No, it’s not because of lobbyists. Yes, it
does have a lot to do with religious sentiments. If you’ve wanted to know why
in clear and compelling detail, Walter Russell Mead, in a Foreign Affairs
essay full of interesting anecdotes, has the
goods. The John Adams "liberal Unitarian Christians" quote had me laughing on the floor. Little did he know. Actually, that is not the most interesting quote. If you don't know already, wait until you find about the views of people like Paul Tillich and W. E. B. Du Bois, and who Adam Clayton Powell raised money for.
Clark Clifford in the Truman administration
knew his Bible well enough to quote Deuteronomy without a hitch. That’s how his
generation was. In the summer of 1968, I was with my godparents for a month in Elbe, Washington. Israel was in the news. Aunt Billye said, “We will
always support Israel, because it says in the Bible, “I will bless them that
bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee, and in thee shall all the nations
of the earth be blessed.’” One can laugh at that kind of sentiment all one
wants. In any case, no one is going to succeed in changing that mindset any
time soon. The actions of groups like Hamas and Hezbollah only serve to confirm
it.
I certainly don't consider myself a Christian Zionist, but when you grow up learning to read when the family gets together to read passages from 1/2 Kings or Daniel, your instincts are naturally inclined towards Israel.
Posted by: Looney | June 20, 2008 at 11:52 PM