This topic has been touched on a few threads around here, and nobody has really answered the question. Granted, it's normally been rooted in a more heated discussion, but this question has always perplexed me. If the Jews ignore the Christian God's Son, and Saviour, then why do Christians hold the Jews in a higher different regard than the Muslims, Hindus, Atheists, Buddhists, etc. in the world? And yes, I understand that Jesus was a Jew (racially), but by definition wasn't a Jew religiously. I'm not trying to start a contentious discussion -- rather, I'm genuinely curious and have not found the answer to this question.
Evangelicals tend to be staunch supporters of Israel because the Jews are God's chosen people. It is through the Jews that we were given the Old Testament, God showed himself to the world through the Jews, Jesus was a Jew both religiously and ethnically. Jesus is simply the promised Messiah of the Jews and he fulfilled the requirements of the Jewish Messiah. Jesus may have disagreed with the religious authorities about how to keep the commandments but he believed and followed the commandments. He says and after he healed the leper he said and Jesus observed the various Jewish festivals. It is through the Jews rejection that the rest of the world is able to be saved. Paul says a couple verses later that christians are grafted together with the Jews. We also believe that all of the Jews living will recognize that Jesus is the Messiah and they will all eventually be saved at the end of the seven year tribulation period. Those are some of the reasons I like the Jews, although there are many more, but Supa or Salty could probably give you some more good reasons Christians like the Jews so much.
I think there are plenty of examples of Christians playing less than nice with Jews. That said, Jews and Christians do share a more common lineage than Muslims, Hindus, Druids, and others.
I don't know about anyone else, but for me, it's not that I like Jews anymore than I like whites, blacks, Pentacostals, whatever. I guess people have a reason to hate Jews.....for me it's like saying you hate all Pentacostals or Catholics. OK, and why? I have no clue who is a Jew who isn't a Jew anymore than I know who is a Catholic. But basically, I like Israel because they are tough as nails, a tough tough people and an ally. I want any country or people, who are fighting terrorists, whether they be from Ethiopia, Britain, France or Israel to succeed and take them out. It's in their and more importantly, our best interests.
Christianity is a Jewish sect! Christians worship a Jewish God, venerate Jewish prophets, keep Jewish Commandments, and include Jewish holy books in their Bible. Christ himself was a devout Jew and was called rabbi by the masses. The first controversy in the early Christian church was over whether non-Jews could be permitted to become Christians. Christians are SuperJews . . . or maybe just NeoJews.
but that is a misleading way to put it, because christianity is, of course, based around christ, who jews deny. like a buddhist who doesnt believe in buddha, christianity is a jewish sect only by a very loose definition. at the beginning, christians were jews who believed in jesus, but after 2000 years i am ready to call christianity its own religion, not really a jewish sect. it is funny, so many christians, fundamentalists especially, love the jews, while many others hate them (mel gibson). jews have a real polarizing effect on peeps. i also think it is interesting that many blacks dislike jews, and i think that might have its roots in the american black muslim movement. of course all of these groups are silly. also of note: i am an ordained minister of the universal life church. there is a movement by some rational peeps to make a group called "brights", who are united in their belief in reality as opposed to the supernatural. joining groups isnt my thing, but i can understand what they are trying to do.
Maybe we like jews, because they've never flown a plane into any of our buildings. As far as I know, they've never hated us for being us, or not them would be the right way to put that. They've never balmed christians for their problems on a global scale.
Good info guys...unfortunately I still find the matter perplexing, but I guess that's the way of the world. To Red's point, martin is right about it being such a loose connection at this point. LSUCraig has the best point that I can see for liking Israel so much, though I wonder how effective they would be if we didn't prop them up militarily. Not that I don't think we should, mind you, because few things make me happier than seeing some fools laying the hammer on those that screw with 'em. Gimp, you lost me at the end. I don't get the assumption that they'll accept Jesus at some point, by definition. But this is why I posed the question -- NLMD doesn't know everything (just most.) :hihi:
WHAT?! I'm shocked to find out you don't know everything, I guess Martin is the only one here who knows everything.:hihi: Since Christians believe that Jesus is the only way to be saved then naturally this must mean that Jews that survive the 7 year tribulation period (1/3rd of them) will be saved. So it was wrong of me to say that ALL Jews will come to Jesus because only the remnant that survive "the time of Jacob's trouble" will. [Qupte=Zecariah 13:]9 And I will bring the third part through the fire, and I will refine them as silver is refined. And I will try them as gold is tried. They shall call on My name, and I will answer them. I will say, It is My people, and they shall say, Jehovah is my God.[/quote] there are other verses that speak of this but I can't recall them at the moment i'll try to find them and post why I believe the way I do.
