yiri@ucf-cs.UUCP (Yirmiyahu BenDavid) (10/29/84)
The following is an example of why I believe it is essential for Jews to abandon what I term the 'ostrich syndrome' which assumes that if we ignore it it won't get any worse. It is my feeling that strong undercurrents of anti-semitism are just beneath the surface (and USUALLY not even recognized even by those closest to the problem) in America, and particularly in Christianity, today. The following is not atypical of Christianity in modern America. Reprinted from the Heritage Florida Jewish News, October 26, 1984 Viewpoint ---------------- 'Religious attitudes upset reader by Belle Hyman Maitland On Oct. 9, the subject on the Phil Donahue show was "Political Advertising - Do you want your contribution dollars used for this purpose?" As always, the discussion strayed from the narrow topic. There were four advertising consultants on the panel, one of whom was Jewish. At one point towards the end of the program, he stated that he is very uncomfortable with a president who says "This is a Christian nation." A woman in the audience replied that he had better understand "it IS a Christian nation", and he had better accept that fact! Needless to say, the audience began buzzing. But the situation worsened when she continued (in a somewhat lowered voice) "We have to do something TO them". Again there was buzzing in the audience, this time at a much louder pitch. Phil Donahue's face was obvioiusly shocked and, after he gained his composure, he asked her what she meant by such a statement. She answered, "We have to make THEM Christian." My reaction was utter horror to be compounded by the next person who told the Jewish panelist that he was lucky this is a Christian nation because otherwise another Hitler could come in and kill "6 million more of you".' -------------- Actually, some number of Christians (how many?) also suffer from the 'ostrich syndrome' in not recognizing these undercurrents in their own ranks AND DOING SOMETHING EFFECTIVE ABOUT IT like learning, first of all, to recognize the symptoms in their early stages and ostracizing their peers for such racism and bigotry. (To learn to recognize the early stages, seek out your local Jewish community's Community Relations people and develop a continuing relationship with them. They know what to look for and can help you recognize it.) If you're not part of the solution, then you are a part of the problem. It's time we Jews assert the rightness of our beliefs and demonstrate to the world that we are neither lacking in religious knowledge nor factual basis for our beliefs in Judaism, that Judaism is a very scholarly and intelligent choice of religions, and that Jews are neither doomed nor pathetically unenlightened and 'unsaved' ignorant people in need of conversion. (No condescending concessions on net.religion please. I think that previous articles have demonstrated unmistakably that we can earn legitimate recognition and have no need for an artificial act of pseudo- charity to placate us.) If we don't tell them, can we really blame them for making such assumptions? Who else WILL tell them?
orb@whuxl.UUCP (SEVENER) (11/10/84)
> There were four advertising consultants on the panel, one of > whom was Jewish. At one point towards the end of the program, > he stated that he is very uncomfortable with a president who > says "This is a Christian nation." A woman in the audience > replied that he had better understand "it IS a Christian > nation", and he had better accept that fact! Needless to say, > the audience began buzzing. > > But the situation worsened when she continued (in a somewhat > lowered voice) "We have to do something TO them". > > She answered, "We have to make THEM Christian." > > My reaction was utter horror to be compounded by the next > person who told the Jewish panelist that he was lucky this > is a Christian nation because otherwise another Hitler > could come in and kill "6 million more of you".' > Yep, the attitude of some "Christians" is pretty bad. Look at the results of Helm's race in North Carolina where Helms blatantly appealed to such sentiments and won. But if Jews think they have problems what about atheists and agnostics????? Isn't one of the "worst" things about Communism it's "godless atheism"? Or so we are told by "Christians". And the ideas for some "universal prayer" in schools never seem to question that it is not necessarily true that everybody believes in some sort of god. "Religion is the opiate of the masses" "...and a foil for the rich and powerful to impose their will." tim sevener whuxl!orb
mangoe@umcp-cs.UUCP (Charley Wingate) (11/11/84)
I think the point of Tim Sevener's examples is not that Christianity has some priveleged place in the pantheon of "badness", but that the average moral level of any population is generally pretty low. If the USA were an "Atheist" or "Agnostic" country (and it is, Jerry Falwell to the contrary), the situation would be as bad. The form intolerance took would be different; that's all. And by the way, history seems to show that the worst thing about Communism is the way they seem to feel a need to kill some large portion of the people wherever they take control. Adolf Hitler was a rank amateur compared to Pol Pot. Charley Wingate umcp-cs!mangoe