Howard Zinn Is Not a Christian, So Why Is He Telling Us What To Do?

God’s Politics hosts Howard Zinn’s report on Israeli teenagers who are choosing to go to jail rather than fulfill their military requirements. He then appeals to American Christians to write to Israeli officials in support of the protesters. My response:

Welcome Dr. Zinn!
I wonder at what this young lady’s principles are which lead her to choose such an interesting stance. While Christians have been among conscientious objects to military action often in the past, I am ignorant of other pacifist actions among Jewish groups. If there are more stories like this from history, I would be interested in reading them.
That said, I have no intentions of appealing to the secular-pagan nation-state of Israel on anyone’s behalf. As a Christian, I do not recognize the Israeli government’s right to exist, because I do not recognize any government’s right to exist.
But if the secular-pagan Jews want a King (centralized government) then they can set up whatever kind of government they like under whatever arbitrary set of laws they like. If any of them disapprove of those laws, then protest they should, and protest they shall. Either they are protesting for their own self-interest because they don’t want to face the potential risks of war, or they are protesting on moral grounds, out of concern for potential casualties of innocents. I’m fine with both. But if it is for the latter reason, then they also ought to protest the very existence of the nation-state. For the state is the monopolization of force, and if it is force they are against, as Christ was, then they also ought to be opposed to the other privileges sustained by the nation-state. My guess is, that if pressed, most of these individuals would not be willing to go so far. This is either a revelation of an inconsistency in their own ethics, or a mere exposure of their self-interested motivation for protesting.
Either way, I don’t see why it is relevant for American Christians to say anything at all to the Israeli Government about it.
Nathanael Snow

Originally posted as a comment by jurisnaturalist on God’s Politics using Disqus.

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