Political Crossfire Forums

[ToonArmyIsComing]

As you might be aware, there was a huge controversy involving the 3 big religions (ie: Christianity, Judaism, and Islam) over the gay parade in Jerusalem. Some elements within these religious orders threatened bloodshed and violence, which forced the gay parade to be held at a closed stadium.

And what is quite amusing is that the gays are being used as a tool by the religious people to galvanize support among the common people. I hate the Nazi analogies, but in effect, the way the religious leadership is going about this resembles Hitler's use of Jews as a symbol of national hatred.

Quote: Gay rally in Jerusalem held under tight security

After a week of riots, Jerusalem's controversial Gay Pride rally passed off peacefully today in spite of protests from the Pope and ultra-religious Jewish groups.

The protests managed to move the event away from the city centre and into the sterile government district two miles away. The surrounding area was closed to traffic and surrounded by 3,000 police officers, with riot police and horses in reserve. An observation balloon floated over the centre of Jerusalem and a helicopter patrolled the area.

There was a small confrontation, far from the main event, when 30 activists attempted a march but were opposed by extreme-right settlers. Both groups were taken away by the police. The majority of rabbis agreed not to protest if the event was held in a closed venue away from the city centre.

Around 5,000 people attended the main event at a sport stadium close to the Knesset, the Israeli parliament. It was introduced by a drag queen who greeted the participants: "Shalom lesbiot, straight-im and homo-im," In fact the majority of the crowd were straight and had come to express their solidarity with the gay community and their opposition to the religious right in Israel.

Sami Michael, an Israeli novelist, gave the opening speech at the rally. "There is more than one way to be Jewish," he said. A man rushed onto the stage and placed a kippah on his head and began berating the crowd before police removed him.

Moriel Fisher, 39, a maintenance manager from Jerusalem carried a placard that read: Willing to die for my country. "I am not a part of the gay community," he said. "But I am here to support their right to be here and I am willing to die for it. Dying for your country does not have to be in war, it can be in defence of democracy here."

He said that the violent protests against the event were mainly due to internal conflict within the ultra-orthodox community with rabbis using it to galvanise support against their rivals.

...

http://www.guardian.co.uk/israel/Story/0,,1944897,00.html

[F'losrix]

And how long before we see the same kind of thing taking hold in the U.S.? Consider the disappointment some evangelicals feel over recent political scandals and the failure of politicians to live up to the perceived promise that they would restore Christian values to the nation?

Consider further what could happen if some of those same evangelicals become radicalized to the point that they feel righteously justified in adopting violence as a means to an end?

It's chilling to think about where things could go if the right circumstances converge to spark & light the fuse.

[Mare Tranquillity]

F'losrix wrote: And how long before we see the same kind of thing taking hold in the U.S.? Consider the disappointment some evangelicals feel over recent political scandals and the failure of politicians to live up to the perceived promise that they would restore Christian values to the nation?

Consider further what could happen if some of those same evangelicals become radicalized to the point that they feel righteously justified in adopting violence as a means to an end?

It's chilling to think about where things could go if the right circumstances converge to spark & light the fuse.

You mean like they have with abortion clinic bombings and doctor murders?

[F'losrix]

Mare Tranquillity wrote: F'losrix wrote: And how long before we see the same kind of thing taking hold in the U.S.? Consider the disappointment some evangelicals feel over recent political scandals and the failure of politicians to live up to the perceived promise that they would restore Christian values to the nation?

Consider further what could happen if some of those same evangelicals become radicalized to the point that they feel righteously justified in adopting violence as a means to an end?

It's chilling to think about where things could go if the right circumstances converge to spark & light the fuse.

You mean like they have with abortion clinic bombings and doctor murders?
I mean on a much grander scale.

[ToonArmyIsComing]

F'losrix wrote: Consider further what could happen if some of those same evangelicals become radicalized to the point that they feel righteously justified in adopting violence as a means to an end?

To be honest, I think they are heading there slowly because increasingly, their language has become very hostile and their failure to do anything with Bush in power has alienated them, so violence might be seen as a positive option further down the road.