Some of us are uninformed. Some of us are insensitive. Some of us are uninformed and insensitive. And none of this has kept us from sharing our opinions - wanted or not. Here is mine.
I am perplexed, though, why you chose not to condemn the atrocities of the Hamas attack. Whether one supports Israel's place in Palestine or not, atrocities such as this are evil, per se and should be called out IMO. It is not a question of taking a political position. The "church" was rightly condemned for its silence during the holocaust....because it was too silent about the atrocities, not because it didn't take the correct side politically. In the same way, I can choose to be neutral about the Russia / Ukraine war but I can't be neutral about rape and needless murder of civilians. I have been told that the notion of "atrocity" in war is a western construct that middle eastern nations (other than westernized Israel) do not understand or accept as a moral limitation in war. Well, they are wrong, whether they know it or not.
Love reading your stuff, Andy.....God is Good.......Dan
Hi Dan - thanks for reading, the response and the question. I suppose I didn't feel it necessary to condemn atrocities -- Hamas terrorist attacks or the brutal and ongoing response from Israel. That was my point about winners and losers. There will be no winners in this conflict/war.
A couple of things to consider in your comment about the response of the church. First, the (American) church has widely condemned the terrorist attacks against Israel, so I don't know if that is a valid concern in this case. Second, and maybe more applicable to this issue condemning the "right" thing. A consistent theme in Scripture is God opposing the oppressor and coming to the aid of the oppressed. In your example of the German church in WWII, the real issue was them ignoring the plight of the oppressed in their country, who were the Jews. So in essence, the church joined the oppressors in their silence. I think the question to ask in this case is: Who are the oppressed, and who are the oppressors? And this is where the complication really comes to play. From my research, it's not an easy, black and white answer, but I am definitely not an expert in the history and current political scene in the Middle East. Hence, my response -- Pray for the Peace of Jerusalem.
Good personal advice, Andy. Thank you.
I am perplexed, though, why you chose not to condemn the atrocities of the Hamas attack. Whether one supports Israel's place in Palestine or not, atrocities such as this are evil, per se and should be called out IMO. It is not a question of taking a political position. The "church" was rightly condemned for its silence during the holocaust....because it was too silent about the atrocities, not because it didn't take the correct side politically. In the same way, I can choose to be neutral about the Russia / Ukraine war but I can't be neutral about rape and needless murder of civilians. I have been told that the notion of "atrocity" in war is a western construct that middle eastern nations (other than westernized Israel) do not understand or accept as a moral limitation in war. Well, they are wrong, whether they know it or not.
Love reading your stuff, Andy.....God is Good.......Dan
Hi Dan - thanks for reading, the response and the question. I suppose I didn't feel it necessary to condemn atrocities -- Hamas terrorist attacks or the brutal and ongoing response from Israel. That was my point about winners and losers. There will be no winners in this conflict/war.
A couple of things to consider in your comment about the response of the church. First, the (American) church has widely condemned the terrorist attacks against Israel, so I don't know if that is a valid concern in this case. Second, and maybe more applicable to this issue condemning the "right" thing. A consistent theme in Scripture is God opposing the oppressor and coming to the aid of the oppressed. In your example of the German church in WWII, the real issue was them ignoring the plight of the oppressed in their country, who were the Jews. So in essence, the church joined the oppressors in their silence. I think the question to ask in this case is: Who are the oppressed, and who are the oppressors? And this is where the complication really comes to play. From my research, it's not an easy, black and white answer, but I am definitely not an expert in the history and current political scene in the Middle East. Hence, my response -- Pray for the Peace of Jerusalem.