Muslim (and Jewish scholars too) have corrupted the original pristine spiritual teachings

[Guest guest]

Muslim (and Jewish scholars, too) have corrupted the original pristine spiritual

teachings

 

 

Dear All,

 

The appended article confirms that not only have Muslim scholars misled Muslims

by their misinterpretation of Prophet Mohammed's teachings, but the Jewish

scribes and Pharisees have done so, too. The scribes and Pharisees have made

their own separate teachings and claim them to come from God. They combine the

purely " spiritual/religious " with " the political " which is something that the

true prophets of God would never do, for very good reasons:

 

" Israelis today, explains the anti-Zionist Jew Israel Shahak, " are not basing

their religion on the ethics of justice. They do not accept the Old Testament as

it is written. Rather, religious Jews turn to the Talmud. For them, the Talmudic

Jewish laws become " the Bible. " And the Talmud teaches that a Jew can kill a

non-Jew with impunity. "

 

In the teachings of Christ, there was a break from such Talmudic teachings. He

sought to heal the wounded, to comfort the downtrodden.

 

The danger, of course, for U.S. Christians is that having made an icon of

Israel, we fall into a trap of condoning whatever Israel does - even wanton

murder - as orchestrated by God. "

 

'What Christians Don't Know About Israel'

- by Grace Halsell

March 23, 2008

 

 

The prophets denounced such teachings; Shri Jesus quotes the prophet Isaiah:

 

" You hypocrites, rightly did Isaiah prophesy of you, saying, 'This people honors

Me with their lips, but their heart is far away from Me.' " (Jesus Christ -

Matthew 15:7-8)

 

The real prophets of God (unlike the false prophets/scribes and Pharisees) are

astute in that they do not combine the pure religion with politics - which

diminishes the truth. Jesus was teaching in parables about an " inner kingdom "

but these leaders of the blind wanted and talked about an " outer kingdom " . The

Jewish people were desiring an earthly king to save them from their troubles and

instead got a heavenly king they did not exactly understand or know what to do

with. Jesus warned them to leave the teachings of the scribes and Pharisees who

would only lead them further away from the universal spiritual truths:

 

" Let them alone; they are blind guides of the blind. And if a blind man guides a

blind man, both will fall into a pit. " (Jesus Christ - Matthew 15:14)

 

Even before Jesus' incarnation some 2000 or so years ago, the scribes and

Pharisees had made up difficult-to-follow rules, regulations and rituals that

the people should religiously follow. Many of these went against the spirit of

the truth. For example, Jesus healed on the Sabbath and that was against their

rules, too. But Jesus still did it. He would not obey the scribes and Pharisees

rules, regulations, and rituals, especially when they went against the spirit of

the truth. Because of all these rulings which people couldn't reasonably follow,

Jesus called them hypocrites:

 

" But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you shut off the

kingdom of heaven from men; for you do not enter in yourselves, nor do you allow

those who are entering to go in. " (Jesus Christ - Matthew 23:13)

 

Jesus pointed out where the value system in their religion had gone askew. Here

is just one example that Jesus pointed out to them:

 

" Woe to you, blind guides, who say, 'Whoever swears by the temple, that is

nothing; but whoever swears by the gold of the temple, he is obligated.' " You

fools and blind men; which is more important, the gold, or the temple that

sanctified the gold? " (Jesus Christ - Matthew 23:16-17)

 

All these things that Jesus did and said displeased them. That he did so made

him a 'radical' in their eyes. They considered themselves to be the status quo

and therefore in the right and were not going to have anyone challenge or change

that. They were not going to have Jesus upset all their rules, regulations and

rituals - even though Jesus proved these to be illogical and contradictory and

not adding up to the truth that is at the heart of all true religions, on the

one Tree of Life. The scribes and Pharisees would not accept his teachings, but

preferred to adhere to their own religious and political powers, rather than

surrendering themselves to the highest spiritual teachings that Jesus - an

incarnation sent from God, brought to them. He is the incarnation that opened

the Narrow Gate (Christian), a.k.a. " Agnya " (Hindu) so that those who sought to

enter the Kingdom of God within, " Sahasrara " (Hindu) could do so at this

Resurrection time, when He would send the Comforter, Paraclete, Holy Ghost.

