The purpose of this post is to target believing Christians, who...

The purpose of this post is to target believing Christians, who in my mind, I find them to be hypocritical if they hold the view that Israel should be giving up land to the Palestinians.

I first wish to qualify that I understand the dynamics of the politics, that in their minds, they believe peace will be achieved if the Palestinians have their own state.

Not withstanding this dream, but rather getting down to basics, and putting the political aspirations aside including the wishful thinking of many Christians here on HC, according to the tenets of the Christian faith….Are the Palestinians really entitled to a “homeland”, again keeping within the religious beliefs of Christianity.

Those of you who are atheists or not Christian, this post is only a thought provoking exercise seeing as my perspective will be presented along religious lines, which of course you will not accept. However I still believe that you will have the ability to ask these same questions of Christian friends of yours who do believe in the New Testament etctec.

Here goes!

Christians routinely refer to the Psalms and in fact recite them in their churches. For example Psalm 23….The Lord is my Shepherd….. is one of the most popular Psalms sung by congregants or is recited by priests or leaders of a congregation..

This Psalm is often sung during times of despair or when one has difficulties in life. There are of course others, but I am simply using this one as a point of reference which I hope will make this post easier to understand.

Has anybody ever stopped to think, who was the composer of the Psalm, otherwise known as the Psalmist? The Psalmist was………. King David…..King of the Jews some 3,000 years ago.

So, what we have here, are Christian people singing Jewish Psalms during their times of worship, believing in the Psalms when they are in need, yet not recognizing that there are 150 Pslams and the messages that they carry are messages of hope, inspiration, belief in God and ……….the belief of God and his nation ….Israel.

Ok, you might argue that we are elitists, but then I’d argue why are you using our Psalms, which were written by a Jewish king who you would have to argue, by extension, was also elitist. Even more so, as he composed them!

Does that mean that you’ll chop and choose? This Psalm is acceptable, this Psalm is not?

Either one accepts the holiness and the integrity of the Psalms or of one doesn’t, then simply reject them and don’t sing them at all. You could always choose the sonnets of Shakespeare, sprinkle a little holy water on them, make them holy and sing them instead.

It’s akin to being pregnant. One can’t be a little pregnant. You either are, or you are not.

So if King David and his Psalms are acceptable which I assume they are otherwise no emphasis would be put on them during your church worship, why not look at some of his other Psalms?

Take Psalm 137, for example. (In some English versions there may be a different order).

Verse 6:

All that the Lord desired, he has done in the heavens and the earth, in the seas and all the depths.

Then go on to Verse 10:…………….It was he who struck down many nations and slew mighty kings.

Verse 11:…………………..Sichon, King of the Amorites, Og King of Basan, and all the kingdoms of Canaan.

Verse 12:…………….Then he gave their lands as a heritage to his people, Israel.

So, those of you who accept your religion sing the Psalms composed by our King David, how do you reconcile the above verses, particularly Verse 12?

Go now to Psalm 137…….By the Rivers of Babylon…..(you all know the tune)

Verse 1:…………. By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat and wept as we remembered Zion.

Verse5:………… If I forget you Jerusalem, let my right hand forget [it’s movement].

Verse 6:…………...Let my tongue cleave to my palate, if I will not remember you, if I will not bring to mind Jerusalem [foremost] during my greatest joy.

One does not have to be a genius to see the nexus between Zion and Jerusalem.

And this was written by a Jewish King 1,000 years before the advent of Christianity and 1,600 years before the birth of Islam.

But let me go on.

Christ was a Jew and he surrounded himself with the 12 Apostles.

Nowhere in the famous Epistles of the 4 foremost Apostles, have I found an expression that the Jews who were the rulers of Israel (until the Romans invaded) which included Judea and Shomron (nowadays referred to as the West Bank) were “illegal occupiers” of their country.

Didn’t these founding fathers of Christianity have any moral qualms that they as Jews were not the rightful owners, rather they (their ancestors) had invaded Canaan and were “illegal settlers”?

Or did they subscribe to the belief that god as the owner of the universe could do as he wished with what was his, and that they too believed, Israel was a god given gift for eternity to his people, the Jews? A gift that was not to be questioned if one was a believer in god?

If they got that wrong, that would mean the whole Christian religion is fatally flawed. But they did not get that wrong. They too worshipped the same god. Obviously they introduced new customs but in essence they worshipped the god of Israel.

Neither Christ, nor the Apostles renounced gods gift to the Jews, at least not that I am aware of.

And just as then they sung the praises of god, referring to the Psalms in many of their sayings, it would be a logical assumption to believe that they were firm in their conviction that god had given Israel to the Jews….an irrevocable and enduring gift and only he had the power to take from them if he so chose, which at times he did, but clearly on a temporary basis, as their exiles would be temporary. (Pretty lengthy temporary, but in gods relationship to time, a blink of an eye.)

So my message to Christians out there…….You want to sing our Psalms….go ahead. They are meaningful and beautiful.

But you can’t be a little pregnant.

Either believe that Israel in it’s ancient entirety belongs to the Jews, or else stop being hypocrites …………………………….and don’t sing or quote our Psalms. I’d rather you debunked them, than have you playing musical chairs with them.

And if you are playing the debunking game doesn’t that imply your rejection of what your saviour and his disciples themselves believed?

I will say one thing in favour of some Christian groups who fervently believe that Israel belongs exclusively to the Jews.

Whilst I acknowledge that their agenda might not be the same as ours, at least there appears to be some consistency within their prayers and beliefs.