America is divided, but you already knew that.
There is no place for coming together in many of its disagreements. The differences are polar opposites, and neither side is willing to yield ground. This presents a very serious, if not existential, threat to the nation.
Abraham Lincoln, quoting Jesus Christ noted that,
“A nation divided against itself cannot stand.”
These differences are not like the competition over favorite football teams, or automobile brands. In hot spots around the world, people are fighting and dying over issues that now separate Americans, and many of our political and cultural leaders are adding fuel to the fire rather than helping the nation come to peaceful terms.
The war in Gaza is one such issue.
Some surveys reveal a near fifty-fifty split among Americans over that war, which suggests either ignorance of the facts, or an antisemitism infecting the nation. One thing is clear, the Mainstream Media has done the nation a grave disservice in its presenting of news, giving the impression that there is some sort of moral parity between the two sides in that war, or worse, that Israel is guilty of war crimes for defending itself.
I expect that many Christians are uncertain of how to view this crisis as well. On one hand they want to stand with Israel, but on the other hand, they see the hand wringing of the Media, which have made much of the deaths of Palestinians, especially children, and it appears, superficially, that discerning who to support is difficult if not impossible.
Anyone with any moral sensitivity is appalled by the deaths of children in both Israel and Gaza, but the fault lies with Hamas and the Palestinian community.
Millions of Americans support the Palestinian people but apparently do not understand the relationship between Hamas and the Palestinians. I expect that most of the Americans who are calling for a ceasefire in the war oppose Hamas’s genocidal attack on Israel Oct. 7th, last year.
Hamas is a designated terrorist organization; thus, anyone who supports them, supports terrorism. How is it that so few are aware that the Palestinian people selected Hamas to govern them, and have repeatedly voiced their support for the terrorists?
As it stands today, to support the Palestinian people in the war is tantamount to supporting Hamas.
I understand that some Palestinians attempted to escape Gaza before and during the war but were prevented from doing so by Hamas. Such is reprehensible; but sadly, the Palestinians should have considered the reality of Hamas’s hatred for Israel when they elected the terrorist organization as their government.
Actions have consequences. To blame Israel for the deaths of children in Palestine is a lie. Hamas fighters hiding behind children and hospitals exposes the moral depravity of the group.
As long as Hamas remains, it poses a threat to Israel, and will continue to take Israeli lives. Their intention is to eliminate Israel and to keep the nation under a cloud of fear until every Israeli is dead or chased from the region.
No good Israeli leader can allow that to stand.
The drama unfolding in America, however, also troubles me. There is little most of us can do about the war in Gaza, but the divide in America must be addressed. It is no exaggeration to suggest that we have Americans living in different “realities.”
Apparently, half of Americans believe we must support Israel, while the other half demand we support the Palestinians. Both sides cannot be correct at the same time. In other words, one side in this conflict is living in a fantasy and needs to be more accurately informed of the reality in the region.
The obvious contradiction of pro-Israel rallies being held on one hand and pro-Palestinian rallies on the other has been simply glossed over. If a person slanders Jews he is called antisemitic, until he attends a pro-Palestinian rally where he chants, “from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free!” (a transparent call for the destruction of Israel).
Then he is merely exercising his free speech rights.
It is reminiscent of a Michigan politician who, when asked his opinion regarding a particular bill, commented, “some of my friends are for it, and some of my friends are against it, and I like to stick with my friends!”
Cute for a politician, but untenable in the real world where antisemitism is pushing the nation and world toward escalated conflict.
It has been rightly noted that if Hamas were to surrender, the war would end, but if Israel were to surrender it would soon cease to exist, which illustrates who holds the moral high ground. However, millions of Americans are either misinformed (due to incompetent or complicit Media and academia) or they are antisemitic.
My opinion is that most Americans believe that Israel has a right to exist and to defend itself, but they have been misinformed by the Mainstream Media regarding the true racism of the Palestinian people. Jew hate is still alive in the world, and it is quite difficult to find any explanation, other than antisemitism, for the unwillingness of so many in the public forums to speak the truth about the Palestinian people.
Is it possible that the Media, academia, and Hollywood crowds simply cannot wrap their minds around the idea that an entire country or region, and its population, (the Palestinian people) is antisemitic?
Not likely. Antisemitism has a long and substantiated history of dominating entire countries. WWII Germany was not alone with its nearly universal antisemitism.
The fundamental question is this: How does one determine which side to stand with in this conflict?
Observers are bewildered by the fact that if you support Israel, you will be attacked, but if you stand for the Palestinians, you will also be attacked. What?
Both sides cannot be right! It is rationally impossible to support both the Palestinians and the Israelis.
Only God knows whether America is at a final tipping point, or whether there is yet a future for us. However, I suggest that both the Bible and history books make it clear that it is dangerous to hate Israel and seek its destruction. In Genesis 12:3 we read God’s promise to Abraham, the father of Israel,
“I will bless those who bless you and I will curse him who curses you; and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed,” (NKJV).
While we may disagree with Israel regarding some of its practices, we must as Christians, always support the nation’s right to exist and to defend itself against the hatred of groups such as Hamas and the Palestinian people.
We do well to remember what has happened to the nations that have sought to do harm to the Jews. From relatively recent history, as in WWII, all the way back to ancient Babylon and Persia, one can see the hand of God wreaking His vengeance upon those who did harm to the Jews.
Again, we need not agree with everything Israel does, but we must support its right to exist and to defend itself. It may be that America’s best hope for an extended existence is to stand with Israel and against its enemies.
