Gaza Christians banned from visiting holy sites over Christmas

First of all before we get into the Nitty Gritty, this is not a thread for ANTI Israel sentiment if you have that then go and start your own thread this is a thread about a stupid and offensive ban upon Christian's that is probably conceived and put in place by the minority not the majority.

Now to the thread topic.

As you sometime's do I was channel hopping when I came across a piece on one of the news channel's, RT as our news channel the BBC and likely most large media in the west would not bring this to the attention of the general public of the west.

The Article was about the State of Israel BANNING Christian from attending.

Now usually I am the first to jump to Israel's defense as I believe I have partial Jewish Ancestry on my mothers side (plus not to stereotype but my family look like many Jewish people as well and my mother was absolutely certain we were) and though a Christian myself I feel a sense of Kinship (even if that is not reciprocated obviously) for them, however as I have watched thing's unfold over the years that sense of Kinship has been eroded by some - let's call it distasteful - behavior on the part of the State of Israel often at the behest of there own internal extremist element's.

It is therefore Heartening to find this article come's from a JEWISH newspaper printed in Israel and this portrays a fact that probably most Jewish people do not like this persecution any more than we do and so even if I feel very aggrieved by the decision to ban Christian's (whom as a Christian I also regard as my family in the body of Christ) from visiting sites that are extremely holy for them (they are mostly Greek orthodox so if you understand that makes the site's even more important to them) and there religion being essentially persecuted as a result that probably the majority of the Jewish population are NOT in any way shape or form responsible for this probably hard line ultra right wing extremist decision to ban then from visiting these holy places.

However because of it's nature and the fact that most if not all western press is ignoring this I feel it is in the interests of the wider community to be made aware of what I see as a form of religious persecution.

And YES I can understand that many Jewish extremists see Christianity as a symbol of Persecution to themselves given the long history of such that they suffered but surely they must be aware of just how important these sites are not only to Gazan Orthodox and Catholic's but also to ALL Christian's around the world especially at Christmas and how this form of behavior will ERODE support for them by the greater global community if the public in the west become enlightened as to this matter.

So I URGE most strongly the Israeli authority's to reconsider there ill conceived ban unless they really do want to be seen by the world as Scrooge.
www.haaretz.com...

AND it is more than noteworthy and Laudable for the state of Israel that despite this the state of Israel remains' the safest place in the middle east for Christian's.

But will it remain so as hatred of Christian's seem's to be on the rise probably stoked by extreme right wing element's.

You know what they say.

Haters gotta do their none-love thing.

a reply to: swanne

Sadly all too universally true.

a reply to: LABTECH767

Care to post a link to what you're talking about?

a reply to: dashen

Read the first comment it is the first link provided to the Haaretz website, the reason I had to split it in two is because my initial thread starting post was TOO long and ATS has for some reason reduced the size of the thread starting post which personally I think is a bad move but was easily worked around the way I did it.

Does it matter?

What's with these holy sites. I thought (and admit I may be wrong) but Christianity was all about worshipping God and Jesus, not plots of lands, old buildings or statues and images.

Isn't the whole point that you can worship God wherever as the whole planet is his Church?

Either way, for me it comes down to when in Rome do as the Romans do.

Don't like it? Don't go. Live there and don't like it? Get the laws changed.

Many countries have laws that are maybe stupid to outsiders. But that's the thing it's their country.

I can't photograph government buildings in China. So I don't go to China and take photos. I cannot drink in public and have unmarried sex in many Islamic countries, so I don't go to them and do those things. I have no right to go to the U.S and tell them how to run things because how they do it doesn't suit me.
Just as I don't like people coming to Australia and telling me how to live.

Maybe it's time for us to all mind our own business and fix our own shortcomings in our own nations instead of always focusing on the # in our neighbours backyards.

But no doubt I don't need to tell Christians about turning the other cheek and not judging etc.
All we have to ask is WWJD?
Probably laugh and get over it I reckon.

Maybe more Christians should worry about reading their Holy Texts and what they teach instead of giving a damn about a site their God will one day glass along with the rest of the planet.

Heck after reading the bible if I became religious I'd be trying to become a Jew as they are the Christian God's chosen people and the ones getting golden tickets at the end of days.

Best solution would probably be though people understand it's 2019 and God is dead.
Then again that would mean people couldn't blame him for this kind of bull# anymore and would have to take responsibility for their actions instead of saying "it's what God wanted"or the Devil made me do it!"

Seriously if you believe in a God, and it existed, what do you think he'd think about this?
Guess he doesn't care as he's not bothered to come personally smite anyone himself.
And if God don't care why should we?

Once again, just humans playing stupid games with other humans for power, greed etc hiding behind God and/or Jesus skirts as usual.

But yeah, I reckon God would be disappointed with everyone on the planet who claims to be a devout follower of his.

tl;dr song version:

a reply to: AtomicKangaroo

The mount of Olives in Jerusalem is one of the holiest sites in Christendom and the very place many believe Jesus will first return too.

They were looking intently into the sky as He was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them. 11“Men of Galilee,” they said, “why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen Him go into heaven.” 12Then they returned to Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives, which is near the city, a Sabbath day’s journey away

So arguably Bethlehem is more important for Christmas as it is a celebration of his Birth and Jerusalem is more important - as he is the rightful and real King AND was crucified there, died and rose from death there and ascended into heaven there as well as will come back there - for Easter and as you probably know there are two dates for both of these, the Catholic dates as used also by the protestant church's and the Orthodox Dates (original dates) so two Easters and two Christmas since the different dates are down to the use of different calender's by the east and the western church's.

Publishers of the book Holy Places of Christendom, by archaeologist Stewart Perowne, ask: “Who, whatever Christian tradition he comes from, can stand on Calvary in the Church of the Resurrection [or, Church of the Holy Sepulcher] at Jerusalem without a sense of awe: for here in a place venerated and even fought over for centuries, is the very centre of Christendom.”

Nobody has been able to prove that this church was built on Calvary, where Jesus Christ died. In fact, before Roman emperor Constantine decided to build a church there, a pagan temple occupied the site. Moreover, Jesus said: “God is a Spirit, and those worshiping him must worship with spirit and truth.” (John 4:24) Such worshipers do not revere material “holy” places.

At one time, Jerusalem was the location of God’s temple and thus the center of pure worship. Because of the unfaithfulness of the city’s inhabitants, however, Jehovah God abandoned it, as Jesus foretold. (Matthew 23:37, 38) Jesus also foretold the desolation of that religious center, which many continued to view as a holy place. His words were fulfilled when the Romans destroyed Jerusalem and its temple in 70 C.E.​—Matthew 24:15, 21.

Jesus’ prophecy will soon have a greater fulfillment upon the entire religious realm of Christendom, which she claims to be a holy place. Christendom and her sacred sites now face destruction by an antireligious force called “the disgusting thing that is causing desolation.” (Daniel 11:31)

a reply to: LABTECH767

The Article was about the State of Israel BANNING Christian from attending.

I am a Nazarene by faith and blood and I find your OP is both vague ,incomplete and very misleading. What in the world are you talking about "Banning Christians from attending?" Attending what?

Are you stating that Christians are forbidden to attend certain rituals or certain shrines ? Can you explain exactly what you are trying to imply? Are Muslims, or other religions also included in this " hard line ultra right wing extremist decision to ban then from visiting these holy places?" I think we need more information of the entire OP.