Wednesday, July 23, 2014

Israel and Arab Conflict

As a Christian I want to weigh in on this conflict.  When I visitted Jerusualem, the Israelis were in charge of the city but they made it possible for the Christians and Moslems to live and function in the city. They respected the property of other faiths and 'shared' the city.  This was readily apparent to me as a visitor. 
Right now Moslems (albeit extremists, apparently) are beheading Christians. They are burning churches. Every religion has a history of doing this sort of thing in the past. The Moslems are doing it NOW.
Moslems have been accepted all over the world in nations of Christian heritage. 
My friends in Israel have tolerated rockets being randomly fired at them. I assure everyone if the City of Vancouver was to be routinely shelled by Surrey it would be yesterday that Vancouver would be invading Surrey and stopping the people who were bombing them. 
My Canadian patients who are soldiers tell me that it is common practice for jihadists to hide behind women and children.  The Communist Viet Cong used this tactic in Vietnam. The reason the media gets so excited about this is Canadians, Americans and Israelis don't conceal their weapons in hospitals and don't use their children as 'suicide bombers'.  There is no history of Canadians using 'women as shields'.  This is not because feminists would object but because it's 'unChristian' and very 'un Canadian' and un American. Jews don't 'use their women and children' for weapons. 
It goes to the very nature of the 'personhood' of men and women and children in Christian, Jewish and even western secularized societies that began in the enlightenment.
Enlightenment has not happened in large parts of the world. Women are mutilated and killed and children are not protected.
If as a Christian I am being shot at or my family is being shot at, I can 'defend' myself.  If you are hiding behind your wife or children to shoot at me, I will 'unintentionally' potentially shot your wife and children because I will protect my family.  The media pictures are silly because they don't give this context. 
I defend Israel's right to exist. I defend Israelis right to stop having bombs daily thrown at them.  I defend Israel's right to exist.  I don't think anything the Israeli's have done to date 'justifies' the continued' terrorism' , 'yes, terrorism' and 'criminal' behaviour of 'aggressors'.  As a Canadian I would in their place do exactly as they are doing. As a Christian I would too. 
Right now we can see in Iraq and Syria what Moslems are doing to Christian, Jews, and each other. I don't want this barbarism.  Of course there are great Moslem individuals. The Koran is full of butchery and tribalism. The old testament Bible is full of butchery and tribalism.
The Christian bible is the New Testament and thankfully the teachings of Jesus are far more civilized than the teachings of Abraham, Moses or Mohammed.  I think everyone, even Christians, would do well to consider carefully the teachings of love that is the foundation of Christianity. 
Right now, there's a propaganda war going on. 
In the Bhagadvagita when Arjuna says to Krishna the war is raging and his family is fighting on either side, Krishna responds the real question is not which side but rather whether you participate or not.
I know Aetheists are full of shit but I kind of prefer them to wishy washy agnostics who want a mommy or daddy to wash their ass.  I'm a theist.
I'm on the side of Israel.  Of course I wish the Arabs would stop attacking them and I wish the Moslems would do more for their brethren moslem Palestinians.  I fear for the Palestinian Christians. I fear for all Christians right now in Moslem countries. I didn't fear for Christians in Israel. 

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