May 10, 2007 | 5:09 pm

Is Karl Rove an atheist?

Posted by Brad A. Greenberg

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At the least, Rove‘s not a person of faith. That’s what godless superstar Christopher Hitchens says in an interview with New York magazine. Here’s the excerpt from the Washington Monthly‘s Political Animal:

Has anyone in the Bush administration confided in you about being an atheist?

Well, I don’t talk that much to them — maybe people think I do. I know something which is known to few but is not a secret. Karl Rove is not a believer, and he doesn’t shout it from the rooftops, but when asked, he answers quite honestly. I think the way he puts it is, “I’m not fortunate enough to be a person of faith.”

The Political Animal—also known as Kevin Drum—wasn’t surprised.

In fact, I’ve never really thought Rove was all that committed a conservative, either. He strikes me more as a pure political operative, someone who could have signed up with either side if different opportunities had presented themselves when he was young. But he signed up with the conservative cause early, and once that happened he was the kind of person to jump in with both feet.

But Mark Kleiman, a UCLA public policy prof, was a bit more cynical:

If we’ve learned anything in the last six years, it’s that when Karl Rove’s lips are moving, he’s lying, generally for partisan advantage. He knows full well that (1) he’s unpopular (2) atheism is unpopular and (3) voters still tend to associate Republicans with religiosity and Democrats with godlessness. So he’s decided to pretend to be an atheist, hoping that some of the bad reputation he’s worked so hard to earn rubs off on us.

Un-uh. No way. I’m not having any. The godly put Rove and his puppet in power, and the godly are stuck with the pair of them.

By the way, a Google image search for Karl Rove will turn up some comical mock photos, like the one above.

May 10, 2007 | 1:37 pm

UC Irvine safe for Jews

Posted by Brad A. Greenberg

Martha Mecartney, chairwoman of UC Irvine‘s academic senate, was surprised recently to hear her daughter relay a school friend’s fear: “Since she and some of her friends were Jewish, it was not safe for them to walk around the UCI campus.”

“Why in the world,” Mecartney asked in an op-ed in today’s OC Register, “would this untruth be spread around Orange County?”

The simple answer is that, among its growing stature as a premier institution, UCI has become the bad boy of collegiate Jewish-Muslim relations. I blogged last month about California campuses’ reputation as “Hotbeds of Anti-Israel Rhetoric.” The article from the Forward focused on UCI and the cadre of rabble rousers, like Amir Abdel Malik Ali, who are invited to campus by a small group of MSA students to praise suicide bombers and rail on the “Zionist Jews.”

Last spring, Ali gave a notorious speech at U.C. Irvine during a week of activities sponsored by the campus Muslim Student Union under the rubric “Holocaust in the Holy Land.” Speaking on a campus plaza behind a sign reading “Israel, the 4th Reich,” Ali noted that Israelis are “reluctant to get on buses and things, or go to the café,” adding, “It’s about time that they live in fear.” He said that whereas Israelis are “coming to live,” they are opposed by “people who are ready to die, who say either victory or martyrdom. You can’t fight against that.”

“We will fight you until we are either martyred or until we are victorious,” he said. “That’s how we look at it. And they know that that’s how Muslims believe.”

Mecartney takes issue with these speakers and says it is unfair to broad brush UCI a hostile place for Jews.

It appears that the goal of these speakers and their supporters on our campus is not to foster discussion and bring attention to possible solutions for the plight of the Palestinians but to demonize Israel and American Jews who support the existence of Israel. This I find highly repulsive and against what I believe in, which is tolerance and respect for all and a peaceful and productive solution to a long-term political and religious challenge in a land claimed by many peoples for many centuries.

But to equate a few individuals who visit the campus each year and spout vitriolic speech (which is their constitutional right) with UC Irvine being unsafe for Jewish students is a horrible misrepresentation of the truth. There has been vandalism of signs erected by both pro-Israel and anti-Israel factions, but there have been no documented cases of physical violence against any Jewish students. The campus is safe for all students – in fact, UCI is one of the safest campuses in the entire UC system. Jewish students must know this since they have been coming to UC Irvine in increasing numbers each year, and this past fall UC Irvine had the highest-ever number of Jewish students enrolled.

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May 10, 2007 | 10:23 am

Whose rebbe is Woody Allen?

