I actually don’t quite understand the furor over Anne Colter’s statements (except they indicate she is a lout and obnoxious). But from a theological perspective, didn’t she express what most xtains believe. By contrast, I (and most believing Jews I know) think xtains are a cult spinoff of Judaism and pagan at that (though I wouldn’t throw it in their face).
So her views aren’t antisemitic (anymore than xtianity in general is antisemitic) – though her presentation and timing indicates her to be an unpleasant human being.
I just hate to be distracted from dealing with our real enemy – Islamofascists. They are the ones who are murdering us.
incorrect,
You’re exactly right about her. I don’t understand the uproar either. It’s ok to believe this but shh, just don’t say it outloud? Give me a break.
I have a very hard time taking the leap from a God who says the righteous of all nations have a share in the world to come to Christianity’s exclusive claim on redemption.
This made everey news channel, and Jimmy Carter saying the ethnic cleansing in Sudan isn’t quite genocide barely made a blip.
Oh, well. I’m gonna go see what Paris Hilton is up to.
As far as I know, Coulter’s views are really NOT “what most xtians believe,” but I still don’t get this song/video/Obama Girl thing. I didn’t think the song was really all that funny or pointed, let alone “beyond awesome.”
What am I missing?
This is in fact, what most Xian theology ultimately has to believe – although some attempts have been made to ameliorate it amongst the Catholic and liberal Protestant denominations, but in the end it’s true, COulter isn’t wrong, just a lout – and we all knew that already (I posted it because the song was funny (although beyond awesome is perhaps stretching it – I agree Tom Lehrer could have written something better, but he’s probably no longer quite so photogenic), but IMO we would all be better of ignoring what she says rather than reacting to it) OTOH, whether most Xians believe this is doubtful: most XIans – at least in this country, which is reputed to be one of the most religious most XIans aren’t any more interested in theology than most Jews are – which is to say, nearly not at all: they’re more interested in the communal and family aspects of holidays and food and the like. NEvertheless, it is true that many many people do believe this; this has to do with the structure of XIan religion – unlike Judaism, which is primarily about what you do (of course belief plays an important part – there are things one must or must not believe, ultimately – thus the furor over CHABAD’s elevation of the rebbe to divinity), CHristianity is primarily about what you think.
Amid all this “antisemitic” finger-pointing, everybody keeps forgetting that she also said in the same interview that it’s okay to be a “practicing Jew,” and that Christianity is just the “express” path to heaven (so you don’t have to follow all those crazy Jew rules). ObamaGirl clearly noticed that, because she included the bit about FedEx delivering her to heaven, yet she still chose to focus on the “perfection” bit.
If anything, these statements should be offensive to believers in non-Judeo-Christian traditions. But I hardly think what she said was antisemitic.
Coulter’s statements actually seem surprisingly moderate and tolerant given that the Donny Deutsch segment was called “Being Extreme Makes Millions.” He was TRYING to get her to say something offensive and this is the best he could do? From a hateful woman whose whole business model is based on riling people up?
As I’ve said before, I found it more offensive that she looked Donny Deutsch in the eye and told him he wasn’t a “practicing” Jew than that she said Christians believe they have an easier way to get to heaven than Jews.
While those of us who don’t believe in a right-wing orthodox hegemony on Judaism would probably disagree with what Coulter believes to be a “practicing Jew,” she didn’t say Jews were evil or that we’re all going to hell. She just said Christianity is an easier way to get to heaven. And it seems to me that anybody who calls himself a Christian and has given one moment of thought to theology probably believes that, too (otherwise what’s the point in being Christian?).
I generally consider myself left-of-center and am NOT a Coulter fan, but I have to side with incorrect on this one. If nobody believed that their religion was actually better than anyone else’s, why would anybody actually choose a religion? Family gatherings, bedtime Bible stories and traditional foods don’t require a theological framework.
The way I see it, liberals have two choices: either reject religion altogether, or find a way to explain how your religion is more meaningful to you than other religions, but other religions can still be valid. The latter requires a rather delicate balancing act. I might actually argue that Coulter’s acceptance of “practicing Jews” is an enormous leap toward liberalism (at least with respect to Jews–there’s still the problem of all those other “infidels”) from the Christianity of the Crusades, the Inquisition, the Pogroms and the Holocaust. Now if we could just get her to accept political diversity as well…
Well, as long as she’s better than the Crusades, Inquisition, Progroms, and the Holocaust, I guess we’re okay. Is that really the bar against which we wish to judge our Christian neighbors?
themicah — While I don’t disagree with you, you used a particular term in your comment which deserves to removed from our language. Forgive me for being blunt, but there is no “judeo-christian” tradition. There is a jewish tradition (or traditions) and there are christian traditions. They are not the same. They are distinctly and fundamentally different. Given modern christianity’s partial roots in early judaism, there are some common values. But we cheapen our own tradition when we try to “bridge the gap” by using terminology such as “judeo-christian”. I haven’t googled the term, nor have I written to bill safire about it, nor have I checked the OED, but I doubt the term has a very long history. As a practical matter, it is used almost exclusively by goyim, to try to imply some false inclusiveness with jews, and by those jews seeking to find some common political ground (generally those on the right) even though they know better!
This is beyond awesome.
