Nativities with a difference

This is the nativity scene that Britain's Amos Trust is selling online. They call it the 'walled nativity'. It looks more like a fence to me. Perhaps it should be the 'ring-fenced nativity'. As a light-hearted aside here, I must just mention that the Christmas card from Lambeth Palace features - yes, you've guessed it - the Three Wise Men. I'm told I've been sent one, but it hasn't arrived yet. This must count as one more of those inexplicable Christmas mysteries , along with the other mysteries surrounding our Post Office services these days. So if you've had one of the Lambeth cards and could send me a jpeg  to put up here, I'ld be most grateful. For some reason, Lambeth Palace are reluctant to provide this service.

My non-reception of the Lambeth Palace Christmas card might be in its own small way a parable for how schism is being managed in the Anglican Church. 'Yes, we've sent you a Christmas card,' they insist. Yet the card never actually arrives. Thus, two apparently contradictory facts can both, at the same time, be true. All I know for certain is that I didn't send them one. But that was for no other reason than that I ran out of cards this year.

But back to the walled nativity. Melanie Phillips in The Spectator is extremely upset by what she describes as a 'hate-fest against Israel'.

She writes:

For graphic evidence of the way bigotry destroys rationality, the annual hate-fest against Israel over the plight of Bethlehem’s Arab Christians is a jaw-dropping example. As in previous years, Israel is being blamed for the fact that the Bethlehem Christians have been all but driven out. As in previous years the Church of England leads the charge, with clerics and activists blaming their parlous position on the ‘wall’, the checkpoints and the economic hardship -- which are all put down to Israel’s apparent malevolence, with no acknowledgement whatever of the terror mounted against Israel by Bethlehem’s citizens, or the terror mounted against the town’s Christians by the ruling Muslim Arabs.
This year the campaign has been enlivened by the graffiti artist Banksy, who has been illuminating the security barrier (but not the debate) with scenes of Israeli ‘repression’, thus bestowing an aesthetic and even cultish patina upon this Big Lie.

Last year, churches up and down Britain replaced their traditional manger scenes with the propaganda of hatred – collages about the security barrier suggesting that the Palestinians were effectively playing the part of Christ in being crucified all over again. Now this disgusting development has been taken one stage further. A group called the Amos Trust is selling nativity sets with a wall down the middle cutting off the wise men from the manger. The Amos Trust¹s website markets the display as

    A nativity set with a difference...poignant, ironic and made in Bethlehem.

It might have been more poignant, and rather more true to life, had the model come with a detachable suicide bomber. For the only reason the Palestinians are suffering from the security barrier is that it was erected solely to stop them from murdering any more Israelis. If they abandoned their terrorism, the barrier would immediately come down.

On  Christmas Eve, ITV will air a documentary on Bethlehem. Coming soon after the Chief Rabbi delivered a BBC Thought for the Day on the importance of Christmas, as blogged by Archbishop Cranmer, this is the start of the press release I received from ITV:

At Christmas, millions of people everywhere celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ in Bethlehem and the Nativity story of Mary, Joseph and the baby Jesus; the familiar story of shepherds, innkeepers and wise men who followed a star and found Jesus in a manger.

Two thousand years on, the little town that first proclaimed the message of ‘peace on earth, goodwill towards men’ is split by conflict and surrounded by concrete walls and high voltage fences.

Since 1948 the Christian population has plunged from 80 per cent to as low as 12 per cent. Against a backdrop of concern that Bethlehem will become a Christian ghost town in twenty years, Little Town of Bethlehem seeks out the characters of the traditional Nativity story and spends time with their modern day counterparts.

In Bethlehem Stories we meet the modern day wise men, shepherds and ‘angels’, all working hard to hold the community together.

Michael Gove wrote a comment piece in The Times about this sort of thing, followed up by some interesting  letters.  Christian Hate? thinks this will make it a 'bumper Christmas for Christian throat clearers.' See Irene Lancaster on her recent meeting with Christian Aid. Christian Attitudes notes the sound of 'slay bells' at Christmas.

