For any institution or organization, for any religion or people, for any faith or nation, you must criticize the most what you love the best.
All institutions—from religious denominations to nation states—tend towards excessive power and the abuse that goes with it. “Power tends to corrupt,” wrote Lord Acton in 1887, “and absolute power corrupts absolutely.”
He spoke with his Catholic eye on a Pope proclaiming infallibility and his aphorism was not anti-Catholic—just accurate.
So: political power corrupts politically, religious power corrupts religiously, and religio-political power corrupts heaven and earth at the same time. That is true for Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. It is also true for Americans, Israelis, and Palestinians.
It is certainly possible to be critical of Israel and not be anti-Semitic. But it may not be possible to be critical of Israel and not be accused of anti-Semitism.
Please e-mail On Faith if you'd like to receive an email notification when On Faith sends out a new question.
Email Me | Del.icio.us | Digg | Facebook

