Wednesday, October 04, 2006
Why do Arabs deny Israel's Right to Exist?
The Holocaust
Germany still maintains some of the camps for visitors. I saw the cells and grounds myself on a recent trip to East Germany. I saw the pictures. I saw the ovens. It all seems authentic enough.
American soldiers liberated many of the camps and freed the Jews from the grip of the Nazis. Estimates were that Hitler exterminated as many as six million Jewish people in his day. For many Americans at the time, this sounded like wholesale slaughter. It must have been the Great Tribulation, and Christ was surely coming soon.
Christ’s return has seemingly been delayed, but Israel’s presence in the world is more prominent than ever. Radical Islam confronts Israel everywhere. America is disliked not for our way of life (as some claim). America is disliked because we support Israel.
Surrounded by enemies, Israel has fought for territory and its very existence. For most of Christian history, Jewish people were scattered. In our day the Jews have been given a place to live by the post-war Europeans, British, and Americans (that place given is in the Middle East where every clod of dirt is disputed territory). Mostly America and the British guarantee Israel’s right to exist in that location as a free and sovereign nation.
When the Holocaust is doubted, the rationale for a Jewish homeland evaporates, and the political will could shift away from support for Israel. Radical Islam doubts and challenges the reality of the Holocaust as we have understood it. First of all, this shows you how unaware of historical reality these people really are. Remember that Islam is yet a medieval religion. There has been no serious modern reform movement within Islam such as that within Protestantism in the days of the 16th Century Protestant Reformation.
The point is, however, that we are seeing acted out on the slate of modern history the effect of the loss of historical memory (or the effect of isolation from 20th century history). If there is no holocaust, then by what right could Israel be established on Palestinian soil against the wishes of the people living there in 1948? The United Nations knew that there was a real holocaust. It was so horrorific that they supported a special new nation in which Jews could live. The idea was that this could be a land recognized as historic for Jews, that it would be of no final consequence to major Arab nations, and that it would secure the Jewish people from another holocaust and/or from continuing persecution by Europeans and by other nations.
I would not be able to say that it has been a persecution free life for Israel. The bottom line, however, is that if one denies or doubts the holocaust, one can see no good reason for Israel to have been moved from the Jewish Diaspora in Europe to a new European style nation located in the decidedly non-European middle east. Clearly, it is the European-style nation of Israel that exists today, not the ancient middle-eastern style nation which Israel was in the ancient world.
The political values of Western secular humanism that characterize Israel today stand in stark contrast to the life-style of medieval Islam. America stands in the cultural traditions of the west. America knows the holocaust really happened. America supports the secular Israeli socialism. America seeks political updating and democratic values for Islamic nations in the region in order to protect western interests in the region (in particular oil supplies, but other things as well).
This is all mixed up with the eschatologies of some biblical thinkers who often identify
secular Israel (in place today) as being the precursor of a renewed biblical state (such as it was in the days of the prophets and priests of David’s day, perhaps). God may be moving in that direction, but I don’t see it, and most modern Israelis are not self-consciously going there.
The prophecy buffs came out in force during the recent Lebanon conflict and made fools of themselves, as they usually do, when they start predicting the end times. I guess it is a money raising thing for them, I don’t know, but I even heard one predict that Christ was returning in the next ten minutes. Hmmm!
Bottom line, did the holocaust happen? Yes, dear Muslim friends, it did. Could Jewish people legitimately seek relief from the long Diaspora years and ask for a niche of land that was essentially desolate in 1948 (virtually no one living there), and ask if they could once again be a sovereign nation under the rules of the United Nations. The answer was yes, and the UN supported this arrangement, not understanding that the Muslim world would so seriously and lastingly stand adamantly opposed and seek to ultimately eliminate all Jews from the face of the earth, ruthlessly killing many more than died in the Holocaust, all for a small bit of territory that has only third level significance to Islam, far behind Mecca and Medina (which are under no threat from Israel), and Israel’s control of Jerusalem has in no way prevented Muslims from worshiping at the dome of the rock; in fact Israel has secured that area for Muslims, and Jews do not even have access to walk on what they (and I) believe is their old temple location.
Should Islam recognize these facts and give up the foolish annihilation policies once and for all? Yes they should! Border disputes must be negotiated and settled. The land will never go back to the Arab countries, but why should they care. They really never had it; they never occupied it in the past in any significant way. The region is still quite desolate.
Should full religious freedom be guaranteed? Yes, it should. At least there must be fully guaranteed religious toleration. Do I think this is likely anytime soon? Sorry, I have to give you my first “no” here, because only Christ is able to provide what is needed to make this work, and neither Israel nor Islam seem to be willing to tie their destinies to Christ. Thus are both sides doomed.
