The Rainbow Swastika (PDF book) - Scattered Seed Ministries

The Rainbow Swastika - New Age Missionizing Among Jews
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'journey' into the future has 'different roadmaps' for different Jews." (interview with Jewish Telegraph Agency, "Focus on Issues", Nov. 18,
1997) In a definitivearticle called "Jewishness in a New Era: Continuity, Discontinuity or Transformation?", Kula dismisses community
worries about a crisis of lost Jewish identity; what Jewish leaders take for assimilation is merely "normalization of the Jewish condition".
Today's Jews, he says, have merely switched their "modes of expression": from the "institutions and practices created in another era" to a
shedding of "boundary-maintaining Jewish behaviors" which no longer make sense. Not that Jews have "become like everyone else", but
they are finding "new forms that are appropriate to their full and equal participation in a broader human community." And what are CLAL's
red lines in the "re-imagining of Jewishness"? There are none - not from Torah or even from CLAL itself: "The assumption that any one of
us knows exactly what it is that needs to be preserved from the past becomes problematic. A new context inevitably will demand farreaching
changes in the very nature of Jewishness." How far-reaching? As far as creating "new kinds of Jewish community that are more
attuned to the era in which we live." In a nutshell, whatever practice or principle in Judaism is "too circumscribed for this new era in Jewish
history", we are free to trash if we want - actually, the new era "will demand" it.
Like Yitz Greenberg, for justification Kula points to the rabbinic cancellation of animal sacrifices after the Temple's destruction. He
smoothly draws the parallel: the forced abandonment of that practice due to calamity is just like today's wholesale abandonment of the 4000year
Jewish framework for its being "less attuned" to our age. [More amazing, here is a "rabbi", trained by another "orthodox rabbi", who
thinks that Rabbinic Judaism left behind both the Temple sacrifice and "the belief in its continued importance". Can it be that Greenberg
never taught Kula the many rabbinic prayers which anticipate the restoration of the Temple sacrifice? But since Kula insists on this parallel,
let him follow it. We should now expect CLAL to compose Tisha-Be'Av-style kinot for this new and wider abandonment they are
witnessing, so much like the abandonment of the Temple.] As a preview of what Kula's ideal of "Jewishness in a New Era" might look like,
we can consider that in this 3-page article, there is not a single occurrence of the words "Torah", "covenant", "commandments", or any
reference to the G-d of Israel in any form.
Elsewhere, CLAL shows scant respect for Torah-keeping Jews, as well as an evasion of their challenges. A commentary by Andrew Silow-
Carroll, spotlighted by CLAL from among "the latest thoughts and reflections by CLAL faculty and associates", quotes Orthodox writer
David Klinghoffer who asks why anyone would embrace Jewish religion if they don't believe it is from a Divine Source. Rather than
grappling with the question or offering an alternate religious anchor, Silow-Carroll simply rejects Klinghoffer for his "dismissal of the
various ways some 83 percent of North American Jews live their Jewish lives," implying that the question of whether Jewish religion can
survive without a divinely ordained Torah, or any other objective "Truth", is unworthy of a response. Then, as if to deny the possibility of
"Jewish lives" without Jewish religion (a reality which Klinghoffer apparently recognizes), Silow-Carroll claims that secular Jews practice a
religion of their own. He offers a list of "seemingly secular behaviors" which he knows a Torah-based Jew will call "substitutes for Judaism"
but which he prefers to call a "re-invention" of Judaism. Included in this list of "religious" activities: discussing common (Jewish)
acquaintances, eating lox and pastrami, scanning news reports for "Jewish" names, and idolizing the Jewish comedians, lawyers and
professional wrestlers. Jewish doctors are to be "our modern priesthood". [One teeny problem. After discarding traditional Judaism, he fails
to "re-invent" a way to identify "Jewish" habits and heroes, leaving us to fall back on circular reasoning: they are "Jewish" if we decide that
they are.] Silow-Carroll sees these behaviors as a more than adequate replacement for the Sinai Covenant. Well, almost... his list of "secular
behaviors" also includes suspiciously traditional-sounding activities: Bible classes, eating matza on Passover, Shabbat celebrations, wearing
kippot, and even engaging in "Midrash, creative retelling of classic Jewish texts" - in short, many of the same behaviors practiced by
Klinghoffer's narrow-minded community and so resented by Silow-Carroll.
How influential is CLAL? Most of CLAL's faculty members are simultaneously teaching at other institutions (both overtly NA and
conventionally Jewish), and/or leading one or more congregations/study centers, and/or publishing and lecturing, which greatly amplifies the
scope of this one organization's influence.
6. New Age Missionaries in Israel
As a stronghold of Jewish identity, Zionist nationalism and monotheism, Israelis must be viewed by NA change-agents as totally hopeless,
and we would assume that our tiny homeland would be avoided by NA teachers looking for disciples. On the contrary. Israel has become
something of a plum pie, where NA cults are jostling one another for bigger shares. And it has proven to be easy pickings, as long as no one
mistakes them for Christian missionaries. While Christians would be deported for the tricks these NA zealots use, the latter enjoy apparent
immunity here and lavish support from abroad. They have unobstructed access to Israeli Jews (even among the orthodox and children) to
openly teach various brands of paganism -- often charging top price for it. Some of these neo-pagans will even castigate the Jews for
rejecting Jesus Christ. Meanwhile, the guardians of Jewish identity in Israel do nothing.
6a. Our Dangerous Double Standard: Following are two examples.
A magazine for religious Israeli youth (Otiot, Aug. 8, 1997) accepted a full-color, full-page ad for an animated movie based on famous tales
of a man who did exploits as the "son of God". Produced in the U.S., was voice-dubbed in Hebrew [just for Israeli kids] and was shown all
over Israel. The movie was advertised and screened for almost the entire year. If it had featured Jesus Christ, the country would have erupted
with protests; but the star was "only" Hercules. [Now stop and ponder why the god-man revered by Constantine and the Christians is a
dangerous threat, while the god-man revered by Antiochus and the Hellenists is only an amusing fairy tale. The Maccabeans, who gave their
lives to resist Hellenism, must have turned in their graves. Score one easy success for New Age indoctrination, thanks to our double
standard.] We should note that Hercules is not a fairy tale in NA thought, but a sun-deity from the Grail legends (_The Occult and the Third
Reich_, Jean & Michel Angebert,, p.263 note 7) and respected "ascended master" to whom one can pray for enlightenment. Blavatsky not
only identified Hercules as a sun-god, but also as an image of Satan. (_Doctrine_ II, p.237, note) [After that great movie, Israeli kids will
certainly remember the name of Hercules with affection as they grow.]
A group of sweet-faced, modestly dressed girls filed into a large Tel Aviv company several years ago. They went from desk to desk offering
books for sale. Most workers glanced at them curiously, thinking they were an orthodox group, and returned to their work. Some bought
books. Only one worker noticed the Krishna picture inside the book. He approached some of the girls and asked where they were from; they
smiled without answering and glided away from him, continuing their activity. When he alerted his nearest colleague, an orthodox Jew who
had just bought a book, she looked at him blankly. The "Jews for Krishna" left the building at their leisure, without being challenged, and
with more funding for their next missionizing campaign. This happened the same week that a mass-mailed Christian tract "HaShalom" was
being zealously gathered by orthodox community leaders for burning. (Source: my husband, the one who recognized the Krishna photo)
Lesson to be learned? Israel has become an oasis for NA cults because of the one-track mentality in dealing with missionary activity. The
word has gotten around the Aquarian network.
http://philologos.org/__eb-trs/naI.htm
2/26/2012