Posted by Brad A. Greenberg

I guess he’s American Apparel founder Dov Charney’s in this billboard from NY’s Lower East Side, via the Forward.

Beside the photo of Allen dressed as a Hasid are the words “der heyliker rebe” — “the holy rebbe.” Alex Spunt of AA told the Forward, “Woody Allen is our spiritual leader.”

I’m looking around Los Angeles to see if American Apparel, which is based here, has put the same ad up. Let me know if you see it.

As for Charney, a self-described “Jewish hustler,” he has been a conspicuous character, with a reputation for racy ads and the cloud of harassment accusations that the Jewish Journal wrote about in this cover story two years ago. (“I could pull my penis out right now,” he told The Journal, “and I guarantee you no one would be offended.”)

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May 10, 2007 | 10:12 am

The pope in Brazil

Posted by Brad A. Greenberg

GetReligion has a wrap-up of the myriad stories previewing Pope Benedict XVI’s visit to Brazil, which began Wednesday. It discusses the two main story lines: that the conservative pontiff will be facing his long-term foe—Catholicism’s “liberation theology,” a socialist remnant that persists in South America—and the raise of Protestantism.

As is often the case, GetReligion, which critiques the way we—the media—cover religion, takes issue with the banging of the cliche gong.

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May 9, 2007 | 1:40 pm

Mickey’s anti-Semitic outburst

Posted by Brad A. Greenberg

There has been plenty of accusations that Walt Disney was an anti-Semite—remember the “Simpsons” episode where Bart and Lisa watch the video of Itchy and Scratchy Land founder Roger Myers Sr., “who loved everyone and was loved by all, except in 1938, when he was heavily criticized for his controversial release Nazi Supermen Are Our Superiors”?— but who knew Mickey hates the Jews?

From the NY Daily News:

Meet Farfur, a life-size clone of Walt Disney’s star, complete with big ears, a squeaky voice, a tuxedo with tails, a red bow tie and white gloves.

Starring on Hamas’ new kiddie TV show “Tomorrow’s Pioneers,” Farfur tells children to drink milk, pray daily - and take up AK-47 assault rifles to defeat Israel and the U.S.

Farfur sings, dances and taunts President Bush, Secretary of State Rice, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and former Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, who has been in a coma for months.

“We will win, Bush!” Farfur sang on a recent episode. “We will win, Condoleezza [Rice]. We will win, Olmert. We will win, Sharon! Ah, Sharon is dead,” he then quipped.

A little girl named Saraa serves as the terror mouse’s sidekick and says things like, “We want to resist against the enemy, and we don’t want to surrender.”

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May 9, 2007 | 1:21 pm

End of the road for the Religious Right?

Posted by Brad A. Greenberg

Syndicated columnist Cal Thomas, who I’ve seen preach at Bel-Air Presbyterian, thinks it might be. Here’s what he has to say in a column that opens with the closure of conservative Christian powerhouse Dr. D. James Kennedy’s Center for Reclaiming America:

Nearly 30 years after religious conservatives decided to re-enter the political arena—after abandoning it as “dirty” and leading to compromise—what do they have to show for it? The country remains sharply divided and the reconciling message they used to preach has been obscured by the crass pursuit of the golden ring of political power. In the end, they got neither the power, nor the Kingdom; only the glory and even that is now fading, as these older leaders pass from the scene.

This is not to say there is no role for conservative Christians in the civic life of their nation. There is. But Christians must first understand that the issues they most care about—abortion, same-sex marriage and cultural rot—are not caused by bad politics, but are matters of the heart and soul. Some evangelicals wish to broaden the political agenda beyond these issues to poverty, social justice and the environment. Politics can never completely cure the ills of any of these, but the message Christians bring about salvation and redemption can. Besides, they can never “convert” people to their point of view.

Too many conservative Christians have focused on the “seen” rather than the “unseen,” thinking appearances at the White House, or on “Meet the Press,” is evidence that they are making a difference. And too much attention has been paid to individual personalities, rather than to the One these preachers had originally been called to exalt.

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To paraphrase a verse familiar to most Christians, what shall it profit a man if he gains the White House, but loses his own soul?