Incidentally, The Spectator carried a survey last week of what various celebrities believe about the Virgin Birth, including Rowan Williams.

James Delingpole wrote: 'Look, I’ve successfully survived 42 years as a member of the Church of England without ever having to give serious thought to the Virgin Birth and I jolly well don’t see why I should be put on the spot now just for the sake of a Speccie feature. I guess that makes me a ‘Don’t Know’, which is a terrible thing to admit given that I’m halfway towards being a pillar of my beloved Chelsea Old Church. But that’s the great thing about being C of E, isn’t it? If I were Catholic, I suppose I’d have to find the issue intensely important. Me, I care more about hymns having the right tunes, and the Prayer Book being 1662.'

Comments

[Frances Waddams, Anglican Friends of Israel]

Ruth

The Church Times ran an article about this last week. A member of Anglican Friends of Israel tried to order some nativity sets from Amos Trust last week. She asked for a figurine of one of the suicide bombers who are still trying to murder Israeli babies, but are hindered from doing so by Israel's security fence. Unfortunately Amos Trust were unable to oblige.

I would have requested models of the snipers who would undoubtedly have tried to pick off the Jews, Mary and Joseph, as they travelled through the West Bank. Again, I think that this would have been just a little too subversive for Amos Trust.

It's sad that the security fence has such a devastating effect on Bethlehem's Christians. But more regrettable still is the terrorism which prompted Israel's action in the first place.

It is inaccurate and unjust for people and organisations to present a paradigm in which Israel alone is responsible for the conflict in the Holy Land. Such paradigms constitute part of the problem and not part of the solution.

[Steve Bosman]

"For the only reason the Palestinians are suffering from the security barrier is that it was erected solely to stop them from murdering any more Israelis. If they abandoned their terrorism, the barrier would immediately come down."

and this isn't an example of hatred? reads to me like someone lumping all of a group together. The statement itself is pure unadulterated bigotry.

[Geoffrey Smith]

The barrier seems to have worked, Mr Bosman. Far less murders are being committed in Israel as a result of building it. Not exactly peace, but the next best thing. Don't you think that is something for which we should give thanks?

[Cyrus]

Steve, you are right, the sentence you quote is very poorly phrased. Palestinians should indeed not all be lumped together. Some Palestinians approve of lumping all Israeli Jews together and trying to kill as many of them as possible, but some don't. I would like to be able to say that those who don't form the vast majority. But with 200,000+ people turning out for the Hamas rally in Gaza on Saturday, I don't think that would be realistic.

[Alan Marsh]

An example of hatred?

Or a harsh but practical necessity which has saved hundreds of civilians from being blown to bits by hate-filled suicide bombers.

The wall is proving its worth.

[Paul M]

Steve Bosman:

When people say "the Israelis" do this or that, no-one assumes it to mean all Israelis. It is understood that the reference is to their collective aspect as a nation. The Palestinians (will you permit me to use the word?) are these days adamant about their existence as a people. Central to the idea of peoplehood is the fact of a collective identity. Just as it is true to say that "the Israelis" pursue their interests through the occupation, it is equally legitimate to say that "the Palestinians" pursue theirs through terrorism. That's not a claim that all Palestinians are terrorists any more than it is one that all Israelis are occupiers. Bigotry doesn't enter into it and, no, it's not an example of hatred.

[Steve Bosman]

It wasn't the use of "the Palestinians" I was objecting to. I wasn't even objecting to the barrier - I don't like the barrier, because I believe it is being used to reinforce the annexation of Palestine - but I have no better ideas.

It was the use of "they" and "their" in "If they abandoned their terrorism, the barrier would immediately come down", but lets face it if I had just quoted that it would not have made much sense. I do not believe the terrorism is a collective expression of the Palestinian people anymore than I believed the terrorism in Northern Ireland was a collective expression of Republicans.

