Lando 
Posted on 12/13/2004 8:27:28 AM PST by Lando Lincoln
Up and down the street where I live, half the homes are lit up with Christmas trees, the other half with menorahs. The days are good and the nights are silent. Most of the time we can’t tell the difference between Christians and Jews. We’re too busy being just plain old Americans.
You have Christmas. We have Chanukah. You have Easter. We have Passover. Does this separate us? No, this unites us, for together, this land is our land.
If this sounds corny, well it is.
I am offended, however. Across this nation, in cities, towns, villages and school districts, Christians are being told that they cannot celebrate Christmas openly. Here, there and everywhere, Christians are being sent into hiding if they want to sing carols, display nativity scenes, herald the Ten Commandments, or praise Jesus. Even Santa is not kosher.
I am Jewish, and Jesus is not my God…so why am I so offended at what I take to be an agenda of persecution against Christians?
This is not a scholarly approach, so let me simply say that American Christianity is a marvel, a near miracle of tolerance and, better yet, loving-kindness. American Christians do love their neighbors as themselves. I know this from the pavements I walk, the streets I drive, the sandlots where I root for the home team. I am free to visit your church, and you would be most welcome in my synagogue.
How this happened is a mystery. But the difference between European Christianity and American Christianity is as vast as an ocean.
Let others provide the history and the details. For me it is enough to remember that Europe plunged its Christianity into the Nuremberg Laws and a Holocaust that has existed in one form or another for some two thousand years, and continues to this day. Europe finally produced Hitler.
AMERICAN CHRISTIANITY produced Jefferson, Lincoln, and a document that opens with these words: “We the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union, establish justice, insure domestic tranquility… and secure the blessing of liberty to ourselves and our posterity, do order and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.”
Sound familiar? It should if you know the Hebrew Bible, as this from Leviticus: “Proclaim liberty throughout the land unto all the inhabitants thereof.”
Here, in this land, more often than not, those words have been turned into deeds.
Yes, we are a Judeo/Christian nation, and if it gets any better than that, I don’t know where.
Only Israel itself compares, the Israel of before, and the Israel of today. Israel is where our American heritage begins.
As Jews, we do not pray to Jesus, but we stand in admiration that true Christians adhere to His message of love, taken from our Scriptures. We respect your devotion as you respect ours. We honor your faith as you honor ours, even as we pray separately but live equally, in friendship.
From “The Hebrew Impact on Western Civilization,” we get this: “How closely the Puritans identified themselves with the Israelites is hard to over-emphasize…They actually thought of themselves as a new Israel…If Israel had its Pharaoh, so did the Puritans in King James 1. The Atlantic Ocean was to them the Red Sea. America was the new Canaan…The first book printed in America was the Bay Psalm Book.”
Of course we have our self-haters, bigots and anti-Semites. Openly or in secret, they pray in favor of America’s enemies and promote any cause that would harm or even destroy Israel. But they do not define this country. Let their curses turn into blessings.
Give me, instead, those Christian Evangelicals, all 70 million of them, or those 60 million Gentiles who turn Christian but once a week or twice and year.
Away with the restrictions and laws that deny Christians their Christianity.
Let me watch them praise their Lord with Christmas trees and jingle bells, for these are a reminder to me, a Jew, that I live in this land, this land of mostly Christians that have kept the promise of my ancestor, the prophet Micah, that this house be blessed by the shade of that vine and fig tree, and none shall make us afraid.
About the Writer: Jack Engelhard is the author of the bestseller "Indecent Proposal," the award-winning "Escape from Mount Moriah," and the novel "The Days of the Bitter End," which is being prepared for movie production. Jack receives e-mail at viewopinion@aol.com.
Lando
WARNING: This is a high volume ping list
Merry Christmas and Shalom
Pray for W and Merry Christmas to Our Troops
Good post. Thanks. I can relate to the Authors idea of Israel being where Americas roots were. It truely is a pioneer Nation.
We live in a great country. Can we keep it?
Thank you for the ping dear Alouette. A great article. And I love the menorah flag!
Happy Hannukah to you!
"Israel is where our American heritage begins. ... As Jews, we do not pray to Jesus, but we stand in admiration that true Christians adhere to His message of love, taken from our Scriptures. We respect your devotion as you respect ours. We honor your faith as you honor ours, even as we pray separately but live equally, in friendship. ... Of course we have our self-haters, bigots and anti-Semites. Openly or in secret, they pray in favor of America’s enemies and promote any cause that would harm or even destroy Israel. But they do not define this country. Let their curses turn into blessings. Give me, instead, those Christian Evangelicals, all 70 million of them, or those 60 million Gentiles who turn Christian but once a week or twice and year. Away with the restrictions and laws that deny Christians their Christianity. ... for these are a reminder to me, a Jew, that I live in this land, this land of mostly Christians that have kept the promise of my ancestor, the prophet Micah, that this house be blessed by the shade of that vine and fig tree, and none shall make us afraid."
WOW! I'm Catholic, not Evangelical Protestant, and I cheer and applaud Mr. Englehard's sentiments!! Big Time! All I can do is echo them and say to my Jewish and Israeli friends an old Southern US saying: God bless y'all real good!
And give me those Jews dedicated to the nation of Israel and especially those in the IDF that valiantly stand in harm's way over a carpetbagger like Noam Chomsky (please pardon the mention of that name) any day of the week.
Nice post.
Ping
Very worth a ping, Merry Christmas ... Shalom
I have been already for several years with the opinion that Israel is very much like the USA.
-Relative to population, Israel is the largest immigrant absorbing nation on earth. These immigrants come in search of democracy, religious freedom or expression, economic opportunity, and quality of life.
(Note: Israel is a Jewish state, and those who search for religious freedom are Jews who cant do that in other countries due to anti-simitism).
-Israel is based on democracy and justice.
-Israel has similar enemies.
-Israel is a pluralistic demoracy.
-Israeli culture is much more American than Europian.
-Similar industry:
Israel has the highest number of start-up companies in absolute terms, after the USA.
Israel has the highest concentration of hi-tech companies outside of Silicon Valley.
Israel is ranked 2 in the world for venture capital funds, behind the USA.
And more and more and more.
:)
May God bless you back with duble amount!
Great article by the way! Thanks
BTTT
Ping. G_d bless our Jewish brothers and sisters.
bump
AMEN.
Truly. A wonderful article.
A a capella singing group was told by the National Park Service to remove religion from the Xmas performance that they were doing on the Mall in DC.
I third the (e)motion!
More proof of what I first realized overseas... America is the Promised Land to the rest of the world. We're truly blessed to live here.
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