1/ In light of @VP having a 'messianic Jew' (i.e., a Christian who likes to make things difficult 4 himself by keeping Halacha) give the prayer at his rally yesterday as a representative of the 'Jewish community' & presumably to honor the dead in Pittsburgh, I have a question...
2/ ...It's one I've wanted 2 ask @VP and every other evangelical Christian politician 4 years, but never had the chance before. And it's one I think any such politician should have to answer if they want the vote of any Jewish person (or really anyone who isn't 'born again')...
3/ It goes like this:
"Mr. @VP, I realize you R a committed evangelical Christian & I respect that & your right 2 yr beliefs. That said, as a Jew, I'm curious why I, or any Jew, should vote 4u or any candidate who believes as u do, that Jews will go 2 hell when we die...
"Mr. @VP, I realize you R a committed evangelical Christian & I respect that & your right 2 yr beliefs. That said, as a Jew, I'm curious why I, or any Jew, should vote 4u or any candidate who believes as u do, that Jews will go 2 hell when we die...
4/ ...unless we accept Jesus as our personal savior -- in other words, unless we cease 2b Jews. And please, in your answer, I would appreciate it if u would refrain from saying anything about Israel & your support of it. That is irrelevant to my question...
5/ ...I want to know why you should receive the votes of people whose souls you consider, in effect, empty vessels, cut off from God? Why should anyone whom you view as your spiritual inferior, by definition, support you?"...
6/ Understand, I'm not saying he's not entitled 2 his beliefs. I'm not trying 2 change his beliefs or condemn him 4 them. I'm simply wondering why any self-respecting person would debase themselves by voting for a guy who thinks they're going to burn for eternity. It's pathetic.
7/ In the past, when I've asked right wing Jews this question their reply is hilarious. They say, 'look, we know that stuff about having 2 accept Jesus is bullshit, so who cares? As long as they support Israel & other policies we like, we'll vote 4 them, silly theology aside"...
8/ But think about that. If a candidate were to say that Jews were inferior, intellectually, or morally, we would never say "well, I know that's not true, so who cares? As long as I get tax cuts, and SCOTUS picks and an embassy in Jerusalem it's fine!"
9/ In that case, we'd all object. But they're so cowed by evangelical Christians they let the implict anti-Jewish bigotry of replacement theology (which is really what they believe in--the substitution of a covenant w/Jesus-believers 4 the covenent w/Jews) 2 keep them in line..
10/ That, and the fact that the GOP and conservative movement generally is so top-heavy with evangelical Christians that right wing Jews have no choice but 2 swallow their pride & suck up 2 people who ultimately long 4 the eradication of Judaism just as surely as Nazis do. SAD!
