Sometimes you just can't be nice to some people.
The leader of Germany's Jewish community said on Friday she was surprised Pope Benedict could have allowed a new version of a Good Friday prayer for the conversion of Jews.
It is standard practice for those of any particular religion to wish for the conversion of others. Seriously, if you got something good, you would want to share it with the world, and why not? Religions generally preach charity and niceness, and what could be more charitable and nice than wanting others to share in the spiritual bounty you've been lucky enough to discover?
But I guess it's not nice to be nice to Jews. And now segments of Jewry are getting their panties in twist all over a charitable act of prayer none of them will ever have to listen to.
One day, Jews want Christians to remove Christmas trees.
Another time, they were demanding a change in Christian scriptures over a Mel Gibson movie.
And now lately, this:
Jews criticized the new version because it still says they should recognize Jesus Christ as the savior of all men. It asks that "all Israel may be saved" and Jews say it keeps an underlying call to conversion that they had wanted removed.This is standard and traditional Christian belief. It's quite charitable of us, in my view, to wish salvation for the Jews after they had tried so hard to eliminate us back in the good old days, when Jews were in charge and weren't thinking about all that tolerance theology they wax poetic about today (now that they are in the minority.)
If you are a Jew, and reading this, here is my offer for a better 'dialogue':
Apologise, formally and profusely, for your crimes against the early Christians and atone for the blood on your own collective hands. (Easter weekend would be a fitting time, considering just what is being celebrated at the moment).
Remove any and all references to 'the Chosen People' from your own religious texts and prayers. I find such highly charged language to be not-very-tolerant, and dispromoting of a religious dialogue.
Stop playing the 'German guilt' card against our Pope. (psst, he's your Pope,too. Even if you don't want to believe it.)
Stop calling us 'gentiles' or 'goyim'. It is non-inclusive, dehumanising and improper for those who are 'more tolerant than thou' to speak of others in this way.
8 comments:
I thought 'chosen people' had roots in the Old Testament, where God made the covenent with Abraham.
While we're under a new covenent that has been ushered in with the blood of Christ, Judaism still holds their claim at the title to be legitimate. 2100 years ago, it would have been.
Yes, why on earth might Jews (in Germany of all places) be a bit touchy about the Catholic church making reference to the inadequacy of their faith?
It's not like that point of view has ever caused problems for them before...
Yeah, I agree, Gino.
Why this is even an issue, is that the Vatican has made overtures to 'reconcile' with other faiths.
I'm still not even sure they know what that means..
Love you!
Trisha
ox
It's pretty dumb for one religion to tell another what to believe. I also hate this "tolerance" that is going around these days. Blech. There is such a thing as real tolerance, but it isn't whiny and manipulative.
Actually, Gino, I'd have stopped with the "we want everyone to have a good thing." Sometimes we can say too much.
Apologize for the past that they had nothing to do with? Please, no. That goes against Ezekiel 18:20--the soul that sins shall die, not every one of his descendants.
And I love the term "goyim." It's a reminder that the God of Abraham, Issac, and Jacob keeps his promises. The Jews observe Purim at this time--Haman was an early "Schicklgruber." They survived him, the Greeks, the pogroms, Schicklgruber, and now they're surviving Hamas.
God is good. He's good even to people who don't accept His goodness. He keeps His promises.
That's the kind of God I worship.
bubba:goyim is used as a slur.
and the pope had nothing to do with the nazis,either. but they still want to paint him with it.
fair is fair.
what this comes down to: they have their prayers. we have ours. we dont try to dictate to them,do we?
Gino; yes, it can be used as a slur, but nobody stuck a gun to my head and told me I had to take offense at it, did they?
I'd much rather surprise people by gladly taking the slur and reminding them of their Creator.
I'm with bike bubba. Besides, have you seriously read some of the dicta that Benedict has handed down? That guy is an ass-clown of the first magnitude with some fucking serious issues and should never have been made pope. I'm hoping he shuffles off this mortal coil rather quickly, so he can get the list of things about which he was wrong from a better authority than I.
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