On the other hand have you or any of your buddies actually lived and worked in the (formerly) large and (formerly) thriving Christian communities in what was once Syria and Lebanon?
There are good people and bad people on both ends.
Have you seen the videos and pictures of Jewish children in Israel spitting on Christians and the police not only ignoring it but making sure that anyone getting upset by it is put in their place quickly?
What's interesting about the movie clip you posted is actually the movie gives a rather balanced look at both the good and bad sides of 2 competing empires at the time (the "Jews" were mostly elsewhere during those events), and the pointlessness of endless bloodshed over religious claims to specific spots of dirt.
The problem with many American Christians is they have been co-opted by Zionist propaganda that was preached to them by compromised and co-opted "leaders".
People ARE people, to be sure. There is absolutely nothing wrong or different between your suicide vest wearing jihadi and an American Marine in terms of the animal inside. They're the same creature in possession of the same good and evil, but they don't believe the same things, which causes them to act in radically different ways. There were "good" Nazis too. There were. Many of them were murdered, or did not see the end of the war as they privately/secretly opposed the Nazi's programs because they fundamentally understood it was wrong at one point or another.
It's the culture and the belief systems that aren't comparable or equally good/evil. The ideology matters, and it matters a great deal more than the individual when we are talking geo politics.
The Iranians can't be negotiated with or trusted because because of their religious beliefs, which are bat shit crazy, but dismissing them is a fatal error, because they actually believe it and the evil shit they do makes perfect sense only in that context.
Back some 3000ish years ago, God did give the descendants of one of Abraham's several sons, a kingdom and great promises of power and even larger lands if they would be faithful and true to God.
Well if you study the Bible, well, you'll see how all that all went and how God specifically said well you played the whore to other gods and so you don't get that and in fact you'll lose everything for your wickedness, but I'll still be merciful to you and let you come back to a smaller place and try again.
And well when the prophecies of the Messiah to come were fulfilled and Jesus Christ came, they of course rejected him and crucified him.
Jesus Christ was resurrected, fulfilling and ending the OLD testament/covenant (based on laws, works and ethnicity) and bringing in the NEW covenant/testament. (based on faith in Jesus Christ alone)
The whole Old Testament is one story after the next of people disobeying, being punished and coming back to faith. That's why it leads to seamlessly into...
After that, all who believe in Jesus Christ as their saviour/messiah/redeemer are the inheritors of the promises made to Abraham and ethnicity doesn't matter.
Now there were promises made that God would not totally abandon folks from a certain son of Abraham, but that rather he would from time to time give them chances to come back to knowing their true God and the true Messiah Jesus Christ.
But many American Christians have been propagandized by the Zionists to think that somehow "Jews" don't need Christ and that they can go their own way and have their own separate path to God. The "Gathering of Israel" as many talk about, refers NOT to folks of a specific race gathering into a specific geographical area, but rather to Gathering ALL the people from ALL nations who are willing to believe, to come to the knowledge, belief, acceptance and faith in Jesus Christ as their saviour and redeemer.
That is not it at all. They most certainly are sinners like everyone else (no more no less) and in just as much need of redemption as any other human. You are projecting again. It's that it's abundantly clear that "Jews", i.e. those who reject salvation, are still living under The Law, and subject to death for their sins, still have a big place in God's ultimate plan to bring His kingdom to Earth. Their role does not end with the resurrection of Christ and Grace. In fact it is a central role, and one which Harry Truman and believing Christians long expected and recognized to the point that 11 minutes after the State of Israel was created we declared Israel reconstituted and reestablished exactly as prophesized. Just as when The Temple will be rebuilt it will be yet another in the hundreds of affirmations of Biblical prophesy (in both the Old and New Testaments). The only people who will be shocked, shocked I tell you, are non-believers.
Granted, none of it makes a lot of sense looking ahead, but the track record of how it looks in the rear view mirror is astounding, and humans have been dead wrong (in general) about interpreting prophesy across the board. It only makes any sense looking back, and when you try to predict the future via biblical prophesy it's often not just wrong, but 180 degrees wrong, because God clearly has a great sense of irony.
Just the fact that Jesus was a pauper who was murdered by the powerful ought to give you pause in trying to interpret what the coming of a savior looks like. Based on that alone people should read, try to understand the mysteries, and then keep their own council about what it means, because none know.
Interestingly enough not all "Jews" are on board with the Zionists / Glory to the State of Israel faction.
Many (including many in America and Israel itself) are not all onboard with the modern state of Israel as being all that it's talked up to be.
That's true, and why I included the caveat of ignoring the wierdos. We have plenty of our own who believe all manner of apostacies, heresies, and half-baked opinions burning with zealotry. When the Temple is rebuilt, what are you going to say? At least you got the irony of Deus Vult!
If you want to be all pro state of Israel, sure no problem, be what you want, but don't get mixed up thinking they have some divine right to do as they wish.
I don't think anyone here has any great love for any of the "Arab" governments, but rather many also understand the state of Israel isn't all the glorious thing that they are cracked up to be.
Just like most here see past that stupid "glory to Ukraine" propaganda and remember the "hero" Z as the boy toy dancer he was before he became useful to the CIA.
Support for the only representative democracy that believes in fundamental, self evident truths that are the same or very close to our own, takes no faith or religion. It just so happens, as I have found is true in all cases one way or another, it happens to dove tail perfectly with my beliefs and my faith. That doesn't detract from the failings of the Knesset and the Israeli government in terms of swaying my beliefs, and lead me to consider those failures more important that the overall thrust of history. Our government is far from perfect or benevolent as well, but that's not going to stop me from believing in truths that are self evident, or continuing to try and perfect this union of states toward that end. I won't loose sight of the forest for the trees, or condemn anyone for temporal decisions made in error or under duress.
It's easy to sympathize with persecuted Jews in the diaspora as a cultural oddity. It's interesting how feelings and opinions change when those persecuted Jews are now heavily armed, free farmers living under their own rule. If you see the world as oppressors/oppressed I guess I understand it. If you have a much broader view and actually look at what people believe and what motivates their decisions this ends up looking like ignorance and stupidity.
We must have a national government, and on that point I agree with the totalitarian left. That is a fundamental agreement, and yet I am so far away from everything they believe after that they may as well be Venusians.
en.wikipedia.org
