Jews As A Chosen People - Influence On Relations With Other Religions

Influence On Relations With Other Religions

Avi Beker, a scholar and the former Secretary General of the World Jewish Congress, regards the idea of the chosen people as Judaism's defining concept which is "the central unspoken psychological, historical, and theological problem at the heart of Jewish-Gentile relations." Beker views the concept of choseness as the driving force behind Jewish-Gentile relations, which explains both the admiration and, more pointedly, the envy and hatred the world has felt for the Jews in religious and also secular terms. Beker argues that while Christianity has modified its doctrine on the displacement of the Jews, he accuses Islam of not reversing or reforming its theology on the succession of both the Jews and the Christians. According to Baker, this presents a major barrier to conflict resolution in the Arab-Israeli conflict.

Read more about this topic:  Jews As A Chosen People

Famous quotes containing the words influence, relations and/or religions:

    The Spirit of Place [does not] exert its full influence upon a newcomer until the old inhabitant is dead or absorbed. So America.... The moment the last nuclei of Red [Indian] life break up in America, then the white men will have to reckon with the full force of the demon of the continent.
    —D.H. (David Herbert)

    I only desire sincere relations with the worthiest of my acquaintance, that they may give me an opportunity once in a year to speak the truth.
    Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)

    All religions have based morality on obedience, that is to say, on voluntary slavery. That is why they have always been more pernicious than any political organisation. For the latter makes use of violence, the former—of the corruption of the will.
    Alexander Herzen (1812–1870)