OP/ED Stop preaching already, I get it.

Well if Israel attempted to pass a law that would make it forbidden to convert a jew to christianity then it's a theocratic society at the least.

Well I don't know about Christianity but my faith (the Baha'i Faith) is forbidden to teach our faith there and our world headquarters are on the slopes of Mt. Carmel overlooking Haifa.

Israel & Theocracy

Israel is confronted with the dilemma of how to exist as a pluralistic, democratic state and, simultaneously, retain its Jewish character. Although there is now a growing sentiment in Israel that an Israeli nationality can be distinguished, no such distinction has been acknowledged to exist in the past. In a landmark Supreme Court decision, Justice Agranat ruled... "There is no Israeli nation separate from the Jewish people." ... "the Jewish people is composed not only of those residing in Israel but also of Diaspora Jewry.... This conception of nationality does not fit with the conventional understanding of the term as Menachem Begin explains:

... "We have Israeli citizens of diverse religions. on the other hand, Jewish nationality and religion must always go together. "

By blurring the distinction between nationality and religion, Israelis find themselves frequently accused of living in a theocratic state and in many ways it would seem Israel fits the mold of a sacred state.

An argument can be made that the organs of government do not derive their authority from the synagogue or religious texts but the inseperability of the Jewish faith with the state of Israel argues otherwise.

The Paradox of Jewish Theocracy

The Jewish religion is a religion of legal, societal, and national dimensions. It is a religion of law (halakhah), in that it concentrates on its adherents’ way of life and takes a greater interest in their tangible actions than in their declarations of faith. It is a social religion, in that it deals with communal values and seeks to shape the public domain, sometimes even before getting involved with the private. And it is a national religion, in that most of its commandments and directives pertain to a particular people, the congregation of Israel, and only a few are directed toward humanity per se. Taken together, these three elements afford the Jewish religious tradition a definite political character.

Naturally, such a religio-political tradition can never be indifferent with respect to a state that it regards as the state of the Jewish people. It will strive mightily to influence that state’s laws and values and to impose its imprint on its culture and symbols.

Seems like a theocracy to me but it looks like the point is the subject of debate even among Jewish scholars.

It's fundamentalist character is also a matter of interpretation and degree.

Is it democratic? Sure, just as democratic as the US or Canada, nobody said that theocracy and democracy have to be mutually exclusive, especially when "nationality" is based on being a member of only one religion.
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Hey Gools how'd you avoid the harrassment I've gotten over on my thread about the 50+ killed? I am jealous

GREAT job, Gools.

Originally posted by Gools

I understand the economic windfalls for the military industrial complex, the oil companies and the fundamentals of "disaster capitalism".

Is that who's jerking my chain?

I understand that bombing Lebanon to destroy Hezbollah is about as productive as bombing Italy to destroy the Mafia.