Why do we give Jews a 'Pass'?

I was reading an article in the "Atheist Revolution" blog and I came across this snippet:

When I encounter a parent telling her children about Santa Claus, I may find it unfortunate that someone would lie to one's own child merely for entertainment purposes. The potential for harm here seems trivially small. I cannot say the same for the Muslim parent instructing his son in the virtues of martyrdom or the Christian who tells her daughter that her Jewish friends will go to hell because they have not been "saved."

Could we not add something like the following to the last sentence:

...or the jew who tells his kids that he's "chosen" and has a covenant with god that entitles him and his "people" to the land of Israel, and then uses that as justification for a bloody occupation of Palestine.

The one-year anniversary of Operation Cast Lead is approaching (Dec. 27th) and I think we should take a look at where we've come since then. The Goldstone Report: buried. Settlements: expanding. Palestinian house demolitions: continuing.

As atheists, we should be appalled whenever religion is used to justify actions that result in suffering or death. We do not seem to hesitate to speak out when a child dies because a Christian Scientist eschewed Western medicine in favor of prayer. We do not seem to hesitate to speak out when a Muslim nutjob finds motivation in his religion to grab some firearms and gun down some people. Why are we silent when an ethnic group uses a story about chosen people and covenants in The Big Book of Jewish Fairy Tales (aka, the Old Testament) to justify what is looking more and more like a slow, methodical ethnic cleansing campaign? Why do the Jews need to have Jerusalem all to themselves? Why is it so important to them to have a Jewish majority that they'll turn Gaza into a prison camp and The West Bank into Swiss cheese where the Palestinians are forced to live on smaller and smaller plots of land and endure more and more restrictions on their movement? If this were being done to a Jewish population they'd be screaming about a second holocaust.

The bottom line is that all three major religions are guilty of many modern-day atrocities and have a great deal of blood on their metaphorical hands. Why do we only bewail the actions of two of those three major religions?

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Permalink Reply by Doc on August 11, 2012 at 11:14pm

I must correct both of you regarding the appellation "conservative Jew."  In Ashkenazi Jewish culture, there are three major factions:  reform, conservative, and orthodox.  While each represents a very wide spectrum, with some bit of overlap, none -- including "conservative" -- refers to governmental politics.  It's not a left wing, right wing sort of thing.

Permalink Reply by Jonathan Chang on August 12, 2012 at 1:15am

I'm using "conservative" in the American sense, but I stand corrected I guess?

Permalink Reply by Doc on August 12, 2012 at 2:00am

Yes.  Thank you for understanding.  Feel free to use "right wing" or something similar where applicable, though.  FYI, I was raised conservative Jewish, and by today's standards, it was pretty left wing, supporting African-American rights, women's rights, the right to a good education, secular government, etc.

Permalink Reply by Jonathan Chang on August 12, 2012 at 2:03am

Great. The problem, I surmise, is not your education, but a deeply-ingrained existential fear based on historical events, but ultimately, a fear that's unjustified.

Permalink Reply by Doc on August 12, 2012 at 2:46am

Considering your current and previous use of "existential" and the various vocabulary words you've already proven you don't understand, perhaps you'd best dumb that one down for me -- if you can -- just to prove you understand what it means.  No pressure...

Permalink Reply by Jonathan Chang on August 12, 2012 at 2:49am

Please, let us all know what those words supposedly are, just so you could prove how much you've run out of things to say about the actual topic. But do so anyways... give the definition of "existential" then show how I used it wrongly?

Permalink Reply by Doc on August 12, 2012 at 3:05am

It doesn't work that way.  If you can't define your terminology, you shouldn't be using it.  Big words are for grown-ups, Jonathan.

Permalink Reply by Glen Rosenberg on August 10, 2012 at 7:51pm

Jonathan, I was not making gratuitous conversation, was responding. And you judge through prism of your racism. It is so blatant. Where did you pick it up? How do you feel about Japanese in Nanking? Does that approach the fascist warmongering Jew menace?

Atheist Jew, you are right about JC. It is like an atheist trying to get through wall of faith with strong theist. I did not know that about Brazil.

Permalink Reply by The Atheist Jew on August 10, 2012 at 8:02pm

5.5 million Arabs in France.  That is equal to the amount of Jews in Israel.  How much space do 5.5 million people take up?  The amount of those of Arab ancestry is estimated between .3 million to 17 million LOL  I believe it is close to 8 million, though the overwhelming majority are of Christian Arab ancestry.  But still, Arabs going to countries in large numbers is acceptable, but Jews going to non sovereign land to become a majority is the biggest travesty mankind has ever committed.

Permalink Reply by Jonathan Chang on August 10, 2012 at 8:11pm

"But still, Arabs going to countries in large numbers is acceptable, but Jews going to non sovereign land to become a majority is the biggest travesty mankind has ever committed."

Here is a comparison, presented a being perfectly legitimate, between Arabs emigrating to other countries, and Jews, handed a country from a foreign body, and then forming their own government on land populated, then, by another ethnic group, as a wartime treaty.

Laughable. I don't know if it's ignorance or deeply embedded racism against other people that purportedly amended your Holy Book. But I continue to have hope that other Jews, particularly the new generation, will escape your collective persecution complex, and stop projecting your racism onto other people.

Permalink Reply by The Atheist Jew on August 10, 2012 at 8:19pm

The difference is Israel was not even sovereign land, so it was basically up for negotiations and or war.  Nothing to say about the Muslims being handed a country (Pakistan) in 1947.  Didn't think so.  I don't have a Holy book, imbecile....yes imbecile.  You need to associate Jews like me with being religious so as to fit your idiotic rationalization of the world.  Seek help.

Permalink Reply by Jonathan Chang on August 10, 2012 at 8:37pm

It was a territory that the British held on to for about 20 years from the Ottoman Empire, before erroneously handing it off to Jews as a wartime deal. How is that even comparable to people of Arabic descent emigrating to France? I have never even uttered one word about Jews emigrating to America, of which now comprises a population above 6 million.

Characterizing Pakistan as "Muslims being handed a country" is like saying Hindus being handed India when the British relinquished control of Indian territories, and as a matter of fact, the Hindus and Muslims residing in those areas gained freedom, respectively. How is that even the same?

How much history do you have to stretch to justify your military conquests?

I will seek help. I think I have compulsive disorder since I'm sitting around AtheistNexus arguing with racist Jews when I could be doing something more productive, like arguing with Christians about how many fingernails God have...

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