Aww, those poor missionaries...
MNNOnline.org, the Missionary News Network, is not too happy about proposed Israeli legislation:
Israel's theocratic party known as the Shas faction has declared war on missionaries. The group's Ultra-Orthodox leader, MK Yakov Margi, introduced a bill on March 13 urging a strengthening of Israel's laws against proselytism.
Ignoring the fact that it's usually Rabbi Ovadia Yosef who is Shas' "ultra-Orthodox leader", this article has an overreaching, repeated tone: they're fringe, they're extremist, they're "theocratic" (I in no way consider that a bad thing), they're, in a prefix, "ultra-".
The article continues:
The new proposal would completely forbid preaching and proselytism altogether. Under the proposal, violators would face a years' imprisonment for preaching conversion. According to VCM, under current Israeli law, anyone offering money or material products in exchange for conversion faces five years in prison or a monetary fine.The person on the accepting end of the offer also faces punishment. Anyone acting in favor of, or conducting a conversion ceremony on, a minor faces six month in jail. The law, however, does not address attempts to convert adults over the age of 18, making it completely legitimate.
Oh the horror, the humanity! Let us add a "-stan" to Israel's name, it is so steeped in these repressive legal systems from bygone eras! It's Saudi Arabia 2! Grab the holy water!
Please. Get a damn grip.
Examining the article further:
Penner says the law reveals an ugly undercurrent facing Christians and Messianic Jews in Israel.
Oh really? (Or for my younger and/or MySpace-intensive crew: "O RLY?") That's terrible, Mr. Penner. What happened, exactly?
Every week for the past three years, he explains, the Messianic Jewish congregation in Arad, Israel has faced opposition from ultra orthodox Jews. Recent reports indicate the congregation regularly faces jeers and insults. They are spat upon and their homes are frequent targets for tomatoes and eggs. Noisy demonstrations are common, with the approval of the police.The opposition turned violent on February 25, when a member of the church was beaten in the parking lot of his Chess and Bible Shop. The same shop was firebombed in 2005 by opponents to his evangelistic work.
(No, chances are, violence was probably NOT permitted in this case, but that's irrelevant.)
Who got jeers? Who got eggs and tomatoes? Not the gentile Christians, but the Messianic Jews. Why is this?
Israel is a pluralistic society with freedom of religion. Judaism, Christianity and Islam are all freely practiced (in theory) throughout Israel's borders. However, Messianic Judaism is based upon the principle of coercion and coaxing -- "you can believe in JC and still be Jewish" is their mantra -- something which Israel was set up to be a refuge from.
Jews the world over have had to fight forced conversion in every era from the Inquisition down to Chosen People Ministries, and have only one parcel of real estate to run to where being Jewish is not something they have to defend...and then even there, in the one place where a star of David flies high on the flag in the sky, the one "Jewish state", there they have to defend Judaism?
Jews from places where Judaism was repressed are coming to Israel with fledgling Jewish identities, many knowing only "I don't believe in JC" as "what Jews believe", and then they are confronted with multimillion dollar campaigns and ministers well versed in social psychology and brainwashing/propaganda techniques -- they are often no match for the superior arguing power and lose the Jewish faith entirely.
If not faith in G-d altogether.
Strengthen the "body of Christ" with the hundreds of millions of non-Jews who already call it home. Add churches, ministries, charities, and even missions. But please.
Let Jews be Jews somewhere in the world.
Comments
Sadly, Israel's had a missionary problem for a long time, and as a whole has done little to stop it. Additioanly, they've got messianic communities in palce, essentially granting residency and, in several ways, legitimacy, to messianics.
The line's been crossed. Good for Shas.
Posted by: Moshe | March 27, 2007 09:39 PM
B"H
I heard that it was also the Yahadut HaTorah party proposing the new law. Hopefully it will come into force, as the Old City of Jerusalem is flooded with missionaries. A further problem is that church organization encouraged Jews for J. to make Aliyah and then missionize here in Israel.
Unfortunately, the anti - missionary organization Yad Le'Achim is not as successful as it should be. The Israeli government rather takes the money from Christian visitors and keeps its eyes shut.
Posted by: Miriam Woelke | March 28, 2007 01:00 PM
Good news actually. I am not a big fan of missionairies of any type.
Posted by: Abu Sinan | March 28, 2007 01:14 PM