 

The appended article shows what the continuation of the legacy of the scribes

and Pharisees has done. Instead of sticking to the pure religion of their

forefathers, the Jewish people have been led to be heavily involved in the

religious/political teachings of the present-day scribes and Pharisees, whose

traditions are still there and which are still leading them away from the truth

of the incarnations and prophets and into a kind of nationalistic

fundamentalism, with blinders on:

 

" Yet, increasingly, American Jews have fallen victim to Zionism, a nationalistic

movement that passes for many as a religion. While the ethical instructions of

all great religions - including the teachings of Moses, Muhammad and Christ -

stress that all human beings are equal, militant Zionists take the position that

the killing of a non-Jew does not count. "

 

'What Christians Don't Know About Israel'

- by Grace Halsell

March 23, 2008

 

Jesus did warn the Jewish people about such scribes and Pharisees at the same

time in which he also taught them about the kingdom of God that is within you,

but most would not listen to him when he said that:

 

" Let them alone; they are blind guides of the blind. And if a blind man guides a

blind man, both will fall into a pit. " (Jesus Christ - Matthew 15:14)

 

What will now save and establish the Jewish people in their real Holy Land, is

entrance into the Kingdom of God within which Jesus tried so hard to teach them

about, but he had very little success with his own people: they only wanted to

know about an external kingdom and they wanted Jesus to be their earthly king

instead of a heavenly king.

 

Now, however is the Time. It is the Time of Resurrection when the Jewish people

(as do all people) need to turn to the saving knowledge of the Divine Feminine

within - the Holy Spirit/Shekinah, as written about in their ancient scriptures:

 

http://www.adishakti.org/_/shekinah_the_voice_of_wisdom.htm

 

Jewish people do have the heritage of the Divine Feminine, as She is in every

scripture. She is called as " Wisdom " and " Holy Spirit/Shekinah " . She is the One

that can give them their Self-realization, from within. She is the salvation

that the Jewish people are really looking for--an internal salvation of soul and

spirit, just as She is the salvation of all peoples. It is Time to stop looking

for physical land grabs and to live peaceably with one's neighbor, as Jesus

taught. The real important Land is the Land within - the Kingdom of God within.

That is the most important Land to attain! But to attain that Land, requires one

to be at Peace with one's neighbour.

 

with Love to all,

 

violet

 

 

 

What Christians Don't Know About Israel

 

by Grace Halsell

March 23, 2008

 

American Jews sympathetic to Israel dominate key positions in all areas of our

government where decisions are made regarding the Middle East. This being the

case, is there any hope of ever changing U.S. policy? American Presidents as

well as most members of Congress support Israel - and they know why. U.S. Jews

sympathetic to Israel donate lavishly to their campaign coffers.

 

The answer to achieving an even-handed Middle East policy might lie elsewhere

among those who support Israel but don't really know why. This group is the vast

majority of Americans. They are well-meaning, fair-minded Christians who feel

bonded to Israel - and Zionism - often from atavistic feelings, in some cases

dating from childhood.

 

I am one of those. I grew up listening to stories of a mystical, allegorical,

spiritual Israel. This was before a modern political entity with the same name

appeared on our maps. I attended Sunday School and watched an instructor draw

down window-type shades to show maps of the Holy Land. I imbibed stories of a

Good and Chosen people who fought against their Bad " unChosen " enemies.

 

In my early 20s, I began traveling the world, earning my living as a writer. I

came to the subject of the Middle East rather late in my career. I was sadly

lacking in knowledge regarding the area. About all I knew was what I had learned

in Sunday School.

 

And typical of many U.S. Christians, I somehow considered a modern state created

in 1948 as a homeland for Jews persecuted under the Nazis as a replica of the

spiritual, mystical Israel I heard about as a child. When in 1979 I initially

went to Jerusalem, I planned to write about the three great monotheistic

religions and leave out politics. " Not write about politics? " scoffed one

Palestinian, smoking a waterpipe in the Old Walled City. " We eat politics,

morning, noon and night! "

 

As I would learn, the politics is about land, and the co-claimants to that land:

the indigenous Palestinians who have lived there for 2,000 years and the Jews

who started arriving in large numbers after the Second World War. By living

among Israeli Jews as well as Palestinian Christians and Muslims, I saw, heard,

smelled, experienced the police state tactics Israelis use against Palestinians.

 

My research led to a book entitled Journey to Jerusalem. My journey not only was

enlightening to me as regards Israel, but also I came to a deeper, and sadder,

understanding of my own country. I say sadder understanding because I began to

see that, in Middle East politics, we the people are not making the decisions,

but rather that supporters of Israel are doing so. And typical of most

Americans, I tended to think the U.S. media was " free " to print news

impartially.

