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The American Christians and the state of Israel

Salleh, Mohd. Afandi and Abu Hussin, Mohd. Fauzi (2013) The American Christians and the state of Israel. Journal For The Study of Religions and Ideologies, 12 (34). pp. 152-172. ISSN 1583-0039

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Official URL: http://jsri.ro/ojs/index.php/jsri/article/view/628

Abstract

Israel has always mattered to American Christians. They are among the strongest supporters of the State of Israel in the United States. The paper argues that the support that was extended by American Christians in general and the Christian Right in particular, to Israel and the Jewish people is the continuation of a long tradition in conservative American Christians rooted mainly in their theological doctrine. However, the study shows that the Christian Right is ambivalent in its view on Jews. On the one hand, Jews are considered to be God’s chosen people and to have a special Biblical status and role. On the other hand, the Christian Right is allegedly anti-Semitic, as it views Jews as a condemned nation for their rejection of Christ as the Messiah, the reason for which they are unsaved and need to be converted to Christianity. Interestingly, both views, love and hatred of Jews, are based on the Biblical teachings and grounded in conservative Protestant theology; their paradoxical views on Jews are not a new phenomenon among conservative American Christians. Nevertheless, the study found that the support of the American Christians of the establishment of the State of Israel goes beyond theological doctrines or values. In fact, the humanitarian considerations of the liberal Christian and secular organizations in particular, were significant in contributing to the establishment of the Jewish state

Item Type:Article
Uncontrolled Keywords:American Christians, Christian right, Christian zionism, US-Israel relations, conservative Christians theology, state of Israel, jews, millennial beliefs, anti-semitism
Subjects:B Philosophy. Psychology. Religion > BL Religion
Divisions:Islamic Civilisation
ID Code:49112
Deposited By: Siti Nor Hashidah Zakaria
Deposited On:02 Dec 2015 02:09
Last Modified:27 Sep 2018 04:07

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