Religious Mixed Messages

(Inspired by Mu)

OK, Pat Robertson, still off his rocker:
Robertson says Sharon's stroke is God's punishment

     The Reverend Pat Robertson says Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's massive stroke could be God's punishment for giving up Israeli territory.
     The founder of the Christian Broadcasting Network told viewers of "The 700 Club" that Sharon was "dividing God's land," even though the Bible says doing so invites "God's enmity."
     Robertson added, "I would say woe to any prime minister of Israel who takes a similar course."
     He noted that former Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin was assassinated.
     Robertson said God's message is, "This land belongs to me. You'd better leave it alone."

As a liberal Jewish woman, I'm getting confused, here.

• I support Israel because it's the homeland for the Jewish people. I went to college there for a semester, and then I lived on a kibbutz for a while, and I definitely feel connected to Israel.


• Am I expected to support the peace efforts or right-wing solidarity position? Because I feel like I could go either way without betraying my faith.


• Quite frankly, I want my government to support Israel, but not because of the crazy messianic lore that Christians are actually supposed to believe. Jews have crazy messianic lore, too, but I'm not a very good Jew, really.


• Who are the people who think that all liberals support the cause of the Palestinians? Am I not really a left-leaner if I'm completely against them? I don't want any part of Israel to become Palestine at all, but I understand that a compromise can save lives. I also understand that everyone wants Jerusalem, and that only one side can have it. I'm also skeptical about how many of these "Palestinians" are really people who want a homeland, and how many are just Jew haters who want us all dead, and they're using this cause as an excuse to perpetrate extreme violence.

Well, that turned out badly, as lists go. Not organized at all. And on top of it being a terrible list, I find that every time I write about this I only wind up depressed and convinced of the futility of it all.