In my area, most Christians are respectful, but some non-denominational Christians have their eyes buried so deep in their Bibles that they can’t see the people in front of them. And what’s worse is that these types don’t subscribe to any outside authority; they depend only on their own interpretation of scripture, so positing popular arguments like the ones in Nostra Aetate fall on deaf ears. So much for “Do not rely only on your own limited understanding!”
@kolev@babka.social What I've heard from progressive, educated Christians is that Pharisees AS A GROUP weren't bad people. Only the specific INDIVIDUAL Pharisees who butted heads with Jesus behaved badly. Unfortunately, the writers of the New Testament were sloppy, and they often just wrote "a Pharisee" instead of using the individual's name. I believe that this is a major factor in the rampant antisemitism in some churches, especially the so-called "Bible churches". It would have been so much better if Jesus's enemies had been identified as named individuals. As a comparison, it would be okay for someone today to say "Pierre Poilievre and Bonnie Henry are bad people", but it would be sloppy and harmful to say "Canadians are bad people". Using actual names makes it clear that the individuals, not the entire group, are at fault. I'm really lucky in that I live in a neighborhood where most of the churches are progressive, and there are good relationships between Jews and Christians. How are things where you live?
@kolev Sorry to hear that you have to deal with some of the more difficult Christians. I wish that I knew how to get through to them.
@kolev @Lkdc in my country individual christians are ok. But foreign christian institutions are trying to convert people whenever possible — Israel’s pluralistic, but they don’t respect that.
There’s Armenian (branch of the Eastern Orthodoxy), Protestant, and Coptic local churches here (maybe more, idk); but almost every christian branch has a church or two (usually one near the Galilee sea and one in Jerusalem).
Missionaries still exist here, too. They use YouTube ads to feed on people’s doubts and fears regarding the war. “שיקרו לעם שלי במשך אלפיים שנה” mf (I genuinely hate that woman, these words are a disgrace to the Hebrew language).
But as I said, individual christians are ok. They’re just people. Who are christians. There isn’t much to it.
Sidenote, bells are super annoying. Around christian holy sites, every round hour, ding dong ding dong. How dare you tell a Jew when to wake up on a Saturday? /lh
@kolev @Lkdc oh I forgot the South Lebanon Army refugees Israel accepted. So yeah there are christians even within Israeli “Jew”s. Both Muslims and Jews see christians as slightly wrong editions of their own faith — there are many messianic Jewish branches.
@laxla @kolev Wow, I can’t imagine the audacity of Christian missionaries going to Israel, of all places! That’s so weird!
It’s good to hear that you’re okay with the local Christians who are just living their lives. They sound more pleasant to be around than the missionaries.
I completely agree about the annoyance of church bells. I don’t like any noise pollution waking people unnecessarily. Sleep is so important!
@Lkdc @kolev idk if you’re sarcastic, but missionaries fundamentally have no right to exist. It is the purest form of bigotry possible.
They’re basically crusaders without kings backing them.
@Lkdc @kolev ironically enough, in Israel, you’re on a live and let live basis.
The moment you break that social contract by converting or religionizing someone else, you’re excluded from it, and the government is obligated (socially; legally, it’s complicated) to oppress you. Flat-out. Same as if you were a cult.