It's no secret that I support Israel (and, I suspect, it's likely the reason I lose people off the feedburner that shows how many people
1. Generalized derogatory comments on Jewry. They can be subtler hints, like "I think that there is no doubt that there are many american citizens that have greater loyality to Israel than the US." (My subsequent challenge to that assertion consisted of getting absolutely no evidence other than the assertion, I might add). Then there are more flagrant commentaries like "If for whatever reason, the USA entered into military conflict with the foreign nation Israel, could we count on all the Jews in the US military to support and not sabotage the operation?" I have seen some truly idiotic and despicable comments that state that 'Jews are over-represented in Hollywood'. You ken me drift, I think.
2. Usually, I point out that Jews are a race and an ethnicity, not just a religion. Don't believe me? Look it up. WITHOUT EXCEPTION, I hear this: "You can convert to Judaism, that makes you a Jew, so you're WRONG." Never mind that if your mother's a Jew, you're born a Jew. This is pretty much a false dichotomy: there's more than one way to be a 'member'.
3. Entering into discussion with these folks and calling shenanigans usually ends up degenerating into a pissing contest. I get accused of being brain damaged, rabid Zionism, and other ridiculous nonsense. Even of not being a 'True AtheistTM'
4. Usually this devolves even more into ridiculous comparisons: Israel commits genocide, accusations of apartheid, comparisons to Nazi Germany (that last part should Godwin a thread, but doesn't, as the clown is usually building up some lather).
Now, as a qualifier, some people go directly to number 4. Once upon a time, I was one of those folks. And someone challenged me on it. So I did the research. I've other posts on the subject, so before you take a swing at me, do a little reading up. I have valid reasons for 'switching sides'.
One of the issues you'd imagine I'd have as an atheist, is this: they started the whole shebang, the whole monotheistic trinity of nonsense we have to endure and combat in the name of reason and rationality. More correctly, their "ancestors "did that, and I'm not a big fan of children inheriting the 'sins' of their fathers folderol. The other fact of the matter, is that aside from the latest problems occurring in Israel, Jews aren't in the news. Or rather, they're more sporadically in the news - outside say, the Madoff scandal, the contrast of bad press from either Islam or Christianity (or the variants ther) outnumber the bad press from Judaism by at least 20 to 1 (that's a guessed margin - feel free to correct me).
Have no doubt, I'm firmly against religion. As Einstein so succinctly put it, "the Jewish religion like all other religions is an incarnation of the most childish superstitions." My major beef is that folks (especially on the left) indulge themselves in (sometimes unknowingly) distinctly racist (yes, Jewish is a race) scapegoating, which I might add, is a religious practice, and one that should be tossed in the garbage with all the Talmuds, Korans, and bibbles. I do have a sort of empathy for them as a people, because I'm fairly sure no other group gets blamed for so much on so little evidence, and anti-Semitism is an evil Christian legacy that atheists should not espouse.
Make of that what you will.
L'Chaim.
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