Peace does not require lies. In fact, accepting these fabricated narratives only strengthens the ideological foundation of those who have long sought to erase Jewish history and identity.
This was a pleasure to read. Clear and simple, unadorned. And much needed. We've been manipulated into acknowledging Islam as part of the Abrahamic family of religions. But the reality is that Islam has very little in common with its supposed siblings. Christianity grew out of Judaism and developed aspects of it into a new creed. But Islam came along, shamelessly copied and stole much from its predecessors, and then proclaimed itself as a superior replacement for all that came before it.
All those years of interfaith prayer breakfasts served only to convince us that we had nothing to worry about. The weekly body count of Jews and Christians all around the world murdered at the hands of Islamists tells us a different story.
Love your honest and accurate essay.....and it's good to know that we Jews are NOT RELATED to the Arabs ......furthermore, their Mohamed was actually, the first terrorist, and murderer of our people...Am Israel Chai.....
“By declaring that Jesus was the Messiah, and later that Christians were the “New Israel,” Christian theology sought to replace the Jewish covenant with a new, universalist doctrine.”
Yes, Christians do claim that Yeshua was, is, and always will be, the promised Jewish Messiah - and the means of Salvation for the entire world.
And, yes, in the fourth Century, (professing) Christian Theologians introduced and began to teach that ‘the Church’ was ‘the New Israel’ - and the inheritor of all the promises and (good) prophecies related to the Jewish people; to Israel.
BUT, throughout the entire time from the death and resurrection of Yeshua, through the Dark Ages, and up to the present hour, there has always been a ‘remnant’ within Christendom that never accepted that Theology; that never believed what is known known as ‘Replacement Theology’ was, or is, true.
Unfortunately, in the history of the professing Church, such people and groups were hounded, persecuted, and put to death by ‘establishment’ authorities; first by the Catholic Church, and later by Calvinist Church authorities. For anyone interested in researching the veracity of those claims, I recommend ‘The Pilgrim Church’, by E. H. Broadbent.
But, by the grace and Providence of G-d, the remnant within Christendom who believed that G-d said what He meant, means what He said, and never changed His mind about the Chosen People survives to this day. Such Christians are actually to be found across the spectrum of Christian denominations, but are most numerous within the Evangelical Church which, more or less in its modern form, dates back to the early 18th Century. I am one such Christian, but I ‘belong’ to what would generally be considered the ‘Right Wing’ of Evangelicalism, for the following principal reasons:
1) The method of Biblical Interpretation; the lenses I use to ‘see’ and interact with the Bible, is formally known as the ‘Literal/Grammatical/ Historical Hermeneutic. That approach interacts with the text in context, recognizing literary forms such as metaphor, symbology, poetry, perspective, historical fact, etc., just as one would read and study any other written work. That said, we obviously have the utmost reverence and regard for the Bible as the inspired Word of G-d, so it is never actually viewed or treated as ‘any other written work’.
2) Through those ‘lenses’; using that interpretive ‘grid’, most (but not all) Christians like myself arrive at what is known as a Dispensationalist Theological perspective, aka ‘Dispensationalism’. And virtually all Dispensationalists, would become supporters, if not lovers, of the Chosen People worldwide, and particularly, of Israel as the (Jewish) national State within the Promised Land of the Jewish people. In other words, I am what, in the majority of Christian circles, would be decisively called ‘a Christian Zionist’ - a label I wear without any embarrassment, shame, or equivocation. That is enough to label me as a ‘Right Winger’, although there are other less important characteristics that go along with that ‘sin’.
Everyone reading this Substack is well aware of the worldwide rise of dark, malevolent, anti-semitism, anti-Zionism, and anti-Israelism. What is almost certainly less well known, is the fact that Christians like myself, who are quite literally Israel’s strongest Gentile supporters on the world stage, have long been the target of massive, sophisticated campaigns to lessen or eliminate that support. Tragically, those insidious efforts have been effective to a significant extent. But, as long as we remain alive, and remain steadfast in our faith and beliefs, we will remain your faithful supporters.
Like so many other things in our present world, ‘it’s complicated’… But I believe it is important for the Jewish people to gain understanding of certain highly relevant distinctions within Christendom.
I too am a Christian Zionist, although I follow the Catholic tradition, and I do not hold to Dispensationalism. My support for Israel is firmly based on the Jewishness of the Holy Family. Jesus grew up in a Devout Jewish home, his mother the Blessed Virgin Mary kept a kosher home, and he never once denied the truth of the Law, the Prophets or the Writings.
