{"id":42038,"date":"2017-05-10T15:00:13","date_gmt":"2017-05-10T23:00:13","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.cogwriter.com\/news\/?p=42038"},"modified":"2017-05-10T05:51:03","modified_gmt":"2017-05-10T13:51:03","slug":"circumcision-antisemitism-rising-in-germany","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.cogwriter.com\/news\/doctrine\/circumcision-antisemitism-rising-in-germany\/","title":{"rendered":"Circumcision & Norway; Antisemitism rising in Germany"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"
\nCircumcision being performed<\/em><\/p>\n

COGwriter<\/a><\/p>\n

A political party in Norway proposed banning male circumcision for boys under age 16. But a Jewish leader there is hopeful that he can change that:<\/p>\n

May 10, 2017<\/p>\n

It is not in the Jewish community\u2019s interest for the Israeli government to get involved after Norway\u2019s Progress Party voted last week in favor of a ban on circumcision<\/a> of boys under the age of 16, Chief Rabbi of Oslo Joav Melchior said on Wednesday.<\/p>\n

\u201cHaving had extensive conversations with the Progress Party and the government here in Norway, we are working with all involved to resolve this potentially worrying situation,\u201d he said in a statement to The Jerusalem Post<\/em>.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs it stands, the idea of a ban was mooted at the Progress Party\u2019s Conference and we hope it will never progress into a fully fledged policy,\u201d said Melchior, who is a member of the Standing Committee of the Conference of European Rabbis, with which he said the community is working closely on the issue.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhile we must not be complacent, we do not feel that there is a risk of legislation at this time,\u201d he added. \u201cIt was only two years ago that all political parties vowed to protect brit mila, and we urge the Progress Party not to court popularity with discriminatory policy.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Progress Party is a junior partner in Norway\u2019s governing coalition.<\/p>\n

Melchior\u2019s statement comes after Rabbi Menachem Margolin, general director of the European Jewish Association, wrote a letter to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Diaspora Affairs Minister Naftali Bennett calling on them to urgently establish a joint working team for representatives of both government offices and Jewish organizations in Europe, in order to prevent the spread of anti-Jewish legislation.<\/p>\n

This call also followed a unanimous vote by the Parliament of Wallonia in Belgium\u2019s French-speaking region last Friday to ban religious slaughter. … \u201cThe anti-Jewish legislation pushed forward by certain parties in Belgium and Norway does not comply with their attempt to be democratic and progressive societies,\u201d Neguise remarked. http:\/\/www.jpost.com\/Diaspora\/Oslo-chief-rabbi-Israel-shouldnt-intervene-in-Norway-circumcision-debate-490315<\/a><\/p>\n

May 9, 2017<\/p>\n

European Jews are on alert after a political party in Norway voted to propose a bill in parliament to ban ritual circumcision of children under the age of 16.<\/p>\n

The Progress Party vote came one day after the environment committee of Belgium\u2019s Parliament of Wallonia voted in favor of banning ritual slaughter, which would pose a threat to both Jewish kosher slaughter and circumcision, the Jerusalem Post reported.<\/a><\/p>\n

The supporters of the Norwegian bill contend circumcision constitutes mental and physical harm to children and a serious violation of children\u2019s rights. http:\/\/www.wnd.com\/2017\/05\/move-to-ban-male-circumcision-alarms-jewish-leaders\/<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

There is a rise in antisemitic matters across Europe.<\/p>\n

But before going further, perhaps it should be noted that even the US Center(s) for Disease Control now endorses male circumcision:<\/p>\n

December 2, 2014<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. health officials on Tuesday released a draft of long-awaited federal guidelines on circumcision, saying medical evidence supports having the procedure done and health insurers should pay for it.The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines stop short of telling parent to get their newborn sons circumcised. That is a personal decision that may involve religious or cultural preferences, said the CDC’s Dr. Jonathan Mermin.<\/p>\n

But “the scientific evidence is clear that the benefits outweigh the risks,” added Mermin, who oversees the agency’s programs on HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases.<\/p>\n

