Lynn Stuter -- Guilt by Association?

GUILT BY ASSOCIATION?

By Lynn Stuter

February 26, 2008

NewsWithViews.com

Do you get on an airplane only if all the people on that airplane agree with your beliefs? Do you buy a house only in a neighborhood where everyone agrees with your beliefs?

And if your next door neighbor speaks against someone because of the color of their skin or their religious beliefs, and you are seen talking to that person or helping that person, does that mean you agree 100% with his/her beliefs?

Are you guilty of their sins by association?

As a contributing writer to NewsWithViews.com, I received an e-mail last night from an individual identifying herself as �Dorothy Margraf.� Whether that is truly her name or not, I cannot say. This is the first e-mail I�ve ever received from her.

The gist of her correspondence was that, by having a link to the Republic Broadcasting Network website on the NewsWithViews.com website, NewsWithViews.com and its writers will be viewed as anti-Semitic. Ms Margraf was sure that NewsWithViews writers wouldn�t want to be placed in that category and encouraged writers to contact the NewsWithViews staff and voice our displeasure at being put in this position.

First, let me say that I am not familiar with Republic Broadcasting Network, its writers, its views, or the website for RBN in general. To say I have an opinion of that particular website from my cursory viewing of it would be a misnomer.

At random, I selected one of the links provided by Ms Margraf in her e-mail as being anti-Semetic: Here, in part, is what I found.

�We would like to take a few minutes of your time to prevent you from making a terrible mistake that may have disastrous results for many.

You have always without a doubt heard and read much about the political crises in the Middle East in which the State of Israel plays a central role. This is, in fact, an ongoing series of crises with potential to bring the greatest misfortune on the entire world. Tragically many believe that Zionism and Judaism are identical. Thus they conclude that the entire Jewish people is responsible for the actions of the Zionist government and the world crises which emanates from it. This is a Grave Error!

The truth is that the Jewish faith and Zionism are two very different philosophies. They are as opposite as day and night. The Jewish people have existed for thousands of years. In their two thousand years of Divinely decreed exile no Jew ever sought to end this exile and establish independent political sovereignty anywhere. The people's sole purpose was the study and fulfillment of the Divine commandments of the Torah.

The Zionist movement created the Israeli state. The latter is a persuasion less than one hundred years old. Its essential goal was and is to change the nature of the Jewish people from that of a religious entity to a political movement. From Zionism's inception the spiritual leaders of the Jewish people stood in staunch opposition to it.

To this day Torah Jewry remains forever loyal to its faith. Zionists want the world to believe that they are the representatives of the entire Jewish people. This is false! The Jewish people never chose them as their leaders.

The Zionists have deceived many well meaning Jewish people via terror, trickery and false propaganda. They have at their disposal the use of a nearly universally subservient media. Whoever attempts to criticize them puts his livelihood and, at times, his very life in danger.

However, despite the media blackout and easy resort to terror the simple truth remains unrefuted and irrefutable: ACCORDING TO THE JEWISH FAITH AND TORAH LAW THE JEWISH PEOPLE ARE FORBIDDEN TO HAVE THEIR OWN STATE WHILE AWAITING THE MESSIANIC ERA!

The Creator gave us the Holy Land thousands of years ago. Yet, when we sinned, He took it away and sent us into exile. Since that time our task is to wait for Him to send the Messiah. At that time, the Creator alone, without any human being lifting a hand or saying a word, will bring us together and take us out of exile. He will likewise establish universal peace among all mankind and all will serve Him in good will.

Some religious Jews, confused by Zionist propaganda quote Biblical verses that state that G-d gave the children of Israel the Holy Land. They overlook, unfortunately, those verses which say that He took it away due to our sins. They further ignore those prophecies which explicitly describe the last exile's conclusion as a Divine, not a human process.

The Creator has commanded every Jew to follow the ways of peace and to be loyal to the country where he lives.

Torah true Jewry waits patiently for the Messianic redemption. They have nothing to do with any kind of pseudo "Jewish State" and its aggressions against other peoples. They have a deep sympathy for the plight of the Palestinians who have suffered the most from Zionism's false teachings and barbaric actions. The Zionist state is not a Jewish state. The Zionists alone are the only ones responsible for their actions. Authentic Jewry has and will continue to oppose the very existence of this blasphemous state.

May all mankind witness the true redemption.�

I sent the above to Ms Margraf, asking, �Do you have a problem with this explanation of the difference between the Jewish faith and Zionism?�

Ms Margraf�s response to my query, in part:

�I have no problem with criticism of Israel, Judaism or Jews as long as it honestly presents the position of the majority in the Jewish community. Zionism is used by hardcore antisemites as a way to covertly criticize Jews. The equivalent is criticizing all Christians on the basis of Rick Warren's or Shuller's teachings.�

Part of the problem with the �it�s the Jews stupid� philosophy is that believers don�t seem to be able to differentiate those of the Jewish faith from Zionists which is why they continually equate Jews with Zionists.

As such, I responded to Ms Margraf as follows:

�So what you are saying, basically, is that there is no difference between Jews and Zionists. I disagree, just as I disagree that the Church Growth Movement (Rick Warren) and Christianity are the same. If we are not to criticize Zionists because they might be equated with Jews, then we are not to criticize Rick Warren because he might be equated with a Christian. This thinking is how they�ve gotten where they are and it is thinking that needs to stop. At the same time, the differences need to be consistently pointed out such that people understand what the differences are. I would think people of the Jewish faith would not want to be lumped in with Zionists and would welcome that just as Christians don�t want to be lumped in with the Church Growth Movement and the New Age Movement and welcome explanation of what the differences are.

I�ve spent my share of time fighting the �it�s the Jews stupid� philosophy. On the other hand, just because NewsWithViews has agreed to exchange links with RBN for a few months does not necessarily mean NewsWithViews joins RBN in the views expressed on RBN. Maybe RBN readers will get a fresh viewpoint at NewsWithViews. Maybe that will help them to realize that the �it�s the Jews stupid� philosophy is really just that: stupid. And I seriously doubt that anyone who does much reading on NewsWithViews will come away with the conviction that the writers there are anti-Semitic.

Thank you for writing and expressing your views.�

I speak for no other writer at NewsWithViews.com; nor do I speak for those who run NewsWithViews.com, but does the Bible not teach us to hate the sin but love the sinner? Was it not Jesus� mission on earth to walk among the sinners, to teach them, to lead them to God�s word? Are believers not commanded to go forth and witness among non-believers?

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Activist and researcher, Stuter has spent the last fifteen years researching systems theory and systems philosophy with a particular emphasis on education as it pertains to achieving the sustainable global environment. She home schooled two daughters. She has worked with legislators, both state and federal, on issues pertaining to systems governance, the sustainable global environment and education reform. She networks nationwide with other researchers and a growing body of citizens concerned with the transformation of our nation from a Constitutional Republic to a participatory democracy. She has traveled the United States and lived overseas.

Web site: www.learn-usa.com

E-Mail: lmstuter@learn-usa.com�

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