Catholics teaching on justice tells me that I must act justly, love mercy and walk humbly all the time, and because of this I must support the people of Israel, chosen by God, as they do so also
Thank you Stephen; your comment is much appreciated, and a valuable adjunct to my own. I had drafted a lengthier response early this morning, but inadvertently hit the ‘wrong’ point on my phone screen and, ‘Poof!’ it disappeared into the ether…
I am one of those Believers in Christ who support the Jews as God's Chosen people. The Bible is clear that we are to do so. Thank you for speaking up for the remnant of Christianity who remain Biblical rather than cultural, committed rather than religious.
Very interesting and informative. But I have to ask: according to your faith, when a Jew dies without having accepted Yeshua as their savior, do they go to hell?
I have a similar Christian theology to Mike and Stephen. G-d’s Covenant with the Jewishmpeople was never cancelled or replaced. Jesus brought a New Covenant, one written in our hearts.
As to your question: It is not my place to state who goes to hell or doesn't. I believe that Judgement rests with Jesus. I believe there are Jews in Heaven. In the Gospels of Matthew (17:1–8), Mark (9:2–13), and Luke (9:28–36) we have the account of the Transfiguration of Jesus. Moses and Elijah appear and speak with Jesus. My interpretation of this account is that heaven and earth meet. Neither Moses nor Elijah met with Jesus in their earthly life. Moses and Elijah are clearly in heaven.
Its a roundabout answer, I know, but its the best I can do for now.
Robin, it’s early Sunday morning here in Florida, and I’ve only just seen your message. Thank you for your post.
In my view, you have asked what I consider to be one of the, if not THE, most important of questions. As such, I obviously take my response very seriously, and want to give it the attention it demands. So I will respond, but will do so later, when I am not pressed for time.
In the meantime, I will say this:
‘According to my faith’, my beliefs, every single human being from Adam and Eve to the Pygmy in the remotest jungle, is ‘tainted’ by ‘Sin’; we are born into this world with a congenital condition that didn’t exist in our original ‘parents’, but occurred as a result of Eve’s being deceived but, more importantly, Adam’s willful choice to disobey the singular command of God. As a result of that event, which I believe is literal and historical, both they and all other human beings have an inherent predisposition to assert self will, as opposed to living in full accordance with G-d’s will.
That is the ‘Root Cause’ of ‘Sin’, and we are borne in bondage to it; utterly helpless to transform our natures to be free from that inherent condition of being. Only our Creator, the true and living G-d of the Universe and all within it, can effect the transformation that is required, in order for any individual to be ‘cured’ restored to ‘right relationship’ with their Creator, and brought into the new state of being that He intended for mankind before Adam and Eve were ever created in the first place.
So, according to my belief, we must ALL be ‘saved’; we must ALL be ‘born again’, and the only real question is how that process can, and does, take place.
I have to leave the my response there for now, but will come back to it as soon as possible, under the circumstances.
Thanks again for your question, and for your patience.
Thanks Robin. I’ve been working on a more comprehensive response, and inadvertently hit the ‘Send’ button a few times - which sent me into panic mode as I tried to delete it and start over, etc. Still working on it and will post as soon as I can finish it.
To add to this clear and succinct article: Mohammed was an illiterate, so the fabrication starts in the Koran where Jewish and Christian figures are mixed up and adapted to suit Islamic designs of conquest and supercession. On top of which the Koran has no stories. The whole binding of Ishmael in the Koran takes three sentences. In the Hebrew Bible the story is a story and belongs within a longer narrative that makes the story credible and its message hauntingly effective: thou shalt not kill thy children. Not so for Islam, where present day Palestinians willingly sacrifice their children on the altar of their crazed delusions. And as is typical of illiterates their word is not their bond; hence the lying in which the Palestinians indulge without batting an eyelash. The author is absolutely right: lying does no good and Jews should understand that better than anyone. Let's start with the need for Jewish sovereignty west of the Jordan river in which Palestinians have no voting rights and no Israeli citizenship. Totally feasible.
This was refreshing information of why we, as Jews, must be strong and get OUR history in the schools, colleges, university, media. We must not step as side! Am Yisrael Chai!
I'm assuming that Judith meant "we must be strong and get OUR history INTO the schools, colleges, .... " As for institutions, thinking of Columbia right now and I couldn't help smiling when I read that the Dept. of Middle Eastern studies was going to be overhauled. I generally don't like the idea of government meddling in academia, but ... I couldn't help smiling. Would love to know how others think.
