Submitted by Shane, Jan 31, 2007 17:57

Obviously any hatred, discrimination and libel towards Jews is wrong. On this we agree. But I would like to point out to you that any Christian past, present or future that labels Jews "Christ killers" and engages in anti-Semitism on that basis, does not have even a fundamental understanding of Christian doctrine and I would venture to say not even be a true Christian.

Catholic Church doctrine explains that,'In his plan of salvation, God ordained that his Son should not only "die for our sins" but should also "taste death", experience the condition of death, the separation of his soul from his body, between the time he expired on the cross and the time he was raised from the dead.' If His death is God's plan for salvation, how can anyone who understands it, hate Jews for fulfilling what God has ordained? Those that do hate Jews for Christ's death, commit sin and may not even be true believers in Christ. This point was made countless times in discussions, articles and books surrounding the release of The Passion of The Christ. See The Passion of Jesus Christ: Fifty Reasons Why He Came to Die by John Piper.

I believe your contention that the Jews killing Jesus is actually a myth is incredibly shameful and ignores documented history. The Bible is considered an accurate historical document, not just a religious text. You can't rewrite history sir. If the Jews or the Romans on behalf of the Jews did not kill Christ, and the documented history we have of that event is actually a myth, then who did kill Christ? His own followers (who were Jews)? You offer no alternate explanation of Christ's death.

Your closing paragraph perfectly displays what your title includes: Slander. I will quote it so you can read it again. "Finally, Mr. Cohen reminds us that the hoariest medieval libels have found new life in the Arab world, where they are happily adduced to prove the unchanging wickedness of the Jew. This durability is what makes the Christkiller myth so menacing. Even in our own age, there is no escaping it; it lurks in the pages of the Gospels like a time bomb, always ready to be set off. Mr. Cohen's book, with its chronicle of 2,000 years of hatred, leaves the reader with an unhappy suspicion that, as long as the Gospels are taken to be the literal word of God, Jews and Christians might never be permanently reconciled."

Nowhere in your article do you make a distinction between some Christians in the past who were wrongfully anti-Semitic and the majority of Christians of today who are not. You assume that present and future Christians will read the Gospels and be immediately filled with hatred for Jews. You obviously did not consult any present day Christian authorities, pastors or theologians to confirm your assumption. How can you generalize such a heinous belief onto all living Christians when there is so much evidence proving that the majority of us do not hate Jews for killing Christ? Slanderous. You have committed the very act you condemned.

Note: Comments are screened, and in some cases edited, before posting. We reserve the right to reject anything we find objectionable.