I actually don’t quite understand the furor over Anne Colter’s statements (except they indicate she is a lout and obnoxious). But from a theological perspective, didn’t she express what most xtains believe. By contrast, I (and most believing Jews I know) think xtains are a cult spinoff of Judaism and pagan at that (though I wouldn’t throw it in their face).
So her views aren’t antisemitic (anymore than xtianity in general is antisemitic) – though her presentation and timing indicates her to be an unpleasant human being.
I just hate to be distracted from dealing with our real enemy – Islamofascists. They are the ones who are murdering us.
incorrect,
You’re exactly right about her. I don’t understand the uproar either. It’s ok to believe this but shh, just don’t say it outloud? Give me a break.
I have a very hard time taking the leap from a God who says the righteous of all nations have a share in the world to come to Christianity’s exclusive claim on redemption.
This made everey news channel, and Jimmy Carter saying the ethnic cleansing in Sudan isn’t quite genocide barely made a blip.
Oh, well. I’m gonna go see what Paris Hilton is up to.
Remember when songs – even protest parody songs – rhymed? Somewhere, Tom Lehrer is weeping.
As far as I know, Coulter’s views are really NOT “what most xtians believe,” but I still don’t get this song/video/Obama Girl thing. I didn’t think the song was really all that funny or pointed, let alone “beyond awesome.”
What am I missing?
Whether or not most Christians believe it, what she said is theologically correct based on Christian dogma.
This is in fact, what most Xian theology ultimately has to believe – although some attempts have been made to ameliorate it amongst the Catholic and liberal Protestant denominations, but in the end it’s true, COulter isn’t wrong, just a lout – and we all knew that already (I posted it because the song was funny (although beyond awesome is perhaps stretching it – I agree Tom Lehrer could have written something better, but he’s probably no longer quite so photogenic), but IMO we would all be better of ignoring what she says rather than reacting to it) OTOH, whether most Xians believe this is doubtful: most XIans – at least in this country, which is reputed to be one of the most religious most XIans aren’t any more interested in theology than most Jews are – which is to say, nearly not at all: they’re more interested in the communal and family aspects of holidays and food and the like. NEvertheless, it is true that many many people do believe this; this has to do with the structure of XIan religion – unlike Judaism, which is primarily about what you do (of course belief plays an important part – there are things one must or must not believe, ultimately – thus the furor over CHABAD’s elevation of the rebbe to divinity), CHristianity is primarily about what you think.
Amid all this “antisemitic” finger-pointing, everybody keeps forgetting that she also said in the same interview that it’s okay to be a “practicing Jew,” and that Christianity is just the “express” path to heaven (so you don’t have to follow all those crazy Jew rules). ObamaGirl clearly noticed that, because she included the bit about FedEx delivering her to heaven, yet she still chose to focus on the “perfection” bit.
If anything, these statements should be offensive to believers in non-Judeo-Christian traditions. But I hardly think what she said was antisemitic.
Coulter’s statements actually seem surprisingly moderate and tolerant given that the Donny Deutsch segment was called “Being Extreme Makes Millions.” He was TRYING to get her to say something offensive and this is the best he could do? From a hateful woman whose whole business model is based on riling people up?
As I’ve said before, I found it more offensive that she looked Donny Deutsch in the eye and told him he wasn’t a “practicing” Jew than that she said Christians believe they have an easier way to get to heaven than Jews.
While those of us who don’t believe in a right-wing orthodox hegemony on Judaism would probably disagree with what Coulter believes to be a “practicing Jew,” she didn’t say Jews were evil or that we’re all going to hell. She just said Christianity is an easier way to get to heaven. And it seems to me that anybody who calls himself a Christian and has given one moment of thought to theology probably believes that, too (otherwise what’s the point in being Christian?).
I generally consider myself left-of-center and am NOT a Coulter fan, but I have to side with incorrect on this one. If nobody believed that their religion was actually better than anyone else’s, why would anybody actually choose a religion? Family gatherings, bedtime Bible stories and traditional foods don’t require a theological framework.
The way I see it, liberals have two choices: either reject religion altogether, or find a way to explain how your religion is more meaningful to you than other religions, but other religions can still be valid. The latter requires a rather delicate balancing act. I might actually argue that Coulter’s acceptance of “practicing Jews” is an enormous leap toward liberalism (at least with respect to Jews–there’s still the problem of all those other “infidels”) from the Christianity of the Crusades, the Inquisition, the Pogroms and the Holocaust. Now if we could just get her to accept political diversity as well…
Well, as long as she’s better than the Crusades, Inquisition, Progroms, and the Holocaust, I guess we’re okay. Is that really the bar against which we wish to judge our Christian neighbors?
She and her kind need to simply follow the Noahide Laws…leave us alone… a Higher Power will have the final say on whether they can obey them…
themicah — While I don’t disagree with you, you used a particular term in your comment which deserves to removed from our language. Forgive me for being blunt, but there is no “judeo-christian” tradition. There is a jewish tradition (or traditions) and there are christian traditions. They are not the same. They are distinctly and fundamentally different. Given modern christianity’s partial roots in early judaism, there are some common values. But we cheapen our own tradition when we try to “bridge the gap” by using terminology such as “judeo-christian”. I haven’t googled the term, nor have I written to bill safire about it, nor have I checked the OED, but I doubt the term has a very long history. As a practical matter, it is used almost exclusively by goyim, to try to imply some false inclusiveness with jews, and by those jews seeking to find some common political ground (generally those on the right) even though they know better!