The Blue Board

Are we back to the point where we don't take a contextual and historical scientific approach to understanding geopolitical patterns and events, and just say God is angry with America so he is punishing you?

Let's not hijack the thread, Respectfully, BamaLives shouldn't have tried to move us that way. But, since you asked the question about God and natural phenomena I'll be happen to help you out. If you assume an omniscient , sovereign, and omnipotent Creator and Sustainer (ie. the Biblical God) then of course you assume that everything happens for a reason. Now, whether God is angry or punishing is only known to God.

All I'm saying is its not helpful to find solutions to these geopolitical issues by forgetting about the real-world context of the events and just go "God's pissed?", as good an explanation as any. Seeing religious faith of the regions as one of the contributing factors is crucial but there's more to the story than that. And I am by no means a "militant atheist" or anything of the sort.

Maybe I did misinterpret him, I took it as their is a direct causation between America's declining support for Israel and America's "decline" as a nation domestically and abroad.

Ok considered it saved.

Everyone in this thread needs to calm down, and be a little more understanding. Right now, parts of Egypt are anarchic state. Most of the nation's prisoners were released from their prisons, including religious extremists who were imprisoned under Hosni Mubarak.

Long story short, if Israel were to respond to this with undue force, it could potentially enable militant Egyptians to seize control of the Egyptian government and further destabilize the region.

Edit: Looks like Israel already retaliated, and it's sparked a bit of outrage in Egypt... awesome.

Why does it take the Bible to defend Israel anyways. Backing Israel is basically the embodiment of what we try to do globally. They are a people who have merely desired acknowledged existence for thousands of years and their neighbors have sought to destroy that at every turn. Jews are the most oppressed people in the history of the world.

Why wouldn't we defend them. It's one of the few manifestations of our paternal mindsight there is.

Wait...so you're saying US policy toward Israel has NOT changed?

And I quote, "Now now now, hold on a second. I do not remember whawhawha, now now, what I said."

You dont know what you're talking about. I don't assume anything about Israel. Personally, IDGAF about them at all. I was simply pointing out your invaluable contribution to the discussion.

Not sure if serious.

Just for future reference I am not one of those people who gets a thrill from trying taking religious people down a peg. I am well aware that every individual frames their beliefs through their worldview and understand where you are coming from. I have many very religious relatives, my one uncle is even a pastor. We all fight our biases to see the perspective of the other...

I just always keep conscious to try and take a historical, contextual, "normative" (as another poster mention) approach to social and political issues.