 

 

" It shouldn't be published. It's anti-Israel. "

 

In the late 1970s, when I first went to Jerusalem, I was unaware that editors

could and would classify " news " depending on who was doing what to whom. On my

initial visit to Israel-Palestine, I had interviewed dozens of young Palestinian

men. About one in four related stories of torture.

 

Israeli police had come in the night, dragged them from their beds and placed

hoods over their heads. Then in jails the Israelis had kept them in isolation,

besieged them with loud, incessant noises, hung them upside down and had

sadistically mutilated their genitals. I had not read such stories in the U.S.

media. Wasn't it news? Obviously, I naively thought, U.S. editors simply didn't

know it was happening.

 

On a trip to Washington, DC, I hand-delivered a letter to Frank Mankiewicz, then

head of the public radio station WETA. I explained I had taped interviews with

Palestinians who had been brutally tortured. And I'd make them available to him.

I got no reply. I made several phone calls. Eventually I was put through to a

public relations person, a Ms. Cohen, who said my letter had been lost. I wrote

again. In time I began to realize what I hadn't known: had it been Jews who were

strung up and tortured, it would be news. But interviews with tortured Arabs

were " lost " at WETA.

 

The process of getting my book Journey to Jerusalem published also was a

learning experience. Bill Griffin, who signed a contract with me on behalf of

MacMillan Publishing Company, was a former Roman Catholic priest. He assured me

that no one other than himself would edit the book. As I researched the book,

making several trips to Israel and Palestine, I met frequently with Griffin,

showing him sample chapters. " Terrific, " he said of my material.

 

The day the book was scheduled to be published, I went to visit MacMillan's.

Checking in at a reception desk, I spotted Griffin across a room, cleaning out

his desk. His secretary Margie came to greet me. In tears, she whispered for me

to meet her in the ladies room. When we were alone, she confided, " He's been

fired. " She indicated it was because he had signed a contract for a book that

was sympathetic to Palestinians. Griffin, she said, had no time to see me.

 

Later, I met with another MacMillan official, William Curry. " I was told to take

your manuscript to the Israeli Embassy, to let them read it for mistakes, " he

told me. " They were not pleased. They asked me, " You are not going to publish

this book, are you? " I asked, " Were there mistakes? " " Not mistakes as such. But

it shouldn't be published. It's anti-Israel. "

 

Somehow, despite obstacles to prevent it, the presses had started rolling. After

its publication in 1980, I was invited to speak in a number of churches.

Christians generally reacted with disbelief. Back then, there was little or no

coverage of Israeli land confiscation, demolition of Palestinian homes, wanton

arrests and torture of Palestinian civilians.

 

 

The Same Question

 

Speaking of these injustices, I invariably heard the same question, " How come I

didn't know this? " Or someone might ask, " But I haven't read about that in my

newspaper. " To these church audiences, I related my own learning experience,

that of seeing hordes of U.S. correspondents covering a relatively tiny state. I

pointed out that I had not seen so many reporters in world capitals such as

Beijing, Moscow, London, Tokyo, Paris. Why, I asked, did a small state with a

1980 population of only four million warrant more reporters than China, with a

billion people?

 

I also linked this query with my findings that The New York Times, The Wall

Street Journal, The Washington Post - and most of our nation's print media - are

owned and/or controlled by Jews supportive of Israel. It was for this reason, I

deduced, that they sent so many reporters to cover Israel - and to do so largely

from the Israeli point of view.

 

My learning experiences also included coming to realize how easily I could lose

a Jewish friend if I criticized the Jewish state. I could with impunity

criticize France, England, Russia, even the United States. And any aspect of

life in America. But not the Jewish state. I lost more Jewish friends than one

after the publication of Journey to Jerusalem - all sad losses for me and one,

perhaps, saddest of all.

 

In the 1960s and 1970s, before going to the Middle East, I had written about the

plight of blacks in a book entitled Soul Sister, and the plight of American

Indians in a book entitled Bessie Yellowhair, and the problems endured by

undocumented workers crossing from Mexico in The Illegals. These books had come

to the attention of the " mother " of The New York Times, Mrs. Arthur Hays

Sulzberger.

 

Her father had started the newspaper, then her husband ran it, and in the years

that I knew her, her son was the publisher. She invited me to her fashionable

apartment on Fifth Avenue for lunches and dinner parties. And, on many

occasions, I was a weekend guest at her Greenwich, Conn. home.

