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Israel is no different than any other nation |
Edict Date 08-01-2006
There is nothing special about Israel as compared to any other country in the world. Nor is there anything special about the rights of Jews as compared to any other religion. Judaism, like Islam and Christianity, is just another religion. Lebanon has the same right to exists as Israel does. The right to exist is an earned right and it is based on a country's ability to respect the rights of others and to work towards peace and oppose war.
The Jews are not God's chosen people because there is no such thing as God. Since God doesn't exist there is no God to have made the choice. The position that Judaism has any form of superior status in any way to any other people is false. Realists are not obligated in any way to recognize this faulty assertion.
Our sacred Principle of Scrutiny and Doubt asserts that everyone and everything can be criticized and this includes criticizing Israel and Judaism. Everyone makes mistakes, but mistakes can be fixed. The first step in fixing mistakes is to be able to discuss them freely and openly without being subject to the assertion that any criticism of Israel and Judaism is anti-semitic.
This of course not only applies to Jews, but to all other religions as well. Christians are not superior because they are "saved," nor are Muslims superior in the Infidels, nor are Realists superior because we attempt to understand reality. We are all one people living (for now) on one planet that we all share and we all have the same rights and responsibilities to be here and to find a way to get along. We have a responsibility to form peaceful communities where people of different opinions, traditions, and backgrounds can live together, respect each other, and learn the best of what we all have to offer to the Tree of Knowledge.
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Church Edicts 