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napoleonherselfI want to give myself a personal backup of this, the better not to forget its existence and/or lose track of it, so.
Louann Miller, Jan. 6, 2000, talk.origins:
>Christians aren't members of the Jewish religion. But members of any
>ethnic group can become Christians, including those of Jewish
>ancestry.
>Being a Christian, therefore, no more prevents you from being a Jew
>than it prevents you from being an Estonian or a Kurd.
Theoretically, perhaps. There's a Christian sect called Messianic Jews
which tries to do exactly that. They call _themselves_ Jews; most of
the people that everyone else calls Jews rejects that
self-identification with great force and fervor.
Keep in mind that things look very different from the other side of
the fence. To the average Christian in the US, persecution of Jews is
something that happened a long time ago in another country about once
in history, or maybe twice (Naziism and the Spanish Inquisition). It
was obviously bad, but it was done by people Not Like Us -- Nazis, or
fanatical Catholics (who are also not like the Catholics down the
block.) Joe Sixpack the midwestern Baptist or Lutheran honestly
doesn't think of that as having anything to do with him.
This is the same Joe Sixpack who can't find Canada on a map 50% of the
time in surveys. Once again he never learned the information, or
forgot it right after the exam. In fact, Christian anti-Semitism has
been a constant theme at least since the fall of Rome. Richard I of
England threw all the Jews out of England; Martin Luther approved of
their being butchered in the Germany of his own time. Pogroms have
been a hobby throughout Russian history. Here in the US, in this
century, Jews were as unpopular with the KKK as blacks, although rarer
in their home territory. As late as the 1950's, Jews were as unwelcome
as blacks in many hotels.
For some reason, Jews are a little wary of assuming that this 1900
year history of constant low-grade harrassment with occasional bursts
of mass murder is gone forever. They just aren't going to toss all
that out and assume that the last 50 or so years of Christians
generously describing themselves as part of the "Judeo-Christian
tradition" will now continue until the end of time.
I imagine that Jews, collectively, look at Christianity, collectively,
the way an alcoholic's ex-wife whose broken bones still ache looks at
a social drinker. Sure, maybe it's harmless. Maybe it won't be like
that any more. This time. Maybe.
(this parenthetical and the following are back to me again, not this Louann Miller person)
I will eventually tell you why there is a baby being dropped, don't worry.
It involves Sims and low mood bars.
*evil grin*
I just made myself some lovely fresh-brewed iced tea. It was this fancy green tea we got a tin of a few months ago. I heart full-leaf tea.
The mood is because I'm wondering why mecha hasn't called saying he's off work yet... poor mecha...
Louann Miller, Jan. 6, 2000, talk.origins:
>Christians aren't members of the Jewish religion. But members of any
>ethnic group can become Christians, including those of Jewish
>ancestry.
>Being a Christian, therefore, no more prevents you from being a Jew
>than it prevents you from being an Estonian or a Kurd.
Theoretically, perhaps. There's a Christian sect called Messianic Jews
which tries to do exactly that. They call _themselves_ Jews; most of
the people that everyone else calls Jews rejects that
self-identification with great force and fervor.
Keep in mind that things look very different from the other side of
the fence. To the average Christian in the US, persecution of Jews is
something that happened a long time ago in another country about once
in history, or maybe twice (Naziism and the Spanish Inquisition). It
was obviously bad, but it was done by people Not Like Us -- Nazis, or
fanatical Catholics (who are also not like the Catholics down the
block.) Joe Sixpack the midwestern Baptist or Lutheran honestly
doesn't think of that as having anything to do with him.
This is the same Joe Sixpack who can't find Canada on a map 50% of the
time in surveys. Once again he never learned the information, or
forgot it right after the exam. In fact, Christian anti-Semitism has
been a constant theme at least since the fall of Rome. Richard I of
England threw all the Jews out of England; Martin Luther approved of
their being butchered in the Germany of his own time. Pogroms have
been a hobby throughout Russian history. Here in the US, in this
century, Jews were as unpopular with the KKK as blacks, although rarer
in their home territory. As late as the 1950's, Jews were as unwelcome
as blacks in many hotels.
For some reason, Jews are a little wary of assuming that this 1900
year history of constant low-grade harrassment with occasional bursts
of mass murder is gone forever. They just aren't going to toss all
that out and assume that the last 50 or so years of Christians
generously describing themselves as part of the "Judeo-Christian
tradition" will now continue until the end of time.
I imagine that Jews, collectively, look at Christianity, collectively,
the way an alcoholic's ex-wife whose broken bones still ache looks at
a social drinker. Sure, maybe it's harmless. Maybe it won't be like
that any more. This time. Maybe.
(this parenthetical and the following are back to me again, not this Louann Miller person)
I will eventually tell you why there is a baby being dropped, don't worry.
It involves Sims and low mood bars.
*evil grin*
I just made myself some lovely fresh-brewed iced tea. It was this fancy green tea we got a tin of a few months ago. I heart full-leaf tea.
The mood is because I'm wondering why mecha hasn't called saying he's off work yet... poor mecha...
