Christian Nonviolent Opposition To The Palestinian Occupation

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The Kairos Palestine Document

[url="http://www.kairospalestine.ps"]http://www.kairospalestine.ps[/url]

We hear the cry of our children.We, the Patriarchs and Heads of Churches in Jerusalem, hear the cry of hope that our children have launched in these difficult times that we still experience in this Holy Land. We support them and stand by them in their faith, their hope, their love and their vision for the future. We also support the call to all our faithful as well as to the Israeli and Palestinian Leaders, to the International Community and to the World Churches, in order to accelerate the achievement of justice, peace and reconciliation in this Holy Land. We ask God to bless all our children by giving them more power in order to contribute effectively in establishing and developing their community, while making it a community in love, trust, justice and peace.

[list][*]His Beatitude Theophilos III, Greek Orthodox[*]His Beatitude Patriarch Fouad Twal, Latin Church[*]His Beatitude Patriarch Torkom Manougian, Armenian Orthodox[*]Very Revd Father Pierbattista Pizzaballa, Custody of the Holy Land[*]H.E. Archbishop Dr Anba Abraham, Coptic[*]H.E. Archbishop Mar Swerios Malki Murad, Syrian Orthodox[*]H.E. Archbishop Paul Nabil Sayah, Maronite[*]H.E. Archbishop Abba Mathaious, Ethiopian[*]H.E. Archbishop Joseph-Jules Zerey, Greek Catholic[*]Bishop Gregor Peter Malki, Syrian Catholic[*]Bishop Munib A. Younan, Lutheran[*]Bishop Suheil Dawani, Anglican[*]Bishop Raphael Minassian, Armenian Catholic[/list]

read the letter here (if I knew how to convert a pdf file to text, I would, sorry...):

[url="http://www.kairospalestine.ps/sites/default/Documents/English.pdf"]http://www.kairospal...nts/English.pdf[/url]

Btw Methodists are involved with this, now, too. This is very encouraging.

[Maggyie]

I posted about this document on one of the earlier Israel-Palestine threads, as proof that Palestinian Christians are not really all that pro-Israel. The current situation damages everyone living in Palestine, not just Muslims or members of Hamas. Unfortunately there does not seem to be a way past this stalemate. Israel has legitimate security concerns after all. I feel more and more that only the Holy Spirit can solve this problem, and since we with our human solutions can't seem to change hearts, we need to focus on asking Him to do work only He can do.

[HisChildForever]

There needs to be widespread conversion to Christianity. Islam needs to fall.

[Maggyie]

The sad thing is, even with widespread conversion - I assume you mean all the Jews in Israel to Christianity and all the Muslims in the Middle East to Christianity -- who knows if that would solve things. Sometimes Christians fight more horribly with their brothers and sisters in Christ than they do with people from different religions. These battles are ultimately about land and money and power and that won't change with conversion... unless these are true and complete conversions of the heart. And how rare are those. I know my own conversion was not complete and still isn't yet

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[quote name='Maggie' date='03 July 2010 - 02:01 PM' timestamp='1278176507' post='2137400']
The sad thing is, even with widespread conversion - I assume you mean all the Jews in Israel to Christianity and all the Muslims in the Middle East to Christianity -- who knows if that would solve things. [b]Sometimes Christians fight more horribly with their brothers and sisters in Christ than they do with people from different religions. These battles are ultimately about land and money and power and that won't change with conversion...[/b] unless these are true and complete conversions of the heart. And how rare are those. I know my own conversion was not complete and still isn't yet
[/quote]

Exactly.

[HisChildForever]

[quote name='Maggie' date='03 July 2010 - 01:01 PM' timestamp='1278176507' post='2137400']
The sad thing is, even with widespread conversion - I assume you mean all the Jews in Israel to Christianity and all the Muslims in the Middle East to Christianity -- who knows if that would solve things. Sometimes Christians fight more horribly with their brothers and sisters in Christ than they do with people from different religions. These battles are ultimately about land and money and power and that won't change with conversion... unless these are true and complete conversions of the heart. And how rare are those. I know my own conversion was not complete and still isn't yet
[/quote]

People would behave in a more civilized fashion if Islam was extinguished.

[Hassan]

[quote name='HisChildForever' date='03 July 2010 - 01:34 PM' timestamp='1278178452' post='2137417']
People would behave in a more civilized fashion if Islam was extinguished.
[/quote]

There wasn't a lot of civility in how the Orthodox Serbs dealt with the Bosniaks or how Russian Orthodox soldiers have kept a lid on the Caucasus. I guess somehow the Muslims are to blame there though.

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[quote name='HisChildForever' date='03 July 2010 - 02:34 PM' timestamp='1278178452' post='2137417']
People would behave in a more civilized fashion if Islam was extinguished.
[/quote]

Ever heard of Uganda or Rwanda?

[Seven77]

[quote name='HisChildForever' date='03 July 2010 - 02:34 PM' timestamp='1278178452' post='2137417']
People would behave in a more civilized fashion if Islam was extinguished.
[/quote]

People, including Christians, would behave in a more civilized fashion if they converted to Christ.

[KnightofChrist]

Christ will destroy and crush Islam, and all other false religions which are the doctrines of demons.

[HisChildForever]

[quote name='KnightofChrist' date='03 July 2010 - 08:03 PM' timestamp='1278201820' post='2137516']
Christ will destroy and crush Islam, and all other false religions which are the doctrines of demons.
[/quote]

Amen.

[Jesus_lol]

I dont believe the destruction of Islam was the topic of the thread.

[Maggyie]

[quote name='Jesus_lol' date='04 July 2010 - 02:13 AM' timestamp='1278220414' post='2137613']
I dont believe the destruction of Islam was the topic of the thread.
[/quote]

Correct.

[HisChildForever]

Of course, Islam has nothing to do with the Middle East. Silly HCF.

[Gregorius]

[quote name='Maggie' date='03 July 2010 - 01:01 PM' timestamp='1278176507' post='2137400']
The sad thing is, even with widespread conversion - I assume you mean all the Jews in Israel to Christianity and all the Muslims in the Middle East to Christianity -- who knows if that would solve things. Sometimes Christians fight more horribly with their brothers and sisters in Christ than they do with people from different religions. These battles are ultimately about land and money and power and that won't change with conversion... unless these are true and complete conversions of the heart. And how rare are those. I know my own conversion was not complete and still isn't yet
[/quote]
I do hear that even today the Latin church and the Orthodox squabble among each other. I also hear that Pope Benedict is doing a lot to improve East/West Relationships, getting the approval of both his holiness Patriarch Bartholomew and his holiness Patriarch Kiril. I think we can get more conversion to Christ in the Middle East if we can end the schism.