Karen, I agree with your discussion below. I will look for the group. I saw them in one of our local newspapers this last week.
Bill On Sun, 18 Aug 2002 09:41:48 -0700 "Karen Watters Cole" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> writes: > Interesting post, Bill. > I would dearly love to know the name of the organization paying > American > Jews to migrate to Israel. If you have that information, I would > much > appreciate it. I read last month that even during all the bombings > this > summer that over 40 families had moved this year, and wondered if > they were > group sponsored. > Christian fundamentalists accept the finality and literal truth of > each word > of the Bible. They have made the philosophical leap of faith that > the > secular world's laws are not their first loyalty. Many > Fundamentalist > Christians really resent Caesar, after all, and pine away for the > heavenly > kingdom that should have been accomplished on earth. This reveals > some of my > deep cynicism about the faith of my fathers. > So too many operate, like planetary immigrants, under secular > authority but > recognizing only the heavenly authority. Moving God's chosen people > to God's > chosen land is but their faithful way of helping to fulfill the > prophesies, > and no better than a teenage video-game enthusiast living in a > fantasy world > of Sony's creation. > Generally speaking, the rise of fundamentalism is partially > explained as a > human reaction away from the complexity of modern life; many > CONVERTS to the > more fundamental denominations in America in recent decades have > chosen a > way of life that makes decisions for them (ie. Jehovah's Witness and > even > Mormons, but not to overlook the stricter minor evangelicals). > Families > become social club members in an organization that not only welcomes > them > into close fellowship, not something to be trivialized, but has > membership > rules and guidelines that take the work - and chance of failure - > out of > myriad decisions that all too many "liberal arts" educated parents > find > impossible to navigate in life. If you raise a child under the > strict > guidelines your church provides you but the child rebels, you might > believe > his rebellion stems from not following God's laws, not because you > are a > negligent or abusive parent. > There are a lot of reasons for this mass nervous breakdown, not just > in the > lower classes. As Western society evolved at an even faster rate in > the 20th > century, we left behind the familiar parameters of our parents and > grandparents restrictions and hard-earned lessons. Space travel, for > one, is > a symbolic departure for a new generation that some, if not all the > old > rules no longer automatically apply. > In my opinion, both in the West and in the Asian and Islamic > cultures, > fundamentalism is tied to class struggle, to losing out, and to be > overwhelmed IN ADDITION TO being a real spiritual revival for many. > Karen > Bill wrote: > Keith, > > I agree with your view that increased fundamentalism is evidence of > decline. In addition, fundamentalists have been working on > aggrandizement > of wealth. The Christian right justifies accumulation of wealth as > having > been blessed by Jesus for good works. > > With fundamentalism growing rapidly among Muslims [also the fastest > growing large religion in the World] and Christians, what about > Jews? I > believe that the same thing is happening with Jews as well. What is > scary > here is that we could always rely on the small Jewish minority in > the > past to challenge right wing excesses. > > What staggers my mind is the willingness of Jews to accept support > from > right wing Christians who see Israel as biblical prophesy > fulfilled. > Christians see this as an end of world fulfillment. There is even a > group > of right wing Christians paying Jews to move to Israel from the US. > What > is the symbolism there? > > Any Christian [even the left wing types like myself] who talks to > other > Christians is aware of latent anti-Jewishness in the Christian right > wing > and knows that their support for Israel has nothing to do with love > of > Jews. Also scary is the accession of Ariel Sharon to leadership in > Israel > at the cost of the peace efforts of Rabin and Barak, truly 2 men of > peace. Even though I would love to see Saddaam out of Iraq [he > assassinated a friend of mine], the current right wing > Christian/right > wing Jewish coalition is moving with such speed that it has even > frightened a lot of conservative Republican leaders. > > Bill Ward > > On Sun, 18 Aug 2002 09:16:36 +0100 Keith Hudson > <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > writes: > > Karen, > > > > That was a useful item you pointed us to (see below). However, I > > would like > > to generalise in a short note following a chain of thought that > was > > started > > in considering Ray Harrel's latest message (under "America in > > Decline"). > > > > I rather think that fundamentalism is a very significant symptom > of > > a > > civilization in decline. I mentioned a few days ago Bernard > Lewis's > > opinion > > (after a lifetime of studying Islam) that the principal > motivation > > that > > drives the imams and clerics in several pockets of Islam (Saudi > > Arabia > > being an outstanding example) was not so much a fear (hatred) of > > other > > religions or philosophies (or even America-the-nation one might > > infer) but > > of western technology itself. > > > > (In Lewis' book, he mentions an instance when, after a naval > battle > > sometime in the 1500/1600s, an Islamic victory yielded the > capture > > of a > > western ship, and all sorts of advanced innovations in its > > construction and > > armaments were discovered. Such was the state of Islam at the > time > > [that > > is, already declining as a powerful civilisation] that there was > > considerable debate among the clerics whether such innovations > could > > be > > copied by themselves for their own warships. They decided that in > > the > > interests of self-protection it was allowable to copy these > > innovations, > > but already Islam was in a state of mind by which any ordinary > > innovation > > of western nations was strongly resisted.) > > > > The religious programme on the radio this morning reminds us that > > in > > western countries, religious belief is generally still declining. > > Formal > > religions have hardly any place in most young people's minds > today. > > The > > great controversies of the 19th century in western countries > > between > > science and Christianity have long since died away with, > apparently, > > a > > clear victory for rationalism and humanistic thought. > > > > Yet, in the last decade or so, in the most advanced country in > the > > world, > > America, Christian fundamentalism has been growing apace (and > also > > now > > happening in England), even trying to impose its anti-evolution > > agenda on > > State school curricula (and largely succeeding, I understand, in > one > > or two > > States). This is very worrying because it is blunting the minds > of > > large > > numbers of young people (even intelligent individuals, as you > gave > > an > > example yersterday). > > > > But it's not just Christian fundamentalism. There is a wider > secular > > body > > of resistance to scientific development -- for example, blanket > > opposition > > to genetically-modified food. (And one African country followed > > western > > oppositionism yesterday by refusing the importation of GM grain > > from > > America even though millions of its people are dying from > > starvation.) I > > don't want to get into discussion of GM food because biogenetics > > certainly > > needs a great deal of careful investigation, but it is the nature > of > > the > > instant, automatic opposition to many developments produced by > > science > > that's worrying many observers. > > > > I am not so worried myself. I don't think the new western > > fundamentalism > > will become powerful enough to stop scientific development (which > I > > believe > > will be absolutely essential if we are to survive in reasonable > > condition > > in the next century or two) because man's curiosity is too great. > > But, in > > the way that it is invading and subverting the educational > system, > > it is > > certainly doing a lot of damage. In fact, I think it is another > > symptom of > > the decline of America as the leading power in the world. > (Another > > symptom > > being corruption and ethical fragility at the highest levels of > the > > American [and English] administration.) > > > > Keith Hudson > > > > At 10:17 17/08/02 -0700, you wrote: > > >George Will joins the debate promoting strategy that attacking > Iraq > > to > > >activate domino theory political change is in everybody's > > interest, > > >especially Europe's - while using Friedman's sociopolitical > > economics for > > >support. In answer to Brad's question about what is a > modernist, > > in this > > >context, it is users of birth control, a "novelty" item I would > > certainly > > >include in Hudson Economics affecting poverty and the rise of > the > > middle > > >class globally. > > >Vive la difference. - Karen > > >A Mideast Specter: Modernity > > >By George F. Will @ > > > >http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A19837-2002Aug14.html> > > > ________________________________________________________________ GET INTERNET ACCESS FROM JUNO! Juno offers FREE or PREMIUM Internet access for less! Join Juno today! For your FREE software, visit: http://dl.www.juno.com/get/web/.
