation that JEWS KILLED JESUS CHRIST.------------END QUOTE----------

Other than the fact that the Passion has sturred no acts of Anti-Semitism, it is highly subjective to suggest that "Catholicism" could be a factor in modern European Anti-Semitism. On the contrary, Europeans are biased against Israel because of their idealistic liberal values. They are largely ignorant of everyday Pan-Arab/Islamic fanaticism.

-----------QUOTE--------------This Gospel is the turning point of the Jewish History. Before that, Jews were persecuted for being monotheistic,not bowing down to idols,kings. After that, Jews were accountable as a whole,not individually. In my view,"THE PASSION OF CHRIST" could've easily been made by Leni Riefenstahl in the 1930's or 1940's ordered by Göebbels or Hitler himself. It matches very well with the line adopted by Julius Streicher's "DER STÜRMER", where cartoons depicting Jews with long noses,claws and targetting innocent Christian girls amused Germans. The movie entices its audience to hate those who killed their Lord. As the Jews "DID IT", thus their lives were expendable.They were human beings no more.------------------END QUOTE----------------

I can't defend "The Passion" for a number of reasons. What I can tell you, however, that the source itself, the New Testament - having been written by Jews, does not condone Anti-Semitism, and those that did use it for such purposes were grossly non-contextual in their work. I find it shameful that very few Rabbis or Jews have ever bothered reading it themselves, objectively. All you basically do is listen to the battlecries of the ADL and other likeminded organizations. The only Jewish scholar I know who has studied the New Testmanet objectively is Pinchas Lapide.

----------QUOTE----------I'd like to add something that many don't know: ADOLF HITLER WENT TO OBBERAMERGAU'S PASSION OF CHRIST'S PLAY,IN 1934.HE SAID THAT AFTER WATCHING THE PLAY HE BECAME CONVINCED OF THE MALIGNANCY OF THE JEWISH PEOPLE, AND THAT THE JEWISH THREAT HAD TO BE DEALT WITH. ----------END QUOTE---------

Hitler was a walking Anti-Semite. In everything he encountered he saw the Jewish problem. He saw it on billboards, in education, in government, in business, in religion, everywhere. Let me remind you that Hitler is not an authoritative source for authentic Christianity any more than he is for the economy.

--------QUOTE-----------My point is that Armenian Genocide gave a extremely bloody precedent in which all subsequent massacres took place. Don't you forget the Armenians, much less the Jewish Holocaust, for tomorrow someone could repeat history.--------------END QUOTE-------------

My point is that Christian Zionism is more true to our sacred scriptures than 1000 years of oral tradition stemming from Augustine's replacement theology.

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