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Thread ID: 10482 | Posts: 3 | Started: 2003-10-14
2003-10-14 18:46 | User Profile
Agence France-Presse: [url]http://www.prolog.net/webnews/wed/cy/Qisrael-religion.R7IT_DOE.html[/url]
Thousands of foreign Christians stage Jerusalem march to support Israel
October 14, 2003
JERUSALEM (AFP) - Some 5,000 evangelical Christians from all over the world marched in the streets of Jerusalem Tuesday to mark the Jewish holiday of Sukkot and express solidarity with Israel.
The majority of demonstrators were Americans, but delegations from South Africa, Brazil, Germany, Japan and some 60 other countries also marched towards the Old City, waving their national flags and "We Love Israel" banners.
"I came to celebrate Sukkot, and to tell the people here that the God of Israel is reigning and remind them not to lose hope," said Shay Kasper, a 56-year-old Christian from California, who marched dressed up as Uncle Sam.
"I am here to fulfil the prophecy and, as a tourist, to spend much needed money in Israel," said Richard, a South African belonging to a charismatic Christian movement.
The organisers stressed that the number of participants who flew to Israel for the 24th annual Feast of the Tabernacles celebration had risen significantly from the 2002 figures.
Several Christian denominations were represented in the procession: Roman Catholics, Baptists, the Church of England and many others. The march also included a group of Falun Gong practitioners and Messianic Jews from Israel.
The visitors have been attending events organised by the International Christian Embassy, including a speech by Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon on Sunday night.
"Christians stand with Israel", "Israel, you are not alone" read some of the other banners in the march, which also coincided with a summit of right-wing Israeli and US figures hosted by the Christian Coalition for Israel.
Among the most senior US guests were former under secretary of defence Richard Perle, a leading neo-conservative hardliner in the Pentagon, and Daniel Pipes, President George W. Bush's adviser on the Middle East.
The conference focused on "the strategy of fighting Islamic fundamentalism, the role of Jerusalem in creating a morality-based alliance against that threat and viable morality-driven alternatives to the current political challenges in the Middle East."
2003-10-14 19:16 | User Profile
[QUOTE]October 14, 2003
JERUSALEM (AFP) - Some 5,000 evangelical Christians from all over the world marched in the streets of Jerusalem Tuesday to mark the Jewish holiday of Sukkot and express solidarity with Israel.[/QUOTE]
:yawn: :yawn: :yawn: :yawn: :yawn: :yawn:
2003-10-14 19:47 | User Profile
What a herd of idiots. The statement that "Christians stand with Israel" makes about as much sense as saying "Christians stand with the Mafia."
I think a big part of the reason why "Christian Zionists" are such strong supporters of that criminal state is that it tends to validates the beliefs they harbor in their peanut-sized brains. They cling to Israel because it provides a bulwark against doubt that might otherwise undermine their blind faith in their stupid fundamentalist beliefs. What they're not intelligent enough to realize is this: If a number of people actively work to bring about the fulfillment of their interpretation of a prophecy, then those people can hardly claim that their predictions were correct and in accord with God's will if they should be successful in their efforts!
I'm unpleasantly surprised that Catholics and Anglicans were present at the march. They should know better than the fundamentalists.
Speaking of fundamentalist loonies...It's truly amazing that anyone can take the Bible literally when its pages contain so many clear factual contradictions. For example, Matthew 27:5 states that Judas hanged himself after betraying Christ, while Acts 1:18 says that he died in a fall that caused his guts to spill out. How can these both be correct? And there are many other such examples. Any single one of them PROVES that the Bible CANNOT be 100% factually correct. To deny this is to deny reason itself. (Even if the Bible were completely correct, nowhere does it teach that God defines "His People" based on race. Even modern Orthodox Judaism accepts Gentile converts, albeit reluctantly.)