A lot. If the media were even a litte objective we'd be living in a different world. It also shows that the Palestinians don't believe their own propaganda. If the Israeli army was that bad and just itching to commit genocide, throwing ricks at them would be suicidal. But they know the Israelis are moral and very careful how they use lethal force. By way of example, nobody threw rocks at Nazi soldiers, because they'd be executed on the spot.
Like Jen Psaki, I'm going to "circle back" to what was said earlier and how it pertains to both Jews and Christians. Let's have a look at a perplexing verse in the bible. Numbers 10:35 Whenever the ark set out, Moses said, "Rise up, O Lord! May Your enemies be scattered; may Your foes flee before you." This doesn't read right. Shouldn't Moses have said "our enemies" (meaning the Jews) and not "Your enemies" (referring to God)? Medieval Jewish commentator Rashi makes a simple observation. He says that the Jews enemies are also God's enemies. Now why should this be so? One way to look at it is to say that people don't hate the Jews at all. It's actually God that they hate. God, who communicated His will that He has expectations of man, including the acknowledgement of a higher power and the responsibility to lead a moral life. A person who doesn't want to be held accountable for their behavior and wishes to do as they please naturally rankles at this. But God is high above and out of reach, so they have to be content with attacking His representatives down on earth, who can be reached. I would include in that not just Jews but also anyone who leads a Godly life, such as you wonderful Christians reading my musings here. That explains why totalitarian regimes tend to be not only antisemitic, but also anti Christian as well. We're all in this together, my brothers and sisters in faith.
Anti-God is not a good place, ultimately, for this world to be. And they are coming for all that refuse to acknowledge the state is superior to God.
Another nagging aspect of the mindset of these extreme positions is the seeming conviction that certain groups are expendable in the evolution of society. Nothing new here, but the absence of the inviolability of the individual, let alone the race or ability - a common denominator. Recent events have convinced me that a significant portion of society quietly seethes with these sentiments, though most have greatly benefitted from the freedoms the nation has afforded them.
The Jew ultimately represents God, who places a strict disability on godless, greedy humanity's irrepressible drive for dominance over the world. The meek win.
It certainly seems that Israel enjoys a lot of success. I'm not sure that the left is interested in equality of opportunity, in recent years they seem to be more about dragging everything down to try and create equality of outcome - if you can make the outcomes the same it doesn't matter whether people have the same opportunity to provide for themselves. I remember some years ago in the UK there was an interesting comparison between a lot of immigrant and native communities. It painted with a fairly broad brush and fell back on at least a few stereotypes but the underlying point it made was that immigrant communities often sought out professions that were regarded as prestigious in their homelands. So they would become lawyers, doctors, accountants etc. The native youngsters were more likely to want to be pop stars and investment bankers. Of course some people will make it big in banking or entertainment but the vast majority either won't make it at all or at least won't make a fortune out of it. Aside from the issues you mentioned here, what other reasons for antisemitism do you see?
This is an interesting observation. It seems to me that the kind of (sometimes) light-hearted derision about believing in sky fairies or some such is typically directed at Christians rather than Hindus, Muslims etc. Perhaps that perception is just down to being Christian myself and therefore seeing it applying to me rather than considering who else it might also apply to. That said, and going back to other religions, it seems other religions are more likely to be granted special permissions to cater for their requirements. To take just one example, in the UK it is legally required to wear a crash helmet when riding a motorcycle but the rule doesn't apply to Sikhs because a helmet can't be worn alongside a turban, so if they are wearing their turban they don't have to wear a helmet. It may be a matter of perception not quite matching reality but I find it hard to imagine a mosque facing legal sanctions for refusing to host a gay wedding.
I find it interesting the way there seems to be ever-more talk about things being "undemocratic". The most obvious example is the Electoral College, but the concept of democracy seems to be pushed more and more. It's all very well implementing the will of the people but only to the extent that the rights of the minority is protected. If democracy is two wolves and a sheep voting on who's for dinner it seems to make much more sense to protect everybody rather than simply listening to the majority. If 99 wolves and a sheep vote on who's for dinner, anyone who would sweep away the protection that says "Thou shalt not eat thy neighbor, however tasty he may appear" should be careful what they wish for in case one day they are the sheep.
Oligarchical “democracy” didn’t work out too well for Piggy in Lord if the Flies Democracy is a nice word for “mob”
I'm really sold on the idea that people don't hate Jews, they hate God and His values. I'm going to post an article from a modern Jewish thinker who unfortunately died way too young.
I don't usually read linked articles that long and I'm glad I made an exception for that. It was interesting in so many ways. Perhaps it missed the possibility, when considering the idea of the individuals who were disruptive because they held to a different standard, of making those individuals less vulnerable (if not outright invulnerable) to the usual threats of the natives. It could be done at least somewhat invisibly, where God could leave the natives mysteriously unable to throw a spear at them or some such, although that in turn could potentially cause more resentment towards them. Leaving aside the radical Muslims who are more interested in blowing things up than doing anything useful, do you see a similar level of dislike towards Muslims who simply seek to go about their lives peacefully but who attend a mosque rather than a synagogue or church? I used to live not far from a Sikh temple that offered free vegetarian meals at least once a week with no commitment other than to turn up and eat the food. What little hostility I saw towards Sikhs was usually based on their skin color, and the odd person who was sufficiently uneducated to think the man with a turban was a Muslim and therefore certain to try and behead them or something.
Jews were known as fierce fighters in antiquity, and nowadays the IDF beats all comers, so maybe God is doing just that. There's plenty of hate towards minorities to go around. But antisemitsm is something different. It's unique. It's endured for more than 2,000 years even though the reasons people use for hating Jews keeps changing. I may have posted this before, but I'll do it again because its so powerfully true: An observation by Polish literary critic Konstantyn Jelenski, in 1968: Poles have never come out against Jews “because they are Jews” but because Jews are dirty, greedy, mendacious, because they wear ear locks, speak jargon, do not want to assimilate, and ALSO because they DO assimilate, cease using their jargon, are nattily dressed, and want to be regarded as Poles. Because they lack culture and because they are overly cultured. Because they are superstitious, backward and ignorant, and because they are damnably capable, progressive and ambitious. Because they have long, hooked noses, and because it is sometimes difficult to distinguish them from “pure Poles.” Because they crucified Christ and practice ritual murder and pore over the Talmud, and because they disdain their own religion and are atheists. Because they look wretched and sickly, and because they are tough and have their own fighting units and are full of chutzpa. Because they are bankers and capitalists and because they are communists and agitators. But in NO case because they are Jews. At the end of the day, people come up with reasons to hate Jews. But they're just excuses.
The Bible never says to trust teachers. Just the opposite. I did a study and came up with 4 and a half pages from the Bible. The other problem is that Bible bookstores are going out of business because they cannot compete and no one is reading the Bible anymore and now they are selling e-books. I'm not impressed how people study the Bible. People come to a bible study and read the notes out of their study bible. Ok. But did they do any work themselves? No. I expect Christians to grow up and study their Bible. In order to teach the truth or what is right, I have had to teach myself because the church no longer teaches the Bible because they teach biblical principals. A person asked me to set up tables with the intent to talk to people and take their money. He wanted me to start a church with him and I responded "no".