 

She was liberal-minded and praised my efforts to speak for the underdog, even

going so far in one letter to say, " You are the most remarkable woman I ever

knew. " I had little concept that from being buoyed so high I could be dropped so

suddenly when I discovered - from her point of view - the " wrong " underdog.

 

As it happened, I was a weekend guest in her spacious Connecticut home when she

read bound galleys of Journey to Jerusalem. As I was leaving, she handed the

galleys back with a saddened look: " My dear, have you forgotten the Holocaust? "

She felt that what happened in Nazi Germany to Jews several decades earlier

should silence any criticism of the Jewish state. She could focus on a holocaust

of Jews while negating a modern day holocaust of Palestinians.

 

I realized, quite painfully, that our friendship was ending. Iphigene Sulzberger

had not only invited me to her home to meet her famous friends but, also at her

suggestion, The Times had requested articles. I wrote op-ed articles on various

subjects including American blacks, American Indians as well as undocumented

workers. Since Mrs. Sulzberger and other Jewish officials at the Times highly

praised my efforts to help these groups of oppressed peoples, the dichotomy

became apparent: most " liberal " U.S. Jews stand on the side of all poor and

oppressed peoples save one - the Palestinians.

 

How handily these liberal Jewish opinion-molders tend to diminish the

Palestinians, to make them invisible, or to categorize them all as " terrorists. "

 

Interestingly, Iphigene Sulzberger had talked to me a great deal about her

father, Adolph S. Ochs. She told me that he was not one of the early Zionists.

He had not favored the creation of a Jewish state.

 

Yet, increasingly, American Jews have fallen victim to Zionism, a nationalistic

movement that passes for many as a religion. While the ethical instructions of

all great religions - including the teachings of Moses, Muhammad and Christ -

stress that all human beings are equal, militant Zionists take the position that

the killing of a non-Jew does not count.

 

Over five decades now, Zionists have killed Palestinians with impunity. And in

the 1996 shelling of a U.N. base in Qana, Lebanon, the Israelis killed more than

100 civilians sheltered there. As an Israeli journalist, Arieh Shavit, explains

of the massacre, " We believe with absolute certitude that right now, with the

White House in our hands, the Senate in our hands and The New York Times in our

hands, the lives of others do not count the same way as our own. "

 

Israelis today, explains the anti-Zionist Jew Israel Shahak, " are not basing

their religion on the ethics of justice. They do not accept the Old Testament as

it is written. Rather, religious Jews turn to the Talmud. For them, the Talmudic

Jewish laws become " the Bible. " And the Talmud teaches that a Jew can kill a

non-Jew with impunity.

 

In the teachings of Christ, there was a break from such Talmudic teachings. He

sought to heal the wounded, to comfort the downtrodden.

 

The danger, of course, for U.S. Christians is that having made an icon of

Israel, we fall into a trap of condoning whatever Israel does - even wanton

murder - as orchestrated by God.

 

Yet, I am not alone in suggesting that the churches in the United States

represent the last major organized support for Palestinian rights. This

imperative is due in part to our historic links to the Land of Christ and in

part to the moral issues involved with having our tax dollars fund

Israeli-government-approved violations of human rights.

 

While Israel and its dedicated U.S. Jewish supporters know they have the

president and most of Congress in their hands, they worry about grassroots

America - the well-meaning Christians who care for justice. Thus far, most

Christians were unaware of what it was they didn't know about Israel. They were

indoctrinated by U.S. supporters of Israel in their own country and when they

traveled to the Land of Christ most all did so under Israeli sponsorship. That

being the case, it was unlikely a Christian ever met a Palestinian or learned

what caused the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

 

This is gradually changing, however. And this change disturbs the Israelis. As

an example, delegates attending a Christian Sabeel conference in Bethlehem

earlier this year said they were harassed by Israeli security at the Tel Aviv

airport.

 

" They asked us, " said one delegate, " Why did you use a Palestinian travel

agency? Why didn't you use an Israeli agency? " The interrogation was so

extensive and hostile that Sabeel leaders called a special session to brief the

delegates on how to handle the harassment. Obviously, said one delegate, " The

Israelis have a policy to discourage us from visiting the Holy Land except under

their sponsorship. They don't want Christians to start learning all they have

never known about Israel. "

---------

 

Grace Halsell is a Washington, DC-based writer and author of Journey to

Jerusalem and Prophecy and Politics