60 MINUTES - CHRISTIANS IN THE HOLY LAND

I realize that many of you who read this are not American and do not live in the United States. There is a popular investigative news show on Sunday nights, 60 Minutes, that has increasingly become a source of political propaganda and unprofessional reporting. Sadly many of us remember a day when the show was actually interesting and presented less bias and more truth. 

60 Minute's amazingly failed attempt to present Christians’ plight in the land of Israel was enough to place it in the fiction entertainment category, maybe even close to “sci-fi mystery”.  Before you continue reading, you may want to refresh yourself with the the post from 1-19-12, WITH WHOM SHOULD CHRISTIAN LEADERS BE ALIGNED?  The article identifies some of the players in this drama and lists the biblical basis for the nation of Israel.
                         

I noticed throughout the 60 Minutes show  (which aired April 22), Christians outside the Catholic, Orthodox, Lutheran and Anglican Churches were never mentioned or interviewed. All four of these denominations have a dark history of anti-Semitism……you might also what to reread the post also from 1-19-12, THE MYTH ABOUT CHRIST KILLERS. They do not necessary represent the majority of Christians in the world. In this decade Christians who are Baptist, Pentecostal, Non-denominational, and simply Bible believers make up a huge portion of Christianity on earth and in Israel. There are even Jewish believers in Jesus in Israel! I guess they are kind of like Matthew, Mark, John and Paul! Who, by the way, contrary to the Lutheran Minister from Bethlehem on 60 minutes, WERE NOT PALESTINIAN! In fact, there was NO such place called “Palestine” until 135 AD!  That was way after Jesus and the New Testament !
This minister actually said, “Christianity has a stamp in  back, ‘Made in Palestine’.”
If that’s the case, it is bootlegged and not authentic so DO NOT BUY IT!
                                               

                                                 

An Orthodox Priest on the show said, “Arab Christians whose roots date back to the very beginning.” Ok, this is also interesting, “the very beginning of what?” The beginning of Jesus’ ministry on earth? Jesus quotes the Jewish scriptures 78 times covering Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Deuteronomy, Psalms, Proverbs, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel, Hosea, Amos, Jonah, Micah, and Malachi. None of these men were Arab. They were ALL Jewish prophets used by the G-d of Israel to speak His truth. The Apostles in the New Testament quoted the Old Testament 209 times! They even called it “the Word of God.” None of these men were Arab. They were Jewish and used their scriptures to explain who Jesus is. So what “roots” is the Orthodox priest referring to? Maybe the day of Shavuot/Pentecost? The Book of Acts, Chapter 2, verse 11 mentions “Arabs and Cretans” in Jerusalem; however, they were touched by G-d when they heard Jews who believed in Jesus declaring the wonders of G-d in arabic! So, again, the Jewish believers lit a fire that ignited others as the Holy Spirit fell on them. I guess that would make them "the root" or as the Bible says, "First fruits".

                                                                                     

Towards the end of the 60 Minute piece, Christian leaders from the Catholic, Orthodox, Lutheran and Anglican denominations boast about a “Document of Peace” they wrote which states, “Christians call the Israeli Occupation a sin against God.” I am scratching my head – which G-d are they talking about? Surely NOT the G-d of the Bible!  It would take too long to explain, so I refer again to a post written 2-21-12, WHAT ABOUT THE WORD “EVERLASTING” DON’T YOU UNDERSTAND?

The amazing thing about all this is that the Muslim community is hardly even mentioned as a possible reason Arab Christians are struggling in areas of Israel governed by Muslims!  60 Minute's host, Bob Simon, “the investigative reporter,” is bent on slamming Israel with total responsibility for the ARAB Christian’s struggle. Any thorough investigation could not overlook the fact that Middle Eastern Christians are not just struggling in parts of Israel! The Wall Street Journal reports, “In Egypt, 200,000 Coptic Christians fled their homes last year after beatings and massacres by Muslim extremist mobs. Since 2003, 70 Iraqi churches have been burned and nearly 1000 Christians killed in Baghdad alone, causing more than half a million-member community to flee. Conversion to Christianity is a capital offense in Iran, where Pastor Yousef Nadarkhani was sentenced to death.” (Wall Street Journal March 9, 2012)

                                                       
What is the common factor in the Christians plight? Not Israeli Jews! Arab Muslims! For more information about Christian persecution in the Muslim world go to: http://barenakedislam.com/category/persecution-of-christians/     

In fact, only in Israel are Arab Christians prominent in society. They serve in the Knesset, the Foreign Ministry, and the Supreme Court. Thousands have volunteered for military service and have the same access to public schools and health care as Jewish Israeli citizens.  In Arab nations surrounding Israel this is not the case. In fact, in many of these nations, and in the Palestinian territories, voices that oppose Islam are severely oppressed. Why would it surprise any educated person that voices critical of the Muslim majority in “The West Bank” and Gaza would remain silent fearing retribution. A clear example , and something grossly overlooked by Bob Simon and his CBS colleagues, is the end of THE TEACHER’S BOOKSHOP in the Gaza Strip.  It was a Christian Bookstore from 1998-2007. It was located in the center of Gaza City and the only Christian bookstore in Gaza.  In 2006, the store was bombed twice by “Islamic Extremists” doing a great deal of damage.  In 2007, the manager, Rami Ayyad was kidnapped and murdered.

                                             
Although Hamas condemned the attack and pledged to protect the Christian community, the bookstore was permanently shut down.

During the 60 Minute piece, Bob Simon interviewed an Arab Christian, living in the “West Bank” who laughed in unbelief at Ambassador Oren’s comment suggesting Arab Christians living in the “West Bank” fear Muslim extremists. The gentlemen boasted of 20,000 coca-cola customers, and he’s never heard anyone say there’s a problem with Islamic persecution. I guess he just ignores any Islamization of society like Muslim codes of conduct for women or attacks on bookstores.  

                                                    
 Another glaring and purposefully overlooked fact in the 60 minutes piece is this: Arab Christians who are Israeli citizens are thriving in their communities. The Jerusalem Central Bureau of Statistics recorded that “Israel’s Christian community that numbered 34,000 people in 1949 is 163,000 today and will reach 187,000 in 2020.” (http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2012/01/30/when-will-west-act-against-persecution-christians-in-middle-east/#ixzz1syxBiqdl )
So, one would have to ask, “ is this an Arab Palestinian Problem?”  If it is, and the Arab Israelis are ok, then maybe those who govern the “Arab Palestinian Christians,” Fatah and Hamas, should be more thoroughly investigated. Even Newsweek magazine has recognized that Christian communities in many Muslim nations are suffering.  So, to totally ignore this is an obvious attempt to slander Israel and present her as “unjust” to the Christian community. Nothing could be further from the truth.