Christians are also fond of saying God never closes one door without opening another door. The “door” of the Center for Reclaiming America has closed. The new doors can produce a more effective politics, if what’s on the other side is based on a message that has less to do with partisanship and more to do with the One who transcends all politics and Who lends His power only to those who will use it as He instructed.

(Hat-tip: Bible Belt Blogger)

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May 8, 2007 | 11:09 pm

The God Blog’s not infallible

Posted by Brad A. Greenberg

I’ve been experiencing problems the past few days with Blogger. Because the free blogging service does not provide any live customer support, I’ve had to create a new blog—bradgreenberg.blogspot.com—to which thegodblog.org will re-route.

Please subscribe to this post feed. I’ll start re-posting archived pieces here. Sorry for the inconvenience.

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May 7, 2007 | 11:22 pm

Democrats get religion

Posted by Brad A. Greenberg

This is why I tell my friends I don’t vote for political candidates based on their religious beliefs: Politicians are shapeshifters who say what you want to hear. So Sunday’s story in the Chicago Tribune—“Democrats find religion on the campaign trail”—came as no surprise. Three years ago, George Bush got a second term as president by using the Jedi force of evangelical activists. Well, it looks like some Republicans have lost religion—with sins like those of former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, it’s difficult to talk pious without being hypocritical—but the Democrats are now talking about their spirituality.

Reversing recent political history, it’s the leading Republican candidates who for various reasons have so far been reluctant to speak too much about matters of faith.

Former New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, a divorced Catholic, holds liberal views on abortion and gay rights. Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), a divorced Episcopalian, has a tense relationship with leaders of the Religious Right. And former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney is a devout Mormon whose religion arouses suspicion among many evangelicals.

“Give the advantage to the Democrats at this point,” said Rich Cizik, vice president for governmental affairs for the National Association of Evangelicals. “You would have to conclude that the Democrats have a lot more interest in faith than the Republicans based on what they’ve had to say.”

To sort through the campaign noise for those who want to know what the candidates believe, the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life created this website.

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May 7, 2007 | 12:57 pm

Made the move

Posted by Brad A. Greenberg

I’m sitting at my new desk, working on a newly ordered computer, in Koreatown. After leaving the Daily News on Thursday and spending most of the three-day weekend in Yosemite with my wife, I’m settling into my digs at the Jewish Journal. Blogging will be a bit sporadic for a few days, but I’ll be posting fresh pieces at least daily.

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May 7, 2007 | 10:02 am

Religion aces college

Posted by Brad A. Greenberg

Despite what many conservative religious parents believe – I know; I grew up with them – American universities are not brainwashing their children to be godless intellectuals. According to the International Herald Tribune, which interviewed dozens of university officials, “students are drawn to religion and spirituality with more fervor than at any time they can remember.”

University officials explained the surge of interest in religion as partly a result of the rise of the religious right in politics, which they said has made questions of faith more talked about generally. In addition, they said, the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, by Islamic zealots underscored for many the influence of religion on world affairs.

And an influx of evangelical students at secular universities, along with an increasing number of international students, has meant that students arrive with a broader array of religious experiences.

Gomes said a more diverse student body at Harvard had meant that “the place is more representative of mainstream America.”

“That provides a group of people who don’t leave their religion at home,” he said.

However, UCLA’s Spirituality in Higher Education study reported in 2003 that college students have high levels of spirituality—but that schools typically do a poor job supporting it.

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May 3, 2007 | 6:03 pm

Obama faltering with Jews

Posted by Brad A. Greenberg

The Christian Science Monitor has an insightful read today on Sen. Barack Obama’s lackluster start courting the much needed “Jewish vote” in his quest for the presidency. (I put that in quotes because, despite the relevance of garnering the votes of Jews, God’s people do not vote as one.)

Washington - For a candidate intent on courting the Jewish vote, some of the headlines for Sen. Barack Obama in recent weeks have been less than heartening.

“Obama comment draws fire from Jews,” the Des Moines Register declared after the senator’s unscripted remark at an Iowa campaign stop in March that “nobody is suffering more than the Palestinian people” from stalled peace efforts with the Israelis.

“Obama on the Mideast: Not quite comfortable,” The Chicago Jewish Star said after his first major policy speech on the Middle East, to a pro-Israel group in his hometown.

