Most Jewish Israelis do not want more churches in Jerusalem

I am a huge fan of Israel. I believe in the lasting Israeli nation and in our responsibility to protect it from the evils that surround it, but one thing that Israel must improve upon is to stop being so similar to the evil nations that surround it and to embrace religious freedom.

In an article from Haaretz, Most Jewish Israelis do not want more churches in Jerusalem, we see the opinions that Jews living in Israel have towards Christianity, and for many of us it is probably a bit shocking. A constant theme in Israel is disgust for Christian missionaries and copies of the New Testament have been burned by officials in the last two years.

To quote from the article, "The survey, carried out by the Jerusalem Institute for Israel Studies and the Jerusalem Center for Jewish-Christian Relations, 74 percent of respondents do not see Christians as "missionaries," and 76 percent are not bothered by encountering a Christian wearing a cross."

The first thing you should realize is that the word "missionaries" is essentially a bad word in Israel. It's not quite as ugly as "terrorist," but it's not far behind. It has a very negative connotation. And so 26 percent of respondents to this survey considered Christians as "missionaries," but even more troubling is that 24% are bothered by merely encountering someone wearing a cross.

We must open our eyes to what Israel is when we think of Israeli and Middle Eastern relations. To be certain, my heart lies with Israel and against the Religion of Murder that surrounds her, but Israel must, too, come to God and become a more open and gentle nation.