Standing Strong |
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Christian persecution of the Jews over the centuries Continued... |
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The fault with basing ownership of the land upon a biblical claim is that not all peoples believe in the G-d of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and an even greater number of people in the world do not believe the Bible to be inerrant truth. While the proof can be made that the Bible shows a right to the land, unless the inerrancy of the history as stated in the Bible is accepted, this proof holds no validation. Establishing the Jews as a nation and tracing the history of the Jews in the territory in question is the only way to prove a historic and legal claim to the land as a Nation-State. Marvin Wilson in Our Father Abraham states this the most clearly when on page 266, “In Truth, no one has the privilege to lay claim to any land simply on the grounds of ‘divine right.’” One must prove that a nation is a distinct people and then show a historic and legal claim to the land in order to justify the existence on any given piece of land. Theological arguments for ownership are fair game for religious belief, but cannot be expected to be treated as normative for international relations among parties who do not share the beliefs in question. If you want to assert that this is wrong because G-d really did give the land to the Jews, you are entitled to do so, but this is a theological argument that must exist independently, above and beyond whatever mundane logic dictates. Its validity is in the same class as that of your religion generally, i.e. a controversy in which you may be right but which cannot resolve the present dispute. (Hobbes and the Middle East)
The web site, Number of Countries in the World, defines a nation as a tightly-knit group of people which share a common culture. A nation-state is a nation which has the same borders as a State. Wikipedia defines a nation as a community of people who live together in an area (or, more broadly, of their descendants who may now be dispersed); and who regard themselves, or are regarded by others, as sharing some common identity, to which certain norms and behavior are usually attributed. Number of Countries in the World further defines a people as culturally homogeneous group of people, larger than a single tribe or community, which shares a common language, institutions, religion, and historical experience. The Hebrew language has survived thousands of years while the nation of Jews were dispersed throughout the world, maintained their religion, religious institutions and historical experience. There is no doubting that the Jews by this definition constitute a nation. There is no doubt as to the common culture and desire to return to the land of current Israel. For thousands of years the Passover Seder has ended with the wish to celebrate “next year in Jerusalem.” A Nation-State is found to have certain characteristics. An independent State: Has space or territory which has internationally recognized boundaries (boundary disputes are OK). Has people who live there on an ongoing basis. Has economic activity and an organized economy. A country regulates foreign and domestic trade and issues money. Has the power of social engineering, such as education. Has a transportation system for moving goods and people. Has a government which provides public services and police power. Has sovereignty. No other State should have power over the country's territory. Has external recognition. A country has been "voted into the club" by other countries. (Number of Countries)
It is generally agreed that Israel has economic activity and an organized economy. Israel has social engineering with public education, public transportation, and a democratic government. This leaves the only space for argument as to whether Israel has a history of its people living there on an ongoing basis, internationally recognized boundaries, sovereignty, and external recognition. The Jew’s social structure has been the quintessential example of structured society for thousands of years. The Mosaic constitution was “to provide Israel with the most exemplary and humanitarian social system that had been seen on earth.” (Juster) 16 Historians have found that the Queen of Sheba sent a camel train of gold and ivory to King Solomon. Solomon wooed and married the queen after she became overwhelmed by the splendour of his palace and their son began a dynasty of rulers in Ethiopia. The Bible dates the queen's reign to the tenth century BC and modern scholars have speculated that a link between Judea and an ancient African queen led to the emergence of Judaism in Ethiopia. (Searching for the Queen of Sheba) This clearly demonstrates a presence of Jews in the current boundaries of Israel in tenth century BC.
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Isaiah 11:6 2 Thessalonians 2:15 |