I think you need to study the Sanatan experience in India with Islam. Santan predates Islam by at least 5000 years. But the blatant lies reinforced by Leftist politics and appeasement policies has placed such a huge burden on us in India, with so many parallels to the Jewish experience, that it feels like we need to establish a similar narrative, and a global strategy to counter the highly organized propaganda machine out there.
The word "Islam" in Arabic literally means "submission" or "surrender”, specifically referring to the total submission to the will of a god, and a Muslim is one who practices this submission.
Thank you. The verity of all of this is so easily to be achieved and recognized, everyone could be able to know this, so the big question is why people follow all these lies and distortion - unfortunately not only concerning Jews.
They follow the lies because they are not taught the truth - and because what they are actually told sounds entirely plausible on the surface. And that’s also why they don’t look any further, because why would any major religion lie about its origins?
I have never accepted the Muslim claim that they are somehow superior to us, or that Islam “completes” Christianity and then Judaism, just because both are absurd enough as is.
Great telling of the truth. So it is the same with the land of Israel. Such nonsense that the land belonged to somebody else; Israel has been the Jewish homeland for only 77 years; the British gave Arab land to the Jews. Israel has been the Jewish homeland since G-d declared it so centuries ago. Since there have been Jews, they have lived in Israel. Jews do not need or want anybody to tell them who they are, where they live and, most importantly, who their G-d is.
This was a pleasure to read. Clear and simple, unadorned. And much needed. We've been manipulated into acknowledging Islam as part of the Abrahamic family of religions. But the reality is that Islam has very little in common with its supposed siblings. Christianity grew out of Judaism and developed aspects of it into a new creed. But Islam came along, shamelessly copied and stole much from its predecessors, and then proclaimed itself as a superior replacement for all that came before it.
All those years of interfaith prayer breakfasts served only to convince us that we had nothing to worry about. The weekly body count of Jews and Christians all around the world murdered at the hands of Islamists tells us a different story.
Love your honest and accurate essay.....and it's good to know that we Jews are NOT RELATED to the Arabs ......furthermore, their Mohamed was actually, the first terrorist, and murderer of our people...Am Israel Chai.....
He wasn't the first... zechor et haAmalek...
I know.....I said he was the 1st terrorist NOT the 1st murderer !......Shabbat Shalom....
you make a good point
And the savage Arab chorus sang Khybar Khybar yawm Yahud. Never forget enemies and invaders since 628.
“By declaring that Jesus was the Messiah, and later that Christians were the “New Israel,” Christian theology sought to replace the Jewish covenant with a new, universalist doctrine.”
Yes, Christians do claim that Yeshua was, is, and always will be, the promised Jewish Messiah - and the means of Salvation for the entire world.
And, yes, in the fourth Century, (professing) Christian Theologians introduced and began to teach that ‘the Church’ was ‘the New Israel’ - and the inheritor of all the promises and (good) prophecies related to the Jewish people; to Israel.
BUT, throughout the entire time from the death and resurrection of Yeshua, through the Dark Ages, and up to the present hour, there has always been a ‘remnant’ within Christendom that never accepted that Theology; that never believed what is known known as ‘Replacement Theology’ was, or is, true.
Unfortunately, in the history of the professing Church, such people and groups were hounded, persecuted, and put to death by ‘establishment’ authorities; first by the Catholic Church, and later by Calvinist Church authorities. For anyone interested in researching the veracity of those claims, I recommend ‘The Pilgrim Church’, by E. H. Broadbent.
But, by the grace and Providence of G-d, the remnant within Christendom who believed that G-d said what He meant, means what He said, and never changed His mind about the Chosen People survives to this day. Such Christians are actually to be found across the spectrum of Christian denominations, but are most numerous within the Evangelical Church which, more or less in its modern form, dates back to the early 18th Century. I am one such Christian, but I ‘belong’ to what would generally be considered the ‘Right Wing’ of Evangelicalism, for the following principal reasons:
1) The method of Biblical Interpretation; the lenses I use to ‘see’ and interact with the Bible, is formally known as the ‘Literal/Grammatical/ Historical Hermeneutic. That approach interacts with the text in context, recognizing literary forms such as metaphor, symbology, poetry, perspective, historical fact, etc., just as one would read and study any other written work. That said, we obviously have the utmost reverence and regard for the Bible as the inspired Word of G-d, so it is never actually viewed or treated as ‘any other written work’.