L. Russ Bush, Director
Center for Faith and Culture
Southeastern Baptist Seminary
Wake Forest, NC 27588
Germany still maintains some of the camps for visitors. I saw the cells and grounds myself on a recent trip to East Germany. I saw the pictures. I saw the ovens. It all seems authentic enough.
American soldiers liberated many of the camps and freed the Jews from the grip of the Nazis. Estimates were that Hitler exterminated as many as six million Jewish people in his day. For many Americans at the time, this sounded like wholesale slaughter. It must have been the Great Tribulation, and Christ was surely coming soon.
Christ’s return has seemingly been delayed, but Israel’s presence in the world is more prominent than ever. Radical Islam confronts Israel everywhere. America is disliked not for our way of life (as some claim). America is disliked because we support Israel.
Surrounded by enemies, Israel has fought for territory and its very existence. For most of Christian history, Jewish people were scattered. In our day the Jews have been given a place to live by the post-war Europeans, British, and Americans (that place given is in the Middle East where every clod of dirt is disputed territory). Mostly America and the British guarantee Israel’s right to exist in that location as a free and sovereign nation.
When the Holocaust is doubted, the rationale for a Jewish homeland evaporates, and the political will could shift away from support for Israel. Radical Islam doubts and challenges the reality of the Holocaust as we have understood it. First of all, this shows you how unaware of historical reality these people really are. Remember that Islam is yet a medieval religion. There has been no serious modern reform movement within Islam such as that within Protestantism in the days of the 16th Century Protestant Reformation.
The point is, however, that we are seeing acted out on the slate of modern history the effect of the loss of historical memory (or the effect of isolation from 20th century history). If there is no holocaust, then by what right could Israel be established on Palestinian soil against the wishes of the people living there in 1948? The United Nations knew that there was a real holocaust. It was so horrorific that they supported a special new nation in which Jews could live. The idea was that this could be a land recognized as historic for Jews, that it would be of no final consequence to major Arab nations, and that it would secure the Jewish people from another holocaust and/or from continuing persecution by Europeans and by other nations.
I would not be able to say that it has been a persecution free life for Israel. The bottom line, however, is that if one denies or doubts the holocaust, one can see no good reason for Israel to have been moved from the Jewish Diaspora in Europe to a new European style nation located in the decidedly non-European middle east. Clearly, it is the European-style nation of Israel that exists today, not the ancient middle-eastern style nation which Israel was in the ancient world.
The political values of Western secular humanism that characterize Israel today stand in stark contrast to the life-style of medieval Islam. America stands in the cultural traditions of the west. America knows the holocaust really happened. America supports the secular Israeli socialism. America seeks political updating and democratic values for Islamic nations in the region in order to protect western interests in the region (in particular oil supplies, but other things as well).
This is all mixed up with the eschatologies of some biblical thinkers who often identify
secular Israel (in place today) as being the precursor of a renewed biblical state (such as it was in the days of the prophets and priests of David’s day, perhaps). God may be moving in that direction, but I don’t see it, and most modern Israelis are not self-consciously going there.
The prophecy buffs came out in force during the recent Lebanon conflict and made fools of themselves, as they usually do, when they start predicting the end times. I guess it is a money raising thing for them, I don’t know, but I even heard one predict that Christ was returning in the next ten minutes. Hmmm!
Bottom line, did the holocaust happen? Yes, dear Muslim friends, it did. Could Jewish people legitimately seek relief from the long Diaspora years and ask for a niche of land that was essentially desolate in 1948 (virtually no one living there), and ask if they could once again be a sovereign nation under the rules of the United Nations. The answer was yes, and the UN supported this arrangement, not understanding that the Muslim world would so seriously and lastingly stand adamantly opposed and seek to ultimately eliminate all Jews from the face of the earth, ruthlessly killing many more than died in the Holocaust, all for a small bit of territory that has only third level significance to Islam, far behind Mecca and Medina (which are under no threat from Israel), and Israel’s control of Jerusalem has in no way prevented Muslims from worshiping at the dome of the rock; in fact Israel has secured that area for Muslims, and Jews do not even have access to walk on what they (and I) believe is their old temple location.
Should Islam recognize these facts and give up the foolish annihilation policies once and for all? Yes they should! Border disputes must be negotiated and settled. The land will never go back to the Arab countries, but why should they care. They really never had it; they never occupied it in the past in any significant way. The region is still quite desolate.
Should full religious freedom be guaranteed? Yes, it should. At least there must be fully guaranteed religious toleration. Do I think this is likely anytime soon? Sorry, I have to give you my first “no” here, because only Christ is able to provide what is needed to make this work, and neither Israel nor Islam seem to be willing to tie their destinies to Christ. Thus are both sides doomed.
L. Russ Bush, Director
Center for Faith and Culture
Southeastern Baptist Seminary
Wake Forest, NC 27588
