Israel, Palestine, Faith, & Duality

I'm going to apologize upfront for the stream of consciousness "style" of this entry. I probably should have written three different posts but don't have the energy for it. So here it goes:

I have to write something or my head might explode. I am 100% lost in this world currently. Not in who I am, but in who you all are. Logic seems to have disappeared and we all have just bought into narratives and everything we see is translated through those narratives. Are you a Christian or Jew or Muslim or Atheist? If so, you go in these boxes and believe these things and likely think very particular things about every other box. Are you a democrat or republican (no other choices, btw)? If so, you belong in these boxes and may not criticize the actions of “your” party or leaders, otherwise, you’re just endorsing the “other” side. And by god, if you don’t support Israel in their genocidal efforts, you’re a terrorist sympathizer and deserve to be beaten by police or counter-protestors and called antisemitic by your politicians while they accept millions from pro-Israel lobbyists and in return send billions to Israel in aid, while the citizens of that country receive benefits and entitlements we deny to our own. Duality seems to be all that we know. I’m not sure if that is the whole world or mainly the US, but it is a travesty.

I was raised in a conservative Christian home and went to a Christian school. I’ve read the Bible back and forth several times and sat through enough church services, conferences, bible studies, and so on that I don’t need anyone to act like I don’t know what the Bible says. I do. Like many Christians, I began to question what was wrong with American Christianity when Trump was elected. All of the morality that had been claimed for years went out the window and the worship of this vile man who shared none of the values Christians are supposed to made me sick to my stomach. It also made me question the strength of this “faith” in general. If this was organized Christianity, I wanted nothing to do with it. But I thought I could keep my faith.

Unfortunately, that was tested too. A local leader who I’d always held to be an example of real Christianity turned out to be as phony as the rest of them… this was a bit of a punch to the gut. I began looking for examples of Christianity and had an incredibly hard time finding them. As a kid, I’d thought Ravi Zacharias seemed like a great Christian. Well, not so much for him either. If all of the examples of Christians not only couldn’t live up to the “ideals” of Christianity, but most actually spurned them, what does that say about the faith itself?

My mom, who I love dearly, continues to tell me that my disgust for fake Christians is not a disgust for Jesus. And that is true. I’m no longer looking to define myself or give anything a name, but I will say this: if the story of Jesus is just that, a story, it is one of the greatest examples of love and compassion mankind has developed. My kids very likely won’t be indoctrinated with stories about hell and evil, but they have and will continue to learn about Jesus and the things he taught. Things like “pray for those who persecute you,” “those who live by the sword will die by the sword,” “blessed are the peacemakers,” “judge not, or you will be judged,” and so much about the evils of valuing wealth. All of these things that Christians ignore both in their personal lives and in the governance that they so strongly believe should also be “Christian.” Christianity, as Jesus exampled it, is to be about radical selflessness, to the point of self-sacrifice. But we can’t even consider inconveniences like free school lunches or (for the love of God) actually taxing the rich.

Selflessness, at a base level, starts with compassion. It’s a first-step before an actual selfless act. But we can’t even muster that. Compassion would look at the pain and suffering in the world, the devastation in places like Gaza, with sorrow and remorse. Children being murdered and kidnapped by the tens of thousands and if you can’t see that’s what it is, you are delusional. At a base level of humanity, you can’t see this and find justification. There’s nothing complicated about what is happening. You can argue about multi-state solutions and thousands years old covenants, but there should be no argument that the attempt to wipe out and displace an entire ethnicity is not something a “Christian” or compassionate nation would advocate for. What is this insanity? Are you not seeing it or have you just shut your eyes? I’ll hear some people who will deflect with “war is ugly” but ignore that this has been going on far longer than the current “war.”

I grew up learning snippets about the indigenous people of “America” and how they were systematically slaughtered and displaced, though generally it was never in those terms. I think most of us can agree that what we did in colonizing the Americas was wrong. Then there was the slaughter and enslavement of Africans, the holocaust, the genocide in Rwanda, and others. We ring our hands and say “never again” until the next time. But we are not idle spectators in this! We have supported Israel every step of the way with billions and billions of dollars ($175b+ since 1946 – not inflation adjusted). And now, we cannot even question the handling of this situation without claims of antisemitism. The UN, the ICC, Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, and the list goes on and on, have all questioned or condemned the actions of Israel. But the US continues to support without any conditions. Well, Rafah was supposed to be a “red-line” until it wasn’t. Again, what is this insanity? Children are starving. Aid is being dropped into the ocean (followed by bombs) or it is being stopped at the borders and destroyed by Israeli settlers with the backing of the IDF, all while denying that they are doing this despite undeniable video evidence.

While the war in Gaza, which is supposedly about Hamas, continues to rage, Israel is burning villages in the West Bank (where Hamas has no control) and selling stolen land in auctions around the world. And on July 24th, Benjamin Netanyahu (Benzion Mileikowsky from Poland), will deliver an address to a joint session of Congress. Netanyahu is accused of war crimes by the International Criminal Court and will likely have arrest warrants brought against him. But we are going to have him speak to our congress and likely lobby for more support. Insane. But I’m apparently a radical nut-job for thinking that breaking international law in the well-documented targeting of civilians or use of white phosphorous in densely civilian populated areas should be a red-line as far as condemnation from the international community and aid from the US goes. But we won’t and I don’t know why.

So whether you believe this should be a Christian nation or a secular one built on mutual care for citizens and humanity, you are failing miserably. We have no morals that we are adhering to currently other than greed and power. Do something. Say something.

“God is in his heaven, and we all want what’s his. But power and greed and corruptible seed, seem to be all that there is.”