2) Through those ‘lenses’; using that interpretive ‘grid’, most (but not all) Christians like myself arrive at what is known as a Dispensationalist Theological perspective, aka ‘Dispensationalism’. And virtually all Dispensationalists, would become supporters, if not lovers, of the Chosen People worldwide, and particularly, of Israel as the (Jewish) national State within the Promised Land of the Jewish people. In other words, I am what, in the majority of Christian circles, would be decisively called ‘a Christian Zionist’ - a label I wear without any embarrassment, shame, or equivocation. That is enough to label me as a ‘Right Winger’, although there are other less important characteristics that go along with that ‘sin’.
Everyone reading this Substack is well aware of the worldwide rise of dark, malevolent, anti-semitism, anti-Zionism, and anti-Israelism. What is almost certainly less well known, is the fact that Christians like myself, who are quite literally Israel’s strongest Gentile supporters on the world stage, have long been the target of massive, sophisticated campaigns to lessen or eliminate that support. Tragically, those insidious efforts have been effective to a significant extent. But, as long as we remain alive, and remain steadfast in our faith and beliefs, we will remain your faithful supporters.
Like so many other things in our present world, ‘it’s complicated’… But I believe it is important for the Jewish people to gain understanding of certain highly relevant distinctions within Christendom.
Am Israel Chai! With love, Mike
Thank you. We are indeed Israel's faithful supporters and disdain Replacement Theology.
Thank you Mike for this summary.
I too am a Christian Zionist, although I follow the Catholic tradition, and I do not hold to Dispensationalism. My support for Israel is firmly based on the Jewishness of the Holy Family. Jesus grew up in a Devout Jewish home, his mother the Blessed Virgin Mary kept a kosher home, and he never once denied the truth of the Law, the Prophets or the Writings.
Catholics teaching on justice tells me that I must act justly, love mercy and walk humbly all the time, and because of this I must support the people of Israel, chosen by God, as they do so also
‘Am Israel Chai
Thank you Stephen; your comment is much appreciated, and a valuable adjunct to my own. I had drafted a lengthier response early this morning, but inadvertently hit the ‘wrong’ point on my phone screen and, ‘Poof!’ it disappeared into the ether…
G-d bless you!
Love, Mike
Thank you Brother Mike for explaining so effectively the position of those of us Christians who reject Replacement Theology.
Amen!
I am one of those Believers in Christ who support the Jews as God's Chosen people. The Bible is clear that we are to do so. Thank you for speaking up for the remnant of Christianity who remain Biblical rather than cultural, committed rather than religious.
Very interesting and informative. But I have to ask: according to your faith, when a Jew dies without having accepted Yeshua as their savior, do they go to hell?
I have a similar Christian theology to Mike and Stephen. G-d’s Covenant with the Jewishmpeople was never cancelled or replaced. Jesus brought a New Covenant, one written in our hearts.
As to your question: It is not my place to state who goes to hell or doesn't. I believe that Judgement rests with Jesus. I believe there are Jews in Heaven. In the Gospels of Matthew (17:1–8), Mark (9:2–13), and Luke (9:28–36) we have the account of the Transfiguration of Jesus. Moses and Elijah appear and speak with Jesus. My interpretation of this account is that heaven and earth meet. Neither Moses nor Elijah met with Jesus in their earthly life. Moses and Elijah are clearly in heaven.
Its a roundabout answer, I know, but its the best I can do for now.
Catholics teaching on this is simple: Do not judge, lest you you yourself be judged
It is not up to me or anyone else to decide who is in heaven and who is not.
Within the Catholic tradition, we do know many people in heaven, known as the saints, but we do not have an exhaustive list.
We do not have knowledge of anyone in hell
Robin, it’s early Sunday morning here in Florida, and I’ve only just seen your message. Thank you for your post.
In my view, you have asked what I consider to be one of the, if not THE, most important of questions. As such, I obviously take my response very seriously, and want to give it the attention it demands. So I will respond, but will do so later, when I am not pressed for time.
In the meantime, I will say this:
‘According to my faith’, my beliefs, every single human being from Adam and Eve to the Pygmy in the remotest jungle, is ‘tainted’ by ‘Sin’; we are born into this world with a congenital condition that didn’t exist in our original ‘parents’, but occurred as a result of Eve’s being deceived but, more importantly, Adam’s willful choice to disobey the singular command of God. As a result of that event, which I believe is literal and historical, both they and all other human beings have an inherent predisposition to assert self will, as opposed to living in full accordance with G-d’s will.
