Bush and Those Crazy Christian Zionists

On Bush’s recent visit to Israel he alienated the entire Arab world, by re-declaring this mystical American - Christian / Israeli - Jewish affinity. Here’s an excerpt from the Reuters report:

Bush, who steps down in January, made little reference to the peace negotiations or to the Palestinians at all while in Israel.

Many Palestinians were dismayed by a speech to Israel's parliament in which he spoke of a shared divine providence uniting American Christians like himself with Israel's Jews.

Bush called Israel a homeland for God's "chosen people" and pledged Washington would remain its "best friend in the world".

http://www.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idUSL161725720080516?feedType=RSS&feedName=worldNews

Divine Providence?? Exactly wtf is that all about?

Some time ago in chat a new guy came into the room. His first words were "Shalom!”. Strange, I think, considering this is a "Christian Debate" room, frequented largely by atheists, pagans, and Christians.

I check his profile - he’s got an Irish last name, and lives in Arkansas. Based on years of experience I deduce that the likelihood of a Jew having that last name and hailing from Arkansas is somewhere between little and none. So, I ask if he's Jewish. He says "No, I'm a Christian Zionist." To be honest, I'd never heard the term before. But I knew immediately where this was leading.

So I challenged him: I ask if being a Xtian Zionist is just another way of saying he supports Israel because he believes that it will bring about rebuilding of the Temple, et al, which would lead to the fulfillment of the "End Times" prophesy, the 2nd coming, the Rapture, the end of the world as we know it? And isn't this "shalom" bullshit, and his support for Israel, and his use of the term Zionist, just a thinly veiled disguise for this fundamentalist insanity?

He is shocked and taken aback. He demands to know what right I have, and who gave me the "freedom" to attack him this way?

Not to be diverted from my inquisition, I ask him to deny that what I say is true. Instead, he becomes agitated, and threatens to leave the room. My invitation for him to do so calms him down and declares he will not be run off. He offers this: that Israel is the only real democracy and friend of the US in the Middle East, thus he supports Israel.

I offer that I support Israel too...but I don’t go around saying "shalom" to total strangers, much less call myself an "Atheist Zionist". And that I demanded he come clean, again repeating my request for the real intent and meaning of "Xtian Zionist". He left in a huff.

Here's the bottom line: Xtians like these have no more love of Jews or interest in seeing the state of Israel thrive and prosper for the long term than they want to see Satan win the battle of Armageddon. Fundie Christians, like Bush, or Hagee, or Robertson, or Falwell, who declare a strong affinity with the Jewish people and Israel are hypocrites and frauds. To them the State of Israel, and the Jews, are simply a means to an end, a tool, a catalyst by which their insane End Time prophecies of "Revelation" will be brought about.

What’s more... most of them are too embarrassed to admit it.
Crazy Fundie bastards.