[Dr. Irene Lancaster FRSA]

As I have repeatedly stated, a Muslim journalist friend has been wanting to show me around Bethlehem this Christmas, but was told that for security reasons, as I AM JEWISH, it was not advisable.

This was not the case at all before Bethlehem was under Palestinian rule.

I attended the Christmas concert BY INVITATION at St. George's Anglican Cathedral, Jerusalem last night.

There will be a similar concert held in Manger Square, Bethlehem, on Christmas Eve.

What a pity that I and people like me, who LOVE CHRISTMAS MUSIC, will not be able to attend, unlike members of the Southern USA states choir who are putting on the performance.

But at least on Christmas Day I and 150 others will be rehearsing the RAMIREZ NATIVITY CYCLE which we shall be performing at HAIFA TECHNION at the end of January.

And people will be allowed in to this, WHATEVER THEIR COLOUR, RELIGION, RACE, CREED or NATIONALITY.

That is the difference between Israel and ALL the PALESTINIAN areas.

[Robin Bather]

During this period of happiness and love let's remember that Israelis still occupy foreign lands, oppress the populace, restrict their free movement, destroy their homes, steal their water ressources, have built a huge concrete wall on conquered land, and stubbornly refuse to return the land they have stolen.
I also would turn to terrorism if another country occupied my land.
The West Bank
The Golan Heights
The Sheeba farms
All stolen by Israel.
How can the Israelis not realize that that if they do all of the above criminal acts (just like the Nazis occupying France) you must put up with the consequences.

[Paul M]

Well of course, Robin, it's exactly the same as the Nazis occupying France. The same analogy leaped to my mind, naturally, what with the mass rounding-up of selected parts of the population for deportation to the ovens and all. And the French resistance was certainly justified in blowing up school buses and family restaurants in response.

It's just funny that in Israel's case the consequences came first.

[Dr. Irene Lancaster FRSA]

Dear Ruth

Comparing the Israelis to Nazis comes under the European Union definition of antisemitism and I am surprised that the moderator has allowed the last comment which is steeped in venom, hate, ignorance and breathtaking inaccuracy.

[Geoffrey Smith]

Robin, it's not like you to make such a ludicrous statement as the final sentence in your last post. For all their faults, the Israelis are NOT similar to the Nazis, and I think an apology is called for.

[alan]

I can well understand your indignation, Irene. It's the same idignation that I, as an atheist, feel when atheists are compared with Stalin, Hitler, Mao and Pol Pot.

(rg adds: Irene, this comment should make it clear why I didn't alter the comment you understandably found offensive. Once I start censoring, where do I stop? I try to take legal guidelines on defamation as my guide when moderating. Sometimes I do get it wrong, however, and then I try to correct it as quickly as possible if the resulting comments haven't supplied the necessary corrective.)

[Dr. Irene Lancaster FRSA]

Not to worry. Robin is a total idiot, which anyone would see for themselves if they were to visit Haifa at present.

It's awash with snowmen, Father Christmases, and shop bargains. Plus despite all my fascist views, I still manage to have very cordial relations with leading Christian clerics in the country and their staff, and get on particularly well with the Israeli Arabs and Palestinians.

It's some of the white American and British Christian expatriates over here who tend to be the real problem, as in their own home countries.

The things they say about Jews make you really wonder if they wouldn't be better off moving to Saudi Arabia or Iran.

By the way, my mother was saved by the French resistance during the Holocaust, but many weren't so lucky.

Finally, yes Israel has many faults, but anti-Christian sentiment is definitely not one of them, as a perusal of my blog will establish:

http://irenelancaster.typepad.com/

Finally finally, my younger daughter is in Mexico at the moment, Robin, and really enjoying its beauty. I wonder if you will bump into her.

[raymond joseph douglas]

Christian Aid is just as bad as this Amos Trust bible,the bible with all it's promises to the Jewish people concerning the land of israel,seems to mean nothing to them I am not absolving the Israeli authorities of all fault,just asking "Christians" to take seriously the promises of God to the Jews!