File:The-Inheritance-of-Abraham.pdf
The-Inheritance-of-Abraham.pdf (file size: 611 KB, MIME type: application/pdf)
report by Church and Society Council dated May 2013Subjects: Zionism, Palestine
Source: Church of Scotland (Link)
Wikispooks Comment
This is an official report published by the Church of Scotland at the beginning of May 2013 and made available at their web site url: http://www.churchofscotland.org.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0010/14050/Inheritance_of_Abraham_.pdf .
Almost immediately the Board of Deputies of British Jews objected to its publication. The result was that the above link was disabled and a fawning explanation issued by the Church, with the 'imprimateur' of four separate UK Jewish organisations. The episode clearly demonstrates the aggressiveness and power of organised Judaism in the UK when it comes to policing its interests.
The following is the text of the explanation for its withdrawal:
Original here
The Inheritance of Abraham? A report on the ‘promised land’
9 May 2013
The Church of Scotland and representatives of the Jewish Community in Scotland and the United Kingdom, held useful discussions facilitated by the Council of Christians and Jews this afternoon, Thursday 8 May.
We agreed that the drafting of the report published by the Church and Society Council for discussion at the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland has given cause for concern and misunderstanding of its position and requires a new introduction to set the context for the report and give clarity about some of the language used.
In particular the Church of Scotland needs to be explicit about some things that are implicit policies of the Church:
There is no change in the Church of Scotland's long held position of the right of Israel to exist.
The Church condemns all violence and acts of terrorism, where ever they happen in the world.
The concern of the Church about the injustices faced by the Palestinian people in the Occupied Palestinian Territories remain firm, but that concern should not be misunderstood as questioning the right of the State of Israel to exist.
That the Church condemns all things that create a culture of anti-Semitism. There is an equal sense of concern amongst both communities for justice and peace for all the people of Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories.
Sitting round the table and listening to each other more deeply has created a real opportunity for both communities to better understand each other and that this report now becomes a catalyst for continued and growing conversation.
The two communities have agreed to work together both here and in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories to continue what was a very positive dialogue.
Church and Society Council, Church of Scotland
Scottish Council of Jewish Communities
Board of Deputies of British Jews
Movement for Reform Judaism
Rabbis for Human Rights
The contents of the report are quite 'matter-of-fact' and it is easy to see why Zionists would like to bury it completely. It will therefore be interesting to see if any changes are made, other than to its introduction, if and when it is re-issued.
See Also
- File:The Inheritance of Abraham-Revised.pdf - Revised edition issued on 18 May 2013
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The Inheritance of Abraham? A report on the ‘promised land’
Introduction
Ten years ago the General Assembly received the report Theology of Land and Covenant, from the Board of World Mission, Church and Nation Committee and the Panel on Doctrine. This report concluded with encouragement for us to listen more to others, “enriched by new insights through continuing questions that need to be faced”. Since 2003, two new insights have been noted by the General Assembly: in 2007, in the report What Hope for the Middle East? the Church of Scotland responded to a declaration from Church leaders in Jerusalem, and endorsed their criticism of Christian Zionism and encouraged members of the Church of Scotland to reject it, and in 2009 Christians in the Holy Land came together and produced Kairos Palestine: a moment of truth, offered as a word of faith, hope and love from the heart of Palestinian Suffering (information at www.kairospalestine.ps).
With the co-operation and support of the World Mission Council, we present this report in 2013 as our latest reflection on the ‘questions that need to be faced’, as the political and humanitarian situation in the Holy Land continues to be a source of pain and concern for us all.
The Bible and the land of Israel
There has been a widespread assumption by many Christians as well as many Jewish people that the Bible supports an essentially Jewish state of Israel. This raises an increasing number of difficulties and current Israeli policies regarding the Palestinians have sharpened this questioning.
This assumption of biblical support is based on views of promises about land in the Hebrew Bible. These views are disputed. The guidance in the Bible, notably the interpretation in the New Testament, provides more help in responding to questions about land and covenant. It also provides insight (discussed later in the report) into how Christians might understand the occupation of Palestinian land by the state of Israel, threats to Middle East peace and security, human rights, and racial intolerance, especially in the forms of anti-Semitism and Islamophobia.
The phrase “the land of Israel” has a range of understandings amongst the three world faiths, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. The city of Jerusalem, which is a holy place for all three religions, is the most contentious religious and political issue.
In general terms there have been three main ways of understanding the promises about land in the Bible:
- A territorial guarantee
- A land held in trust
- A land with a universal mission.
Continues.....
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