Jesus Be Black, Yo
Published May 07, 2008
Well, Wright does get carried away here because Farrakhan is not one of the most influential voices bridging the last two centuries, but he is a presence whose influence, for good or ill, is significant in the African American/Muslim world. No one has to like him—lots of people don't—but don't disparage or refute his influence.
Farrakhan's voice, whatever it once was, is diminished today by time and the tide of events over the last few years. In a post 9/11 world, his ability to occupy the world stage has withered.
I think it is a major error to conclude that Wright is impossibly misguided when he says that "politicians say what they say and do what they do based on the polls." They do, and Obama does too, especially regarding Wright, because of all those who are religiously and politically myopic and miss his point. (Besides: does anyone think any politician is honest, especially when running for nomination?)
That's the problem with the truth in this country: to our glory, most of us know it, and to our shame we often refuse to acknowledge it.
TOA also observes: "We've heard him [Wright] use this 'words are meaningless' tactic before. But those of us who have watched Obama's speeches with a critical eye already know this." I don't know, exactly, what this means. I'm pretty sure it means TOA isn't voting for Obama—but is there an accusation in there that Obama is pretty much always disingenuous? Well, no less than the average politician, as Wright would have it; but no more, by a mile, than any of the other candidates.
And you can easily argue that every time Obama approaches the truth (e.g., the "bitterness" leads to guns and religion comment) he is so totally misunderstood because, in a rare act, a politician is trying to be honest with us, or as honest as he can.
But we—here it comes, quoting Jack—can't handle the truth.
Obama is trying to tell more of it than anyone else. Plus, he's black—well, black enough—and put those two together and you have a nexus of misunderstanding, misgivings and, sometimes, mistakes that obscures most of what Obama says.
Before any one of us pontificates on these seeming miscues, before we declare ourselves unabashed (meaning, usually, unthinking) patriots, let's try to get closer to the truth. If we can't do that, let's get closer to the facts.
- Jesus Be Black, Yo
- Published: May 07, 2008
- Type: Opinion
- Section: Politics
- Writer: Stephen Foster
- Stephen Foster's BC Writer page
- Stephen Foster's personal site
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I read this article in its entirety, Stephen.
First of all, if you view G-d as merely a man, however superior His powers might be, you've bought into the Greek worship of idols. The title of your article and your assumptions within it detail clearly one reason why Christianity is abhorrent to most Jews.
G-d is not a mere man to be assigned a skin color. The Creator of the universe is beyond the imagination of all men, and for a mere man to look directly into the face of G-d is to invite death. The appropriate term in English is ineffable. If you don't know what it means, find an unabridged dictionary (preferably a ten kilo tome you have to work to lift) and look it up.
Second of all, while most of your article deals with the experience of black Americans, something I can comment on only minimally, the last page deals with Zionism and Judaism. As a Jew living in liberated Samaria, I know quite a bit about both.
I suggest that fools like Louis Farrakhan and Jeremiah Wright know nothing about either Judaism or Zionism.
Judaism is a nationality and a religion, based on three Covenants with G-d.
1. The descendants of Abraham through his son Isaac and grandson Jacob are granted the right to live in the Land of Israel in perpetuity, to worship there and carry out the commandments of G-d there.
2. The Children of Israel are granted a Torah, a guide to holiness, that they are to follow and guard scrupulously; this Torah is our guide to being holy in a holy Land, and we are charged with being as holy as the Land we are granted.
3. The Children of Israel, chosen to guard this guide have the task of teaching mankind (when it is ready to be taught) the Seven Laws of Noah, universal laws of civilization.
In ancient days, our people were governed by a Sanhedrin, a court of 71 judges, an institution that was established in the days of wandering the desert before the conquest of the Land under yehoshu'a (Joshua) ben nun.
A little under two thousand years ago, the last sovereign Jewish entity in this country (until the present State) was destroyed by the Roman savages after a rebellion against pagan rule. The city of Jerusalem was burned to the ground, along with the Temple of hordos (Herod), thousands died, thousands more were taken as slaves and a six hundred year genocide was started against the Jewish people in this Land.
The remnant of the Sanhedrin snuck out to the city of Yavne to try and figure out what to do to save our people.
The only weapons they had were words.
So they constructed a liturgy of prayer to remind every Jew of what had been lost to the Roman savages in tens of generations of exile that were to come.
Central to this liturgy is the 'amidá, a standing prayer recited silently three times daily.
From its text:
There is more, of course, a great deal more, all recited standing at attention, but the point is to remind every Jew, every Child of Israel who recites the 'amidá who he or she really is and where his or her ultimate loyalty must lie.
The difference between a believing Jew and a non-believing Jew is how seriously he takes what he says to G-d three times daily; and what he does to make those prayers a reality.
It is from this 'amidá that Zionism gets its concepts. But Zionism is a mere movement of secular Jews to establish a state. Having established that State, Zionism accomplished its purpose, and as events have shown over the last twenty years, has lost its way. Zionism, as a movement, is basically over.
The next step in the evolution of the Jewish nation is to turn this country into a truly G-d centered country, instead of the pathetic imitation of the pagan west it is now.
Neither Louis Farrakhan nor Jeremiah Wright have any understanding of this: most American Jews like the "Obnoxious American" (who is not obnoxious at all) don't understand this either.
But pay attention to what I write. Your elections are pretty much your affair, but at least you now have a real concept of who and what the Children of Israel are.