Tuesday, May 10, 2005

Dennis Prager: In praise of assimilation

Sigh

Poor Dennis Prager appears to have had a stroke. Or maybe one of his ghost writers, or perhaps his housekeeper, finished writing his latest column on his behalf. How else to explain the disconnect between the first and last paragraphs.

Paragraph 1:
Ask believing Christians -- probably from as young as 8 years of age -- what their mission as Christians is, and it is overwhelmingly likely they will answer, "to bring people to Christ" or "spread the Gospel."

Paragraph last
Most Jews are still running away from their divine mission and causing storms in many places as a result. Only by bringing the ethical monotheist message to mankind, and working with like-minded Christians to do so, will the world's seas ever calm down.

I agree with everything up to the last sentance. The Christian's missions is to proselytize? Check. The Jew's mission is to make the world a better place? Check. Have too many Jews had abdicated from this mission (perhaps via their support of Bush and his selfish, illiberal, scorched earth policies?) Check plus.

But the solution to all the world’s ills is for us to tag-team with the Christians? Hello? Does Prager not remember his own first paragraph, where he confessed that the Christian’s mission is missionary? If we invite like-minded Christians to help us with our mission, as Prager advocates, aren’t we making it easier for them to carry out their mission?

[An excellent point]