My liberal Jewish friends are on the fainting couch after the Trump victory. One said to my wife that as a Jew he now felt very afraid of what might be coming.
I think they should relax. Here’s the economist David P. Goldman, whom you may know as the pseudonymous Asia Times columnist “Spengler”, and the author of How Civilizations Die, writing at PJ Media:
Trump’s election is the best thing that has happened to Israel in many years. It eliminates the risk of a diplomatic stab in the back at the Security Council and sends a dire warning to Iran, the only real existential threat to the Jewish State. The security of the Jewish people in their homeland is vastly enhanced by the vote on November 8, and Jews everywhere should thank God that the head of state of the world’s most powerful country is a friend of Israel with Jewish grandchildren. Instead of slanders, Jews should offer up prayers of Thanksgiving.
(I’d ask my friends also to reflect on multiple eyewitnesses having heard Hillary Clinton calling Paul Fray, a campaign aide, a “fucking Jew bastard”, and ask them what, exactly, Donald Trump has ever said about their people that makes them so worried.)
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I am relieved that Trump won and, as you know, I am a Jew, with Jewish sons and granddaughters. The primary reason for my big sigh of relief has been that HRC, who I believe is as evil a person who had a chance to be our President, lost that chance (hopefully forever). Frankly, I didn’t give much thought to which candidate would be better for Jewish people the world over, but now that you mention it, I am greatly relieved for my people, too.
As to why my coreligionists who are liberals are worried about Mr. Trump’s Presidency, that is a question that even our own God couldn’t fathom. This is why He referred to them as “stiff-necked” people, which is a euphemism for “political f*cking idiots” (with a sprinkling of exceptions). You may quote me on that.
Here is Dennis Prager on “Left-Wing Jews Are Embarrassing Judaism“:
Interestingly, white people did the same thing, converting Christianity into the secular religion of Progress, which as we all know is idiotic which indicates that it must be highly popular.
Brett,
Judaism is a religion and/or an ethnicity, not a skin color. Most Jews are white people.
There has to be a wide gulf in reasoning among Jewish Americans! Those that have taken to their fainting couches and those who seem relieved that Hillary lost. A married couple we know who are Jewish and are members of the same gym and sports club as my wife and me, are just to the point of sleeplessness over Trump! I asked them for ‘Christ’s sake’…I’m allowed that when I start to get po’d…, do you not have some fear of run amuck leftist rioters in the streets today as an organized mob on behalf of HRC, DNC, Move On, ANSWER, etc. Actions vs words. They calmed a bit.
At the Cowboy Church we attend, this past Sunday we had a guest preacher: a young Israeli minister who is a convert from Judaism to Christianity. It was “coincidence” that he happened to be visiting the US during the election. His sermon was interesting, but his other comments were revealing. He was overjoyed, almost as giddy as we were, and told us how he and others in Israel had been praying and fasting right along with us Americans for President Trump’s victory. This is a father of 13 children who lives in Israel and is well-acquainted with what kind of allies are needed to give his babies a good and peaceful life.
God is soooo good! :-)
Tina…Cowboy Church? “Deep Water”, “Hard Rock” or just that patch of hair on top of the head?
As I mentioned above, I didn’t give my usual attention to which candidate would be better for the Jewish people this time around. I normally do give some attention to that issue, just as (I remember very clearly, though I was not old enough to vote then) many Catholics paid attention to JFK’s Catholicism in the 1960 election. This year I was overwhelmed by the prospect of the nightmare (for all Americans) an HRC Presidency portended. The prospect of having Mr. Trump as a very welcome friend for Israel and the Jewish people, for me, is pure gravy, and I am most grateful.
Whitewall, LOL I’ve not heard those terms so you’ll have to explain them. Cowboy Churches share an informal “come as you are” culture, usually not maintaining membership roles, very much a “man’s church”. Each one is independent. We have been attending there since just before Easter, after being active members at a multi-site church for several years. They don’t fool with the website except to put up the sermons each week: http://www.highmesacc.com/page/sermons
TheBigHenry, agreed that the choice in this election was stark, with consequences far outweighing those in any other election of my lifetime. We were early Trump supporters here in Texas, and worked among Christians of various branches to overcome the false witness against him. Many players in the mainstream Christian media have dropped their masks in this election, just as the secular media did.
Tina,
To me, at least, the secular media’s masks have been transparent for a long time. They didn’t need to drop their masks. But the dropping of their jaws has been a blessing in disguise, so to speak.
Kinda surprised me there Whitewall. The Presbyterian congregation I attend also has a sign out front announcing “Cowboy Church” which means I think, pretty much as Tina has it.
Not so literally maybe as the “non-denominational church” about eight miles south which has an actual horseriding/rodeo arena attached to the building though. And bleachers.
‘Bout the quickest example that springs easiest to me is, on two occasions over the past couple of years (Easter last year was one) anyway some bikers from Texas were touring the area and seeing the cars and pickups in the lot, stopped en masse with a smaller number of their own, joining us “regulars” in the celebration.
About all “the commotion” that created was, some number of the regular attending congregants needed to scoot over on the pews to make room.
Ran totally out of some number of the pre-prepared lunch dishes (fried chicken definitely, and the catfish I’m pretty sure) though which, some number of the non-observing bikers were happy to make a quick run to the local fried chicken selling place for replenishments.
*Deep Water Tina, of which my own Mother back in her youth was of the Baptist variety – one time my Dad explained (joke toward Mom’s sister in actuality) that “Deepwater Baptists didn’t dare “do it” standing up for fear the neighbors might think they were dancing.
My Grandmother, Mom’s Mother, wouldn’t allow a deck of cards in the house. Said cards were, “of the Devil.”
Tina, JK is on the right track of course. The type of Baptism one gets is also a factor…all the way into the river and the preacher dips the soon to be redeemed under then up as newly cleansed. The patch of hair on the head just means “sprinkling” water 3 times with the preacher’s fingers. Rock Ribbed Baptists note a lack of commitment with the latter. As with all “religious causes”, it really comes down purity.
TheBigHenry, agreed! And for all their mea culpas, they do not seem to be changing their ways even now.
Whitewall, ok that makes sense. I remember hearing talk about Hard Shell Baptists and Soft Shell Baptists, then there were the Primitive Baptists…
This congregation practices immersion, and tries to baptize soon after a person makes their decision – the next Sunday at latest, I think. However, they don’t do altar calls – that is another thing common to most Cowboy churches.
JK, the one we go to does have an arena with bleachers right next to it. They have rodeo events, roping/riding. We aren’t horse people so we haven’t been yet, but it is good clean fun, and rodeos are where the movement started.
Nice that the bikers came to your services! That’s wonderful. We have several friends who are members of the Christian Motorcyclists Association (CMA). They do a lot of prison ministry as well as setting up water stations at rallies.
Regarding “hard-shell” Baptists (my emphasis):
– From The Puritan Origins of American Patriotism, by George McKenna.
The “passivity” McKenna mentions refers to the strict Calvinist doctrine of predestination, in which salvation is determined by God alone, without regard to human choice or action. In New England Puritanism this “spiritist” view — as promoted, for example, by the doomed Anne Hutchinson — was already, by the mid-1600s, giving way to the more activist “preparationist” doctrine that paved the way for the whole, increasingly secularized, package of Progressive activism that continues to this day, and which, in the wake of WWII, has taken over the Western world.
A bit late but thank you for the exegesis on this, Malcolm. Another powerful example of the truth that nothing is born from nothing – everything comes from something already present.