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Re: What events in the Bible mean to me

Posted by hyperfocus on December 5, 2011, at 19:56:34

In reply to Re: What events in the Bible mean to me, posted by sigismund on November 20, 2011, at 0:14:27

I was watching the first part of "The 50 years War" documentary and even in 1947 with all that had happened before, the newsreel voices talked with barely disguised contempt about "thousands of Jews fleeing 'persecution' in Europe, entering the British Mandate Palestine illegally on fine ships which had seen good war service but were now commandeered by these illegal alien Jews," as well as "'extremist' Jews committing acts of terrorism against the fine British Empire and law-abiding Arabs in Palestine." There were quite the diplomatic and military battles just to get a self-sufficient independent Jewish state for survivors of the genocide. It seemed that most leaders in the West including people like revered WWII U.S. general George Marshall - Truman's secretary of state - didn't care about the Jews and just wanted to keep the Arabs happy and prevent another war at any cost. Without arms from Czechoslovakia and other countries the Israeli forces would have been overrun pretty quickly in the '48 war. They got zero help from America and only desperate backs-against-the-wall-survival fighting eventually overcame the invading Arab League forces.

I suppose I was just lucky to grow up in a world where racism and discrimination were ultimately decided to be bad things. Back in the 80's and 90's when I grew up we had Sesame Street and Star Trek and Captain Planet telling us that everyone was equal, no matter where they were born or what they looked like. But it was only one or two decades earlier where racism was at most encouraged and at least tolerated - Funny Grandpa Will sure doesn't like ni---s and ki--s any bit - as nothing more than an anachronism or eccentricity. Of course this was before 9/11, when G.I. Joe got replaced by Jack Bauer and torture and mass surveillance and disregard for collateral damage and the human cost of war suddenly came back in vogue. But we all act according to our own selfish need for self-preservation, our own determination as to what will get us ahead in life and find acceptance with our peers. Today it's not profitable for anyone to engage in bigotry against Jews or blacks, but Arabs and Muslims seem to have have become acceptable targets.

As you say ideas are important. And any idea, good or bad, can be used to fuel the desires of men to the point where the realization becomes unrecognizable to the writers who originated the idea. When I read Bible stories as a child I was never able or saw no need to break the compartments separating the people I read about from real life flesh-and-blood people, no matter how compelling the writing was. But maybe my view is in the minority or just a privilege of growing up in a time when bigotry was not in anybody's interest.

But judging somebody based on things which happened in the past has never been a good idea for anything, ever. I'd like to be judged as an individual by my own actions and beliefs, not those around me. I don't think that's too much to expect in today's society.


C-PTSD: social phobia, major depression, dissociation.
Currently: 500mg amitriptyline single dose at night.
Also: Allegra, 1000mg Vitamin C.
Slowly improving.


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poster:hyperfocus thread:1002966
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/faith/20101230/msgs/1004266.html