Supposing you are right, then what would be some strategic ways for defenders of democracy to move from talk to action? What more needs to be done to expose and counter a strategy of fearmongering? Is there a strategy of "love-mongering" or "hope-mongering" that could come into play?

by jhutson on Sat Dec 31, 2005 at 10:38:51 AM EST

Firstly, they actively promote Israeli Expansionism and Israel itself to the literal point of idolatry (including telling people--when Israeli policy fits in with premillenial dispensationalism, anyways--that criticism of Israeli policies towards Palestinians is "judging children of God", is blasphemy, and that Israel should be supported even if they commit a total genocide against the Palestinians (my emphasis, I actually heard that line more than once from not only my family but from fellow dominionists in my church).

This is not because they particularly care about Jews, mind; this is because of the critical role Israel plays in their end-time theology.  (Specifically, the end of the world is supposed to be triggered when either the Russians or the Arabs (or sometimes the Arabs backed by the Russians) attack Jerusalem and attempt to invade Israel.)  In fact, heavy pressure is brought on Israeli government (especially Likud) by pentecostal dominionists in the US to expand Israeli borders all the way to the maximum Biblical extent.)

Interestingly, Jews who have no real desire to move to Israel (and there are a number of them; there are even Jews who find the entire idea of Zionism to be more than a bit blasphemous) are seen as "betrayers of their people" by pente dominionists.

Regarding the Jewish people themselves, heavy emphasis is put on converting them to "Messianic Jews"--kosher pentecostals.  This includes not only groups in the US (like Jews for Jesus, which is documented as targeting (among others) Russian Jewish emigres whose religion was repressed in "real life" by the Soviets and who don't know all that much about Judaism) but groups within Israel itself; the very Assemblies of God church I am a walkaway from operates a group, High Adventure Ministries, whose major purpose is to convert Jews in Israel itself to "Messianic Jews".  (The group also promotes tours to Israel geared towards the pentecostal community and operates a large shortwave radio empire.)

Jewish people are seen to be "chosen people of God" but are also seen as "incomplete"--they're basically not really seen as "chosen people" unless they convert to "Messianic Judaism".  More often than not, this is conversion to being essentially an Assemblies of God member who keeps kosher; the vast majority of "Messianic Jew" congregations are in fact "outreaches" of Assemblies of God churches, and there are even some AoG members who call themselves "Hebrew Christians"--people who were born and raised as Assemblies of God members and then took up keeping kashrut, etc. basically playing at being Jewish.

Needless to say, most legitimate Jewish groups are not amused at this, seeing this in a way as a mockery of their religion.

Almost since Israel's founding, dominionist groups (starting with the Full Gospel Businessmen's Fellowship International and other pente groups) have been shmoozing themselves with the Jewish community in the US and with Israel's government, claiming they can maintain US support for Israel and also claiming that they are essentially the only group besides the Jewish community supportive of Israel in the US.  This has earned them friends in the Jewish community--less than in past, as many groups (notably Reform Judaism and the ADL) are realising they've inadvertently bedded with someone all too happy to stab them in the back--but still, some.  

Again, this is so dominionists can put the "premillenial dispensationalist" gamebook into play--supposedly all the world's Jews are to move to Israel, pentes and the "Messianic Jews" converted so far will be raptured once a "critical mass" of people converted worldwide is hit, halfway through the Tribulation two people will convert to Christianity and be martyred, this will convince the Jewish population that the pentes were Right All Along, a few more will become Messianic Jews when Armaggedon finally hits seven years after the Rapture, and everyone else gets to literally burn in hell.

The Jews of the world are starting to--in small steps--realise that for the past fifty years they have been played, and played hard, by the pentecostal dominionist and premillenial dispensationalist communities.  Many groups are starting to stand up and state that they are, in effect, no longer willing to be used as pawns by dominionists.

Needless to say, the dominionists are not happy.  This is why they're breaking out the Mafia-protection-racket style speech of "You know, we're you're only friends, you don't pay us the protection money...BAD things could happen.  Really bad things." (And yes, this is exactly what they've done for the past fifty years--essentially played the part of a protection racket for Jews and Israel, even though most of the US is not exactly antisemitic.)  This is what the whole "war on Christmas" thing is about.  

The dominionists, and in particular the premillenial dispensationalist dominionists in the pentecostal community--are raging mad because the Jews realise they're being used in a protection racket and are not playing along with the Rapture Script anymore.

by dogemperor on Sat Dec 31, 2005 at 12:45:35 PM EST

Hagee and Hagaard's condescension towards Jews and the implied threat deserves far wider coverage and opprobrium from religious leaders.

I am glad that Talk to Action can provide a place where we can come together to learn, and try to make sense of these things.

by Frederick Clarkson on Sun Jan 01, 2006 at 11:40:59 PM EST

In the meantime, I hope somebody will reach out to Mr. Weinstein and suggest that he remember a piece of advice now universal among communication experts:  "If you write an e-mail or letter in anger, set it aside before you send it; come back to it later and reassess if you should send it out." ;)

He comes across as a total maniac in his response to Haggard. Oh well.

by IseFire on Wed Feb 08, 2006 at 02:35:13 PM EST