Archbishop criticizes Israel for "safrificing innocent civilians"

[Steve Hayes]

http://tinyurl.com/q4yca

Greek Church Criticizes Israel Over Raids In Lebanon
Sunday July 23rd, 2006 / 19h03

ATHENS (AP)--The leader of Greece's Orthodox Church accused Israel Sunday of
"sacrificing innocent civilians" in its bombardment of Lebanon.
"Israel's actions within its right to self defense have long exceeded any
rational limit," Archbishop Christodoulos said.

"(They are) sacrificing innocent civilians by the hundreds, and creating
refugees by the thousands," he added, telling the Israeli authorities, "Do not
provoke our consciences. Do not feed the world condemnation against you. It is
not in your interest. ... Fear God's wrath."

The church has played a lead role in sheltering Greek evacuees from Lebanon
who have no home or close relatives here.

Greece's Foreign Minister Dora Bakoyannis also repeated her criticism of the
Israeli attacks.

"The developments in the Middle East are the epitome of senselessness,"
Bakoyannis wrote in an article published in Sunday's Eleftherotypia newspaper.
"Children are being killed, families torn apart, towns are being destroyed and
the infrastructure of a country razed," she wrote. "It's the civilian
population that is being attacked in both countries - Lebanon and Israel."

Sunday July 23rd, 2006 / 19h03

[l***@hotmail.com]

Post by Steve Hayes
http://tinyurl.com/q4yca
Greek Church Criticizes Israel Over Raids In Lebanon
Sunday July 23rd, 2006 / 19h03

So what? Except for the US and the English PM, the world stands
against Israel. Let me ask you this. Have you ever contemplated life
from the Israeli point of view? If you were a people surrounded on all
sides by a people who unabashedly claim that it is not only their
political, even military goal, but religious goal (the worst kind) to
wipe you off the face of the earth, how would you have responded? You
must also take into consideration that this is an isolated incident.
This war has been going on for 50+ years ever since Israel was given
back the land of their fathers.

You also seem to be naive of life in the world. Who got picked on in
school? Was it not the weak and the unpopular? But who was never
picked on? Was it not those whom everyone understood that if you
hurled a volley at them, you were going to be soon picking yourself up
off the floor? The US has enjoyed freedom for these 200+ years because
we were perceived to be strong, if not the strongest. But terrorism
has a way of removing a degree of that persona. As Francis Schaeffer
predicted 30 years ago in his, "How Then Should We Live," series,
people living with only the moral relatives of personal peace and
affluiency, would sacrifice their freedoms freely against the
increasing threat of terrorism just to retain even the illusion, the
illusion of personal peace & affluency.

Israel is no different than the US. It is doing whatever it takes to
keep its citizenry safe. We (US) went overseas to fight terrorist in
their homelands inorder to reduce the threat of fighting them in ours.
Israel is doing the same thing.

Also, Lebanon is not an innocent victim in all of this. Israel pulled
back out of southern Lebanon, allowing the UN "Peace" keepers to take
their stead. What did it accomplish? It only accomplished giving
Hezbollah guerrillas time to entrench themselves to attach Israel.
Where was the Lebanese government in restraining this affront? And if
you protest this Israeli defense arguing that the Lebanese government
wasn't strong enough militarily to
stop Hezbollah guerrillas entrenching themselves into what amounted to
a DMZ, then why didn't it control its boarder highways and its port to
keep these 13,000 or so rockets being brought into the country for but
one purpose- to fire them at Israel.

No. Israel is doing what every other country in the world would do if
it the capability and equal circumstances. So for either the EOC to
criticize Isreal or the RCC to criticize it or France or Germany (golly
gee, who would have imagined France?), I ask you again, What does it
matter? What matters is that the EOC and RCC eschatological schools
are being laid out naked in the sun of reality. Israel is back in the
land a _literal_ reading of prophecy foretold it would. An unbelieving
Israel. Yet to come is the "prince" who will sign a "peace" covenant
with the nation which will inaugurate Daniel's 70th week. These things
are not to be hid in some allegorical husk 'n kernal shell game. This
is the revelation of God who does not make vain promises. The
covenants with Israel (other than the Mosaic) are unconditional. HE
will bring them to pass.

Israel is not infallible. Nor is Israel back in the land as a blessing
of God. The OT prophecies are clear that Israel is back in the land to
suffer the purifying fire of God's wrath. And 2/3rds of Israeli's will
died "outside of the camp" of God's favor.

To be an anti-Semite is to stand against God who has called out this
people for Himself.

[Chris Smith]

<***@hotmail.com> wrote:

... snip a lot of political stuff ...

Post by l***@hotmail.com
To be an anti-Semite is to stand against God who has called out this
people for Himself.

Who said anything about being an antisemite? Criticizing a government
for its actions has nothing to do with antisemitism, which is dislike of
Jewish people as an ethnic or religious group. The blurring of this
line is a kind of either confusion or dishonesty that can't be
justified. It is entirely compatible with the Christian faith to
criticize the actions of a government that takes innocent lives in an
irresponsible military action. To oppose Jewish people, on the other
hand, because of their ethnic or religious identity is contrary to the
Christian message, although the majority of Christians haven't always
seen it that way.

It is perhaps time, here, to bring up again the way in which God calls
us to judge actions, but not people. The people of Israel are certainly
not in an ideal position, and it is understandable that they would feel
desperate or grasp at any possible hope for improvement. I am sure that
God understands that. However, it still doesn't make it right to
slaughter civilians, including children, in military action. It also
doesn't make it right to support a government that does so. I assume
this is what Archbishop Christodoulos was speaking to. You'll notice
the headline doesn't say "Greek Church Proclaims All Jews Going to
Hell"... it says that the Greek Church criticized Israel for raids in
Lebanon.

(Yes, of course this is every bit as true of the United States as it is
of Israel, but this thread happened to be about Israel. If you check
back a few years, say in late 2001 and early 2002, you'll find a great
majority of religious groups saying the same thing about the U.S. and
Iraq. Unfortunately, political allegiances quickly changed that for may
groups in the U.S., once sides were drawn in the sphere of politics.)

[Steve Hayes]

Post by l***@hotmail.com

Post by Steve Hayes
http://tinyurl.com/q4yca
Greek Church Criticizes Israel Over Raids In Lebanon
Sunday July 23rd, 2006 / 19h03

So what? Except for the US and the English PM, the world stands
against Israel. Let me ask you this. Have you ever contemplated life
from the Israeli point of view? If you were a people surrounded on all
sides by a people who unabashedly claim that it is not only their
political, even military goal, but religious goal (the worst kind) to
wipe you off the face of the earth, how would you have responded? You
must also take into consideration that this is an isolated incident.
This war has been going on for 50+ years ever since Israel was given
back the land of their fathers.

Nato bombed Yugoslavia in 1999 for doing far less than Israel has been doing
over the last three weeks. The Yugoslav air force did not bomb Tiriana,
Durres, Elbasan and Korcha, and if they had the Nato assault on Yugoslavia in
1999 might have been justified. So if Nato was justified in bombing Yugoslavia
in 1999, they would have far more justification for bombing Israeli cities if
they do not agree to an immediate cease fire.