Cromey Online

The writings of author, therapist, and priest Robert Warren Cromey.

Saturday, April 30, 2011

Jews, Christians and Government

Jews and Christians are reminded regularly in the Bible to love and care for their neighbors, be hospitable to strangers and to be forgiving. Deborah Saunders (SF Chronicle, April 26, 2011) is right in quoting, “Nowhere in the Bible does God command Caesar to do a damn thing.” But we live in a democracy where citizens get to vote through our representatives about how their tax money will be used. Caesar and other governments in Jesus’ day were tyrants and not answerable to the citizenry. Serious Christians and Jews in our democracy may and do demand that our government care for the poor, sick, elderly and those oppressed. Many of us also feel such benefits should not be easily taken away.

Saturday, April 16, 2011

Holy Week and Easter

John Domenic Crossan is an ex RC priest, now full time theologian who writes radically about Jesus life, death and resurrection. Here are some radical thoughts from him as we approach this Holy Week and Easter. I agree with them.

"Jesus didn't bodily rise from the dead," he says. "The first Christians told Jesus' resurrection story as a parable, not as a fact.

"Crucifixion meant that imperial power had won," Crossan says. "Resurrection meant that divine justice had won. God is on the side of the crucified one. Rome's' values are a dead issue to me."

Wednesday, April 13, 2011

Conservative Jews Criticize Hastings Law School

Hastings Law School felt a blast of guilt on the part of some Jewish groups. They pressured the board of directors of Hastings to distance itself from a conference entitled “Litigating Palestine.” (SF Chronicle April 13, 2011) The Israeli government’s treatment of the Palestinian people is distressing to many people including American Jews. The anxiety of conservative Jewish groups to make Israel right and Palestinians wrong produces guilty self-righteous actions. To make a law school conference on litigation “an anti-Israel political organizing project using law as a weapon” is a hysterical cry. Supposing a bunch of law school professors thinking about litigation for Palestinians is an organizing committee is outside the pale of reason. Intellectual debate and discussion must not be silenced or diminished by the emotional and guilt-ridden fear of a few well-organized propagandists.