I thought it was secular?

It's about national identity more than religion.

Interesting. Conservatism for Israel, liberalism for America. I love the American Israel supporter hypocrisy.

Last edited Mon Aug 15, 2016, 12:15 PM - Edit history (1)

Theoretically, all Jews in Israel could be atheist and it would still be the Jewish state.

Get it?

Well, unless you don't believe Jews are a people/nation.

But their traditions including names are solidly rooted in Europeanism.

Is considered fact...

By yourself.

Going way back over 3000 years. This is what "European" and Mizrahi "Arab" Jews share in common.

It's not about religion per se. It's about the culture and value system that animates the nation. While it is based on religion, Judeo-Christianism is an ideology and value system. No hypocrisy at all.

And the notion that it is is offensive. We are a liberal, secular, democracy.

America is a secular state, but the American nation is founded on values and ideology that derive from the Jewish and Christian religions.

....

" It's about national identity more than religion. " !!!!!! ????????

.....

Some terrorists have been described as "French" when they were French nationals but ethnically Muslim. These are different things.

In the case of Jews, pretty much if you're Jewish you're Jewish. By which I mean, "if you're of Jewish faith you're of Jewish heritage." But I've known Jews who were atheists.

They are distinct.

Now, Ottoman practice was fairly clear: your religion is what you get on your passport. Some Lebanese are Circassians, some are Armenians. But their passports would say "Muslim" ("Shi'ite" or "Sunni", actually) or "Christian". Because that's their collective identity.

In the US we focus on ethnicity and race, and act as though our first allegiance is to race/ethnicity--or perhaps our second. For much of the world, their first allegiance might be religion or ideology. Who are we to squish them into our particular ethnocentric boxes?

It is both.

This was an op-ed penned by the president of a small black religious group, the Ecumenical Leadership Council of Missouri. Good on them, but the more significant impact of national and international criticism and condemnation against Israel's decades long policies of brutal military occupation, discrimination, and the theft of Palestinian land and natural resources, continues to grow. As it should.