Jews Bashing Christians on Moral Politics Have Some Questions to Answer
By Terry Vanderheyden
NEW YORK, January 30, 2006 (LifeSiteNews.com) A Jewish author has written a commentary that probes the motivation behind certain leaders of liberal Judaisms contempt for evangelical Christianity.
David Klinghoffer, whose article, Six Questions for Jews--From Christians, appears in this months edition of First Things and states, These are troubled times for Jewish-Christian relations. In November, two of the most influential American Jewish leaders, representing large swaths of the Jewish community, gave major speeches vilifying politically conservative Christians, he explains.
Klinghoffer states that, as an Orthodox Jew, he finds it difficult to understand the animosity of liberal Jews toward such ideas as the traditional definition of marriage and other beliefs that have long been held by Jews.
Klinghoffer describes how Rabbi Eric Yoffie, president of the liberal Union for Reform Judaism, the countrys largest Jewish denomination, attacked Christian opposition to same-sex marriage. Yoffie compared Christians to Nazis, stating that Hitler outlawed homosexuality in 1933. We cannot forget that when Hitler came to power in 1933, one of the first things that he did was ban homosexual organizations, Yoffie stated.
Klinghoffer presents six questions for Yoffie and other liberals like him:
Is it not true that Jewish leaders have better things to worry about than the spiritual fate of SpongeBob SquarePants? Lets say, about radical Islam? Or secularism? At a time when radical Muslims threaten Jews and others around the world, why vilify American Christians?
If conservative Christians were less politically powerful, would this help or hurt the security of the state of Israel?
Practically, what positive ends could anti-Christian attacks possibly accomplish?
If evangelicals seek to Christianize America, a phrase implying legal coercion, when is the last time anyone tried to Christianize you?
How do you explain the fact that bigoted Christian political positions mirror the traditional views of your own religion, Judaism?
Have you considered the economics behind these anti-Christian attacks?
Klinghoffer explains that Judaism traditionally agrees with Christianity on most important moral issues like euthanasia, abortion, and same-sex marriage. If its Nazi-like to oppose homosexual marriage, as Rabbi Yoffie argues, then Jewish tradition must also be Hitlerian, Klinghoffer argues. The Hebrew Bible forbids homosexual intercourse, and Jewish rabbinic thought warns against tampering with the institution of marriage. Indeed, a classical rabbinic midrash explains that one of the reasons God was so disgusted with the original inhabitants of the land of Canaan, and caused the land to disgorge them in favor of the children of Israel, was that the Canaanites wrote marriage contracts for members of the same sex, he explains. Why are these views evidence of zealotry when held by Christians but not so when held by every generation of Jews universally down to about a hundred years ago?
Read Klinghoffers thought-provoking article on line at:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-rel ... 3455/posts
See the current edition of First Things (this article not yet available on line here):
http://www.firstthings.com/menus/ft0602.html
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Google Holds Copies of All Emails and All Websites Visited
By Terry Vanderheyden
MOUNTAIN VIEW, California, January 30, 2006 (LifeSiteNews.com) Some commentators are describing Google, the worlds most used internet search engine, as scary, after learning that the internet giant stores web search history and e-mails.
The UKs Times on Line reported that Google keeps an extraordinary amount of user information. Google logs searches on its search engine, storing the information indefinitely. Because every computer has a unique IP (internet protocol) address, every visit to every website can be traced back to the computer making it a fact which is well known in geek circles but remarkably under-publicised outside them, the Times article explained.
Googles alternative to hotmail, their new free e-mail service, Gmail, stores all e-mails indefinitely on their server. The company already admits to scanning e-mails in order to send targeted advertising.
The companys own privacy statement states that, When you visit Google, we send one or more cookies a small file containing a string of characters to your computer that uniquely identifies your browser. We use cookies to improve the quality of our service by storing user preferences and tracking user trends, such as how people search. Most browsers are initially set up to accept cookies, but you can reset your browser to refuse all cookies or to indicate when a cookie is being sent. However, some Google features and services may not function properly if your cookies are disabled.
The privacy statement adds that, When you use Google services, our servers automatically record information that your browser sends whenever you visit a website. These server logs may include information such as your web request, Internet Protocol address, browser type, browser language, the date and time of your request and one or more cookies that may uniquely identify your browser.
The dangers inherent in granting governments any authority to monitor and censor the internet for a very real good, could at the same time lend government authority to exclude legitimate material expressing valid viewpoints from the public square. As Canada and other countries pass so-called hate-crimes legislation making it illegal to, for example, condemn homosexual activity as evil, these measures could lead to censorship or worse.
See related LifeSiteNews.com coverage:
Bill Would Permit Canadian Government to Monitor Emails, Chat and Cell Phones
http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/2005/oct/05101207.html
Privacy In Peril In Canada
http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/1999/oct/99102206.html
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