Quaker 2.0

When I started to read these comments I was most perplexed - could not relate what was being said to the world that I was living in. Then the penny dropped - I had started browsing from a British site and had jumped to an American site. I am an Englishman living in Scotland (and that is a culture shock of its own).

There are Zionists in this country but I have not met any. There are Conservative Christians here as well but they are currently most vocal about gay bishops and the recent changes in law that allow civil same sex marriages.

When I think of Jews I think of a race/nation who have been on the receiving end of racial hatred for centuries. I want them to have their own country where they can live in peace. The rights and wrongs of the nation of Israel/Paletine are very deep.

In Israel/Palestine there are people who want a Zionist or Muslim state. There are many more Jews and Muslims who simply want a peaceful life. I pray for Jews, Muslims and Christians to acknowledge and enjoy their diferent cultures and celebrate their united belief in one God.

However, I have to acknowledge that I do not understand the phrase “Friends church” and the last site I visited was explaining that Nontheists could be Quakers. Understanding another’s point of view is a never ending challenge.

Tony - it’s hard to know exactly where to start, but let me suggest that you take a moment to check out the FAQs. While there, you’ll want to look into the myriad of religious societies that call themselves Quakers or Friends. While some are more or less like Methodists, others are more like Unitarians. I come from a fairly conservative group on the west coast of the US, and that’s who I’m mostly writing for. But… let me ask you a question:

When you suggest that an ethnic group be given their own country at the expense of another ethnic group, have you ever wondered that maybe…

A) Your reasons for sending the first ethnic group off and out of your country might be racist and,
B) Could it be a racist worldview that makes it OK to displace the second group?

And while I’m asking questions… doesn’t the use of the term “race” smack of racism to you? It does to someone who lives in one of the most multicultural places on the planet. You see, in Los Angeles, when you meet someone who looks different from you (which is more or less everyone), if you’re smart you never talk about “race” but rather ethnicity (which is far more complex), national origin, how many generations of family have lived in the US, etc. Race attempts to boil down complex issues into simple equations that allow us to put people into the ghettos of our minds.

So when you suggest that we consider it OK to just send “the Jews” off to their own country, I think it’s important that you look at the worldview that taught you that this was alright.

I want to just add a quick thought not entirely related to the post, but important anyways. When I talk to those that sound like “zionist”, but deny it I ask them one simple question. What about the palestinians, kurds, or other ethnic groups who have been persecuted(though not the extent of the Jews) who have no state to call their own, do they not deserve one. This extends beyond the power EFCSW, and probably the UN, but the issue of homelands is one that is important mostly to the have not’s and not so critical to those who have. Should Quakers be “nation builders.”

I’m not going to quote Depeche Mode, but they did have a song that basically said that your vote counts, so start caring about what’s going on.

Looking at our current appointment to the UN and how he got there, I’d have to agree.