With Friends Like These...

An unidentified Orthodox Jew with Pope Francis

With anti-Semitism spreading across the world once again like a deadly malignancy, a group of Orthodox rabbis has decided that it's a good time to bury the hatchet with some old enemies.

From Newsmax.com: More than 35 Orthodox rabbis from Israel, the United States and Europe are making an extraordinary plea for an end to the "toxic" history between Jews and Christians – and the beginning of cooperation "as partners to address the moral challenges of our era."

The rabbis have published an official document that outlines their peace offering to Christians. In the statement, they acknowledge that both Jews and Christians have a common covenantal mission to perfect the world under the sovereignty of the Almighty, so that all humanity will call on His name and abominations will be removed from the earth. 

The document also states that Jews and Christians have more in common than what divides us: the ethical monotheism of Abraham; the relationship with the One Creator of Heaven and Earth, Who loves and cares for all of us; Jewish Sacred Scriptures; a belief in a binding tradition; and the values of life, family, compassionate righteousness, justice, inalienable freedom, universal love and ultimate world peace. 

It's understandable that the Jews are reaching out to the Christians because both groups don't have many friends left in the world. Certainly, the Jews have a lot more experience with persecution than Christians have had. And the Jews recognize that the wholesale slaughter of Christians and the destruction of their communities throughout the Middle East, Africa and Asia is identical to what they've experienced throughout the world for thousands of years. 

And so, out of concern, they've reached out to Christians to show their solidarity with them. Unfortunately, they've reached out to "Christians" who've been the biggest purveyors of anti-Semitism for nearly 17 centuries. 

The rabbis, who evidently don't know the difference between true biblical Christianity and Roman Catholicism, extended their olive branch to the Vatican: We recognize that since the Second Vatican Council the official teachings of the Catholic Church about Judaism have changed fundamentally and irrevocably. The promulgation of Nostra Aetate fifty years ago started the process of reconciliation between our two communities. Nostra Aetate and the later official Church documents it inspired unequivocally reject any form of anti-Semitism, affirm the eternal Covenant between G-d and the Jewish people, reject deicide and stress the unique relationship between Christians and Jews, who were called “our elder brothers” by Pope John Paul II and “our fathers in faith” by Pope Benedict XVI. 

Vatican Council II ostensibly apologized for the Catholic Church's historical mistreatment of the Jews, going all the way back to the 4th century. In reality, the apology was a phony one that sought to distance the Roman church from Hitler's holocaust that the Catholic Church helped foment through centuries of anti-Semitism. 

Remember that Adolf Hitler, a professing Roman Catholic, qualified his murderous actions by pointing to his religion: I believe today that I am acting in the sense of the Almighty Creator. By warding off the Jews I am fighting for the Lord's work. (Adolph Hitler, Speech, Reichstag, 1936)

Why has the Catholic Church historically maligned the Jews? Because the church believes that she replaced the Jews as God's chosen people when the Jews corporately rejected Jesus Christ as their messiah. For centuries, the Catholic Church taught that God rejected the Jews and cursed them for rejecting Christ. That's a heresy more popularly known as Replacement Theology. And that's a demonic heresy that's not limited to the Catholic Church.

Did God reject the Jews? The apostle Paul provides the answer? "By no means! I am an Israelite myself, a descendant of Abraham, from the tribe of Benjamin. God did not reject his people, whom he foreknew. Don't you know what Scripture says in the passage about Elijah—how he appealed to God against Israel: 'Lord, they have killed your prophets and torn down your altars; I am the only one left, and they are trying to kill me'? And what was God’s answer to him? 'I have reserved for myself seven thousand who have not bowed the knee to Baal.' So too, at the present time there is a remnant chosen by grace. And if by grace, then it cannot be based on works; if it were, grace would no longer be grace." (Romans 11:1-6)

Certainly, it's commendable that the Jews want to make peace with Christians. However, they need to know the difference between true Christians and phony ones. Although the Catholic Church says nice things about the Jews these days, that church hasn't changed her historical position. She continues to believe that she and not the Jews are God's chosen people, and that God is done with them.

And the Catholic Church believes that the city of Jerusalem belongs to her and not to the Jews. That's why the Catholic Church has refused to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital city since Israel became a sovereign nation once again in 1948.

The Jews may believe that the Catholic Church has become their friends. But she hasn't. And she never will as long as she exists. Rather, the Catholic Church used to kill the Jews with guns and knives and swords. 

But now, the church is killing them with kindness. As they say: With friends like these, who needs enemies?