And at last week’s Democratic presidential debate in South Carolina, Senator Obama’s omission of Israel in response to a question about America’s top allies gave moderator Brian Williams an opening to revisit the Iowa flap in front of a television audience of more than 2 million.

No mention was made of Obama Christ.

Even in that short span, his remarks have undergone a subtle evolution.

In March, he spoke of relaxing restrictions on aid to the Palestinians and said “both the Israeli and Palestinian people have suffered from the failure to achieve” the “goal” of “two states living side by side in peace and security.” While asserting that the United States should isolate Hamas and other Palestinian Islamic militants, he said that “Israel will also have some heavy stones to carry” in any peace process.

By last week, however, the references to Palestinian suffering and Israeli heavy-lifting were gone, replaced by a less nuanced pro-Israel stance nearly indistinguishable from that of his chief rival for the Democratic nomination, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York.

“When I am president, the United States will stand shoulder to shoulder with Israel in search of this peace and in defense against those who seek its destruction,” Obama told an audience at the National Jewish Democratic Council (NJDC), where his staff also handed out a 29-page “American-Israeli Relationship Issue Packet.”

Yet two days later, when asked at the debate at South Carolina State University to name America’s three most important allies, Obama listed the European Union, NATO, and Japan.

“I didn’t hear you mention Israel,” Mr. Williams interjected, asking whether the senator still stood behind his statement that “no one is suffering more than the Palestinian people.”

“What I said is, nobody has suffered more than the Palestinian people from the failure of the Palestinian leadership to recognize Israel, to renounce violence, and to get serious about negotiating peace and security for the region,” Obama replied. “Israel has been one of our most important allies around the world.”

Senator Clinton learned the price of striking an off note on Middle East politics early in her first Senate campaign. In 1999, she kissed Suha Arafat, the wife of Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, moments after Mrs. Arafat accused Israel of gassing Palestinian women and children. Clinton later claimed Mrs. Arafat’s remarks had been mistranslated and eventually denounced them, but the episode threatened to derail her campaign.

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May 3, 2007 | 3:02 pm

Christians and Jews together on Israel

Posted by Brad A. Greenberg

The Forward has a biting piece tomorrow about the newfound friendship between “John Hagee, the firebrand evangelical Christian minister from San Antonio, Texas,” who stole the show at Aipac’s convention in March, and a growing number of Jewish federations:

“If you search through Jewish stories around the U.S., a lot of us have pieces of personal memory where non-Jews were there for us — not because they had a hidden agenda, but because they believed it was the right thing to do,” said Michal Kohane, the Israeli-born executive director of the Jewish Federation of the Sacramento Region. “There is a strong aspect of CUFI in which they are the descendants of that ideological concept.”

Just as liberals have criticized Aipac for giving Hagee the dais, they are now speaking out against the pastor’s grass-roots fundraising dinners. Most recently, a Democratic congresswoman from Minnesota, Betty McCollum, declined an invitation to attend an April 29 “Night To Honor Israel” in Brooklyn Park, a suburb of Minneapolis, citing what she called “Hagee’s extremism, bigotry and intolerance.”

Critics complain that Hagee’s hawkish, biblically based views on Israel do not serve the Jewish state, and that his conservative domestic agenda — including opposition to gay marriage, abortion and immigration — is squarely at odds with the liberal views of most American Jews.

“I don’t like that they would not like to see Israel trade land for peace, because in my view that’s a very important formula,” said Rabbi Jonathan Biatch of Temple Beth El in Madison, Wis. “The real bottom line is the fact that this organization would like to exacerbate tensions in the Middle East so it will lead to Armageddon.”

Evangelicals and Jews have had an unusual alliance over Israel for years—from the Israel-Christian Nexus, which I encountered at the Israel Independence Day Festival at Woodley Park last Sunday, to the Jerusalem Prayer Banquet being held in Beverly Hills on May 17, which will bring together Pat Boone and Ehud Danoch, among others.

This morning, one of my colleagues asked me why some Christians fervently support Israel. Last November, the New York Times attempted to answer that question under the headline,

For Evangelicals, Supporting Israel Is ‘God’s Foreign Policy’

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In short, Christians with a certain reading of the book of Revelation—theologians call them premillennialists—believe Christ’s 1,000-year reign on Earth, before he takes his children home, will not occur until Israel has been restored to the Jews. (This was a premise of the “Left Behind” book series.)

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