Earlier quoted context omitted.
...you think that fifty-plus years of foreign policy is because there aren't "enough" non-Jewish white people in the White House at the moment ?
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Meta deletes Al Jazeera presenter’s profile after show criticising Israel
151–160 of 216 posts
Re: Meta deletes Al Jazeera presenter’s profile after show criticising Israel
#152Earlier quoted context omitted.
I'm not sure how you can definitively say "nope". It could just as easily be both, or a third reason.
You can definitively say “nope” by looking at where the unquestioned US policy support of Israel comes from. It comes from the evangelical right wing in the GOP. They are not fans of Jews per se. They are fans of going to heaven and believe that Israel is a key ingredient for doing that (when the rest of us get slaughtered in a holy war). When did 34% of the current White House staffers become responsible for decades…
> They are fans of going to heaven
I can sympathize, heaven seems at least better than the other place. What I don't understand is how eschatological (which are essentially fatalistic) beliefs translate into support for Israel. In a world governed by fate it doesn't matter what you do, it's all predetermined anyway. Which seems to align more with the core Christian teachings: we should not judge (because no-one is essentially free from their fatefully determined destiny).
I could be wrong.
Re: Meta deletes Al Jazeera presenter’s profile after show criticising Israel
#153I know I'm naive: I don't understand why US companies are so sensitive to respecting Israel. I don't know why our gov is so sensitive to this either. Israel - like all countries - deserves criticism, no? This can't purely be about respecting the billions spent on US weapons to defend Israel, right? I genuinely do not understand, because I think they'd happily buy from the military anyway.
Indeed; it's possible to love a person or a country, and yet still grieve their faults and wish them to be better. I'd argue that's the only real way to love anyone or anything. On the flip side, human nature being what it is, giving any person or set of people unconditional approval is creating conditions where evil can thrive.
The criticism of Israel, coming from the left, is usually Anti-Zionism, which questions Israel's existence.
Re: Meta deletes Al Jazeera presenter’s profile after show criticising Israel
#154Earlier quoted context omitted.
Makes sense and I can probably deal with that since I really do tend to find quality articles from them, and most global news is not about Qatar. However, does Qatar have any allies that they are also likely to be biased about? Or does the influence not extend that far?
Yes. Articles on Turkey or India are likely to be positive. They are Qatar's most strategic regional allies.
That is wildly inaccurate. If anything among the Middle East countries India is aligned more with UAE, which till recently Qatar was more at odds with
Re: Meta deletes Al Jazeera presenter’s profile after show criticising Israel
#155Earlier quoted context omitted.
- A lot of the US senators have dual citizenship, US/Israelis. - Strong lobby in both political parties. - Boomers with their Judeo-Christians “values”. - Israel intelligence agencies controlling/influencing ADL, ADL pressuring three letter agencies in US to further influence big tech. - The usual tactics of infiltration into big corps especially ones that can influence public opinions, you can read a little about Ro…
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Re: Meta deletes Al Jazeera presenter’s profile after show criticising Israel
#156Earlier quoted context omitted.
You can definitively say “nope” by looking at where the unquestioned US policy support of Israel comes from. It comes from the evangelical right wing in the GOP. They are not fans of Jews per se. They are fans of going to heaven and believe that Israel is a key ingredient for doing that (when the rest of us get slaughtered in a holy war). When did 34% of the current White House staffers become responsible for decades…
> They are fans of going to heaven I can sympathize, heaven seems at least better than the other place. What I don't understand is how eschatological (which are essentially fatalistic) beliefs translate into support for Israel. In a world governed by fate it doesn't matter what you do, it's all predetermined anyway. Which seems to align more with the core Christian teachings: we should not judge (because no-one is es…
Because broad swaths of US Evangelicals believe that Israel needs to be "re-established" for Jesus to return so there can be a holy war. No I am not kidding. (https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/politics/wp/2018/05/14/h...)
79% of US Christians believe Jesus will have a second coming. https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/2009/04/09/christians-v...
The second coming of Jesus is not for fun times. It's for war that kills ~everyone except the true believers, who then get infinite utopia.
4 in 10 Americans and about half of US Christians overall believe we are living "in the end times," and two thirds of "highly religious" adults. I.e. we are approaching that second coming/holy war.
https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/2022/11/17/how-religion...
Combine that with the fact that US Congress is 90% Christian –– dramatically more so than the US public –– and a pretty alarming decision-making environment emerges.
https://www.axios.com/2023/04/23/lawmakers-more-religious-ge...
Re: Meta deletes Al Jazeera presenter’s profile after show criticising Israel
#157Earlier quoted context omitted.
Nope. It’s eschatological Christians who back Israel. Has nothing to do with protecting Jews and everything to do with evangelical Christians’ end times prophecy. The world’s largest military has made decades of foreign policy decisions in accordance with these people’s doomsday fetish.
I'm not sure how you can definitively say "nope". It could just as easily be both, or a third reason.
