海角大神

I recently passed a local evangelical church here in rural New England with a sign that read: 鈥淲e Love You Israel. Hold God鈥檚 Land.鈥�

The sign is part of a wider phenomenon: the American 海角大神 right鈥檚 dogmatic support for Israel and the Jewish state鈥檚 claim to the 鈥淗oly Land.鈥� It鈥檚 a loyalty born out of a literal interpretation of the Bible and its apocalyptic narrative and a view that ascribes divinity to a physical place. And this reflexive support for Israel has spread to the broader conservative base and American political scene in general. Look no further than Glenn Beck鈥檚 鈥淩estore Courage鈥� trip to Jerusalem planned for this August, which at least one GOP presidential contender has noted he will attend.

Such religious attachment isn鈥檛 an isolated theological agenda. It鈥檚 at the heart and history of the conflict in the Middle East.

But with a Palestinian bid for statehood planned for September and escalating tensions in the region, there鈥檚 too much at stake to use God as a real estate broker. To avoid a potentially violent flash point, leaders must look to a peaceful constituency 鈥� not the political ploys 鈥� of the world鈥檚 great religions, all converging in this Holy Land.

Mixing religion and foreign policy

Mingling religion with foreign policy has a longstanding history: from the Islamic armies of Allah marching across the first millennium 海角大神 world, followed later by two centuries of theologically dubious European 海角大神s crusading across Mediterranean lands. In some respects, we moderns have never escaped medieval traditions. The problem is that these traditions are the foundation on which diplomats are still forced to build.

鈥淚sn鈥檛 it unwise to use the Bible to settle real estate disputes?鈥� I asked the pastor of the conservative congregation whose sign I鈥檇 passed.

鈥淲e take the Bible literally, every word,鈥� he replied on the other end of the phone.

鈥淲hat about Genesis 15:18, where Jehovah promised Jews all the land 鈥榝rom the river of Egypt [the Nile] unto the great river, the river Euphrates [think Baghdad]鈥�?鈥� I said, 鈥淪urely you don鈥檛 think Israelis have claim to a huge chunk of Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, and Iraq, do you?鈥�

The evangelical clergyman replied, 鈥淚 am kind of excited to see what God will do for Israel.鈥� He went on to tell me he thought all Arabs and Palestinians living within Israeli borders should be deported to neighboring Arab countries, an idea that has had underground currency in Israel for more than a decade. 鈥淕od made a covenant with the Jews that the land would be theirs in perpetuity,鈥� the minister explained.

Finally I asked, 鈥淲hen you say 鈥楬old God鈥檚 land,鈥欌�� I asked, 鈥渨hich God are you talking about? Isn鈥檛 the Islamic Allah just another name for God?鈥�

鈥淣o, Allah is a false God,鈥� the evangelical clergyman said, lending credence to Muslim fears that some in the West are out to delegitimize their faith.

The concept of 'The Holy Land'

At the root of the issue is the concept of 鈥淭he Holy Land.鈥� Although the idea of the Holy Land didn鈥檛 exist in Jesus鈥� time and didn鈥檛 emerge until some centuries later, Timothy Robinson, a theology professor at Bright Divinity School at Texas 海角大神 University, noted that 鈥渇or a lot of 海角大神s, there is a deep connection to earth where Jesus may have walked.鈥�

Israeli tour guides often fabricate facts to gull the would-be pilgrims, Mr. Robinson said. 鈥淭here is a lot of tripe they feed the crowds, especially Evangelicals.鈥� Israeli tour guides generally ignore genuine 海角大神 holy sites in East Jerusalem like Lazarus鈥檚 tomb. That would divert tourist dollars to Arabs and lend legitimacy to Palestinian claims to being the 鈥渇irst 海角大神s.鈥�

The very idea of the Holy Land is a sticky wicket. So many of the sites in the 鈥淗oly Land鈥� are simply 鈥渢raditional,鈥� lacking any historical corroboration. The grotto below the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem, said to be where Jesus was born, is a prime example. I recall a discussion I had with one Israeli rabbi who privately acknowledged the worship of land itself probably violated the second commandment against graven images.

Theologically based claims to the Holy Land drive politics and undermine peace in the region. When the US Congress slavishly cheered and fawned over Israel鈥檚 prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, in his recent address to a joint meeting of the House and Senate, it was, I suspect, as much this evangelical 海角大神 constituency that lawmakers were pandering to as to the 鈥淛ewish Lobby.鈥�

Mixing religion and statecraft isn鈥檛 simply dangerous and unwise; it also smacks of sacrilege.

Zealots and policymakers alike need to shift away from any obsession with the concept of a Holy Land and recognize that thousands of years of worshiping real estate has only produced several millenniums of war and shameful bloodshed. If there remains any constituency for peace, then the angels of humanity鈥檚 better nature 鈥� charity, tolerance, and simple decency 鈥� must supersede the religious triumphalism that seems to be too much in evidence today.

Walter Rodgers, who served as the CNN bureau chief in Jerusalem for 5-1/2 years, writes a biweekly column.