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American Christianity’s White-Supremacy Problem

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  • Originally posted by Sparko View Post
    Can you point out a complete manuscript of a gospel without the current author on it?
    What do you mean by "complete"?
    "It ain't necessarily so
    The things that you're liable
    To read in the Bible
    It ain't necessarily so
    ."

    Sportin' Life
    Porgy & Bess, DuBose Heyward, George & Ira Gershwin

    Comment


    • Originally posted by Hypatia_Alexandria View Post
      Is it?

      Why do the four canonical gospels have the Jews [the people ὁ λαὸς ] demanding the death of Jesus? Why does Matthew 27.25 have the Jews calling a curse upon themselves and their children? Why does Acts 3.13 have Peter [apparently a Galilean Jewish artisan fisherman] referring to his fellow Jews as "You Israelites"? Why does that chapter continue at verse 14 with Peter denouncing his own people for rejecting "the Holy and Righteous One " and instead asking that "a murderer given to you"? Verse 15 then has Peter accusing his own people of killing "the Author of life, whom God raised from the dead".

      While there were individual Christians in past centuries who did try and offer some protection to Jews in their midst, anti-Judaism was within Christianity from the beginning.

      I am now going to make a rather contentious comment. In my opinion, much of the positive and affirmative attitude towards the Jews that is expressed by many Christians today seems to have arisen post 1945.
      Early, but not 'the beginning'.

      Anti Christian sentiment from both Judaism and Rome was predominant at first. Paul himself was one who sought out and even killed Christians (re Stephen). And after his conversion, he was many times beaten, stoned and whipped on account of it. The hostility of the Jewish leaders to Christ is part of the history of what happened to Jesus. The Jewish leaders were in fact very hostile to Jesus because he exposed their hypocrisy AND he was a danger in that if the people saw him as their King, it would invite scrutiny and possible hostile action from the occupying Rome. After the diaspora, the predominant persecution towards Christians was from Rome alone. That changed of course when Constantine converted and Christianity became the official religion of Rome - and thus the RCC was born.

      But we are talking about 300+ years when Christians were killed for their beliefs. And sometimes early on by Jewish leaders that viewed them as a threat to Israel under occupying Rome.

      Why Jewish persecution arose withing the Romanized Christian church is complicated, but contrary to the teachings of scripture. The RCC had a LOT of conflicting practices and actions relative to what the scriptures teach. Hostility to the remaining Jews was just one of them. Indeed, those conflicts with scripture was what spurred the Protestant Movement, even though Luther retained a hostile attitude towards the Jewish people.

      And yes, I think you are probably correct in that the more positive attitude of Christians to the Jewish people is a more modern thing, something that was a consequence perhaps of the Holocaust paradoxically enough.

      Nevertheless, none of that changes the fact that Christian faith is sourced in Judaism and there is nothing in scriptures or the teaching of scriptures that condones or in any way encourages hostility towards the Jewish people - or ANY people for that matter.

      The idea of Jewish people as 'Christ killers' is nothing more than human nature ignoring what scripture teaches and acting on purely carnal instincts to 'protect' what is their own - something the scriptures teach quite strongly against. Christ healed the ear of the guard Peter attacked. Jesus rebuked the disciples for trying to fight back, and for wanting to 'call down fire from heaven' on sinners. Jesus taught us to love our enemies and pray for those that persecute us. So even if Christians erroneously thought of the Jewish people as "Christ killers" (Not understanding this was simply what was foretold would be the case) the reaction scripture teaches them wrt that is to LOVE them, not hate them, not attack them, not do any of the things they historically did.

      It has puzzled me my entire life HA. I remember one time (very young) in church asking my dad what happened to the Jewish people. He said they were still here. I said, wow, they must all be really great Christians then - after all Jesus is Messiah. He said, "no, it didn't work out that way. Most modern jewish people don't believe in Jesus". I was surprised, but my reaction inside was that what a wonderful thing it would be to be part of the same people from whom Jesus came, and I just didn't have a clue about the history, the holocaust, the centuries of persecution that would have been a really good reason most Jewish people don't actually believe in Jesus. Nevertheless, I'm saying all that to say that there really is nothing in the faith itself that should cause Christians to be hostile to Jews. That is something else from somewhere else (Hell, not to put too fine a point on it).
      Last edited by oxmixmudd; 09-17-2020, 11:51 AM.
      My brethren, do not hold your faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ with an attitude of personal favoritism. James 2:1

      If anyone thinks himself to be religious, and yet does not  bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this man’s religion is worthless James 1:26

      This you know, my beloved brethren. But everyone must be quick to hear, slow to speak and slow to anger; James 1:19

      Comment


      • Originally posted by Hypatia_Alexandria View Post
        What do you mean by "complete"?
        Not mere fragments. An intact manuscript of say, Luke, without a name attached. Or with some other name on it.

        Comment


        • Originally posted by Sparko View Post
          Not mere fragments. An intact manuscript of say, Luke, without a name attached. Or with some other name on it.
          I do not understand what you mean by "complete". In what sense? The gospels as we have them today?
          "It ain't necessarily so
          The things that you're liable
          To read in the Bible
          It ain't necessarily so
          ."

          Sportin' Life
          Porgy & Bess, DuBose Heyward, George & Ira Gershwin

          Comment

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