I agree with the person you’re replying to: there are certainly plenty of conservative Americans Jews even if they’re well in the minority (roughly a third) but there aren’t enough political districts where those numbers are decisive to explain the political lock and the “back Israel to the hilt” voices overwhelmingly tend not to be those districts but ones loaded with evangelical Christians.
This makes sense when you remember why they care so much: their interpretation of the Bible holds that the end times they’re looking forward to will begin with a war involving Israel. They are not looking for peace or long-term happiness, and support any policy which increases the odds of a war. I remember them being very excited by the Gulf War and various points in the Iraq war where it seemed like someone might attack Israel because they’re basically thinking that’s their ticket to heaven showing up.
Re: Meta deletes Al Jazeera presenter’s profile after show criticising Israel
#158Earlier quoted context omitted.
I'm not sure how you can definitively say "nope". It could just as easily be both, or a third reason.
I agree with the person you’re replying to: there are certainly plenty of conservative Americans Jews even if they’re well in the minority (roughly a third) but there aren’t enough political districts where those numbers are decisive to explain the political lock and the “back Israel to the hilt” voices overwhelmingly tend not to be those districts but ones loaded with evangelical Christians. This makes sense when yo…
Exactly right! This belief system is so unbelievably appalling to secular folks that they literally cannot believe it. But this is what huge numbers of Americans, and a very powerful political constituency actually believe.
Re: Meta deletes Al Jazeera presenter’s profile after show criticising Israel
#159Earlier quoted context omitted.
It’s interesting when people over-intellectualize to the extent that they literally disbelieve that people believe their own proclaimed religion. The Christian doomsday mythologies are extremely clear and extremely broadly believed among a core US right wing power center, the Evangelicals. I suppose it’s up to you if you’d like to believe that 1) Evangelicals don’t believe what they claim to believe or 2) they do bel…
> that people believe their own proclaimed religion The comment above is talking about > very popular in evangelical America that has to do with Israel being involved in the "end days" > strong Israeli state will hasten the rapture or some nonsense like that That not a mainstream Christian view, in fact it's very fringe view and you don't have to 'over-intellectualize' (whatever that means) to realize that. > I suppo…
~80% of US Christians believe Jesus has yet to return. (https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/2009/04/09/christians-v...)
US Congress is 90% Christian. (https://www.axios.com/2023/04/23/lawmakers-more-religious-ge...)
Mainstream Christian theology holds that Jesus's return is to engage in a holy war. (https://www.gotquestions.org/when-Jesus-returns.html).
Half of US evangelicals support Israel because it's critical to prophesy. (https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/politics/wp/2018/05/14/h...)
QED
> When Jesus returns, He will be ready for war (Revelation 19:11–16). The nations will be gathered to fight against Jerusalem (Zechariah 14:2) in what we call the battle of Armageddon. But that will be the day Jesus returns: “His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, east of Jerusalem, and the Mount of Olives will be split in two from east to west, forming a great valley, with half of the mountain moving north and half moving south” (verse 4). It will be a unique day in the history of the world: “On that day there will be neither sunlight nor cold, frosty darkness . . . a day known only to the Lord—with no distinction between day and night. When evening comes, there will be light” (verses 6–7). God’s enemies will be defeated, and the Antichrist and the false prophet will be “thrown alive into the fiery lake of burning sulfur” (Revelation 19:20). Jesus will set up His kingdom, and “The Lord will be king over the whole earth” (Zechariah 14:9).
> In establishing His kingdom on earth, Jesus will first set up a judgment for those who are still alive after the tribulation and who are on the earth at the time of the second coming. This is referred to as the “judgment of the sheep and the goats” or “judgment of the nations” (Matthew 25:31–46). Those who survive this judgment will remain on earth and enjoy a time of peace and prosperity with Christ for 1,000 years (referred to as the millennium; see Revelation 20:4–6). Those who are found guilty in this judgment are cursed and consigned to “the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels” (Matthew 25:41). Satan is bound and forbidden to act during the millennium (Revelation 20:1–3).
Re: Meta deletes Al Jazeera presenter’s profile after show criticising Israel
#160This makes me think that the reason I was thrown out of Facebook is because I followed some Palestinian pages there. Not because I necessarily a supporter of the whole "Palestinian cause", because I think the whole thing is honestly a mess perpetrated by forces with ulterior motives on both sides. But I like to keep informed.
I never got an explanation from fb at the time, but now when I try to log in it states a reason: I have broken community rules regarding "dangerous people and organizations". Which is really a laughable accusation regarding me, a convinced pacifist since 50 years back. But I'm honestly concerned that this might have further implications for me. Who else gets to know that I'm considered associated with "dangerous persons or organizations"?
Anyway, we are as a society still grappling for how to deal with the sudden and immense power over public opinion generation as well peoples most private lives that social media companies have acquired lately. I don't have a complete solution, but this is untenable.