That is the ‘Root Cause’ of ‘Sin’, and we are borne in bondage to it; utterly helpless to transform our natures to be free from that inherent condition of being. Only our Creator, the true and living G-d of the Universe and all within it, can effect the transformation that is required, in order for any individual to be ‘cured’ restored to ‘right relationship’ with their Creator, and brought into the new state of being that He intended for mankind before Adam and Eve were ever created in the first place.
So, according to my belief, we must ALL be ‘saved’; we must ALL be ‘born again’, and the only real question is how that process can, and does, take place.
I have to leave the my response there for now, but will come back to it as soon as possible, under the circumstances.
Thanks again for your question, and for your patience.
May you be richly blessed.
Love, Mike
Wow! Just now read your reply. Very comprehensive and much appreciated. (I also appreciate the civil, gracious tone of all your comments.).
Thanks Robin. I’ve been working on a more comprehensive response, and inadvertently hit the ‘Send’ button a few times - which sent me into panic mode as I tried to delete it and start over, etc. Still working on it and will post as soon as I can finish it.
G-d bless, Mike
Appreciated.
To add to this clear and succinct article: Mohammed was an illiterate, so the fabrication starts in the Koran where Jewish and Christian figures are mixed up and adapted to suit Islamic designs of conquest and supercession. On top of which the Koran has no stories. The whole binding of Ishmael in the Koran takes three sentences. In the Hebrew Bible the story is a story and belongs within a longer narrative that makes the story credible and its message hauntingly effective: thou shalt not kill thy children. Not so for Islam, where present day Palestinians willingly sacrifice their children on the altar of their crazed delusions. And as is typical of illiterates their word is not their bond; hence the lying in which the Palestinians indulge without batting an eyelash. The author is absolutely right: lying does no good and Jews should understand that better than anyone. Let's start with the need for Jewish sovereignty west of the Jordan river in which Palestinians have no voting rights and no Israeli citizenship. Totally feasible.
This was refreshing information of why we, as Jews, must be strong and get OUR history in the schools, colleges, university, media. We must not step as side! Am Yisrael Chai!
Actually what we need is to remain curious and do our own reading, because it is all too easy for our institutions to write us out of their curricula.
I'm assuming that Judith meant "we must be strong and get OUR history INTO the schools, colleges, .... " As for institutions, thinking of Columbia right now and I couldn't help smiling when I read that the Dept. of Middle Eastern studies was going to be overhauled. I generally don't like the idea of government meddling in academia, but ... I couldn't help smiling. Would love to know how others think.
I think you need to study the Sanatan experience in India with Islam. Santan predates Islam by at least 5000 years. But the blatant lies reinforced by Leftist politics and appeasement policies has placed such a huge burden on us in India, with so many parallels to the Jewish experience, that it feels like we need to establish a similar narrative, and a global strategy to counter the highly organized propaganda machine out there.
Yes, there is much in common between the Hindu experience in India and the Jews in Israel.
HaShem (השם) ≠ pagan god Allah.
The word "Islam" in Arabic literally means "submission" or "surrender”, specifically referring to the total submission to the will of a god, and a Muslim is one who practices this submission.
Excellent article! There is nothing 'brotherly' about Islam, only blind adherence.
Outstanding essay. Kol hakavod!
What an excellent article, thank you for sharing this.
Thank you, this was beautifully, articulately and succinctly written.
Thank you. The verity of all of this is so easily to be achieved and recognized, everyone could be able to know this, so the big question is why people follow all these lies and distortion - unfortunately not only concerning Jews.
They follow the lies because they are not taught the truth - and because what they are actually told sounds entirely plausible on the surface. And that’s also why they don’t look any further, because why would any major religion lie about its origins?
I have never accepted the Muslim claim that they are somehow superior to us, or that Islam “completes” Christianity and then Judaism, just because both are absurd enough as is.
Excellent article.
So good to hear the truth. We are no relation to the people of that psychotic ideology.
Great telling of the truth. So it is the same with the land of Israel. Such nonsense that the land belonged to somebody else; Israel has been the Jewish homeland for only 77 years; the British gave Arab land to the Jews. Israel has been the Jewish homeland since G-d declared it so centuries ago. Since there have been Jews, they have lived in Israel. Jews do not need or want anybody to tell them who they are, where they live and, most importantly, who their G-d is.
Am Yisrael Chai!!!
Wow! Excellent. I predict that this one will make the "top 10" at the end of the year.