These are the first federal guidelines on circumcision, a brief medical procedure that involves cutting away the foreskin around the tip of the penis. Germs can grow underneath the foreskin, and CDC officials say the procedure can lower a male’s risk of sexually-transmitted diseases, penile cancer and even urinary tract infections.<\/p>\n

The CDC started working on the guidelines about seven years ago, when a cluster of influential studies in Africa indicated circumcision might help stop spread of the AIDS virus.<\/p>\n

“The benefits of male circumcision have become more and more clear over the last 10 years,” said Dr. Aaron Tobian, a Johns Hopkins University researcher involved in one of the African studies. …<\/p>\n

In the new guidelines, the CDC says there is now strong evidence that male circumcision can:<\/p>\n

-Cut a man’s risk of getting HIV from an infected female partner by 50 to 60 percent.<\/p>\n

-Reduce their risk of genital herpes and certain strains of human papillomavirus by 30 percent or more.<\/p>\n

-Lower the odds of urinary tract infections during infancy, and cancer of the penis in adulthood.<\/p>\n

Studies have not shown that circumcision will reduce an HIV-infected man’s chances of spreading the AIDS virus to women. And research has not found circumcision to be a help in stopping spread of HIV during gay sex.<\/p>\n

The guidelines say circumcision is safer for newborns and infants than for older males, noting the complication rate rises from 0.5 percent in newborns to 9 percent in children ages 1 to 9, according to the CDC. Minor bleeding and pain are the most common problems, experts say. http:\/\/www.aol.com\/article\/2014\/12\/02\/cdc-says-circumcision-benefits-outweigh-the-risks\/21001823\/?icid=maing-grid7%7Chtmlws-main-bb%7Cdl2%7Csec1_lnk2%26pLid%3D574260<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The Bible has advocated male circumcision for thousands of years, and it suggests it specifically for newborn infants (see also Health Benefits of Circumcision<\/a>). We in the Continuing<\/em> Church of God<\/a>, recommend, but do not require, that male infants be circumcised when they are eight days old (Leviticus 12:3).<\/p>\n

But it is not just in Belgium and Norway that there is antisemitism. France and other parts of Europe also have big problems with this (see, for example, Antisemitism has caused Jewish immigration from Western Europe to Israel to hit an all-time high<\/a>).<\/p>\n

Furthermore, notice a disturbing trend in Germany:<\/p>\n

\n

Study: 40% of Germans hold modern antisemitic views<\/h2>\n

Ahead of German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier\u2019s visit to Israel on Saturday, a German government study revealed that nearly 33 million Germans, 40% of the population of 82 million, are infected with contemporary antisemitism \u2013 hatred of the Jewish state.<\/p>\n

The report, which was published on April 24, details in a section titled \u201cAgreement to Israel-related antisemitism\u201d that 40% of Germans who were polled showed approval for the following statement: \u201cBased on Israel\u2019s policies, I can understand people having something against the Jews.\u201d<\/p>\n

The federal government\u2019s antisemitism report found that the proportion of Germans who agreed with the antisemitic statement increased from 28% in 2014 to 40% in 2016. The poll was commissioned by the Social Democratic Party think tank the Friedrich Ebert Foundation.<\/p>\n

Dr. Josef Schuster, head of the Central Council of Jews in Germany, spoke to the Die Welt newspaper in late April, saying, \u201cWe already notice that in German society solidarity with Israel has declined. The fact alone that the word \u2018Israel-critic\u2019 can be established here shows this. We are also more frequently confronted with Israel-related antisemitism.\u201d 05\/06\/17 http:\/\/www.jpost.com\/Diaspora\/Study-40-percent-of-Germans-hold-modern-antisemitic-views-489919<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Rising antisemitism in Europe, and especially in Germany, is disturbing, though consistent with various historical positions.<\/p>\n

For example, this year will mark what is considered to be the 500th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation led by Martin Luther. Yet, he and certain other ‘reformers’ were antisemitic.<\/p>\n

Martin Luther<\/a> wrote in the 16th century:<\/p>\n

My heart is fuller of these thoughts than my tongue can tell. I have come to the conclusion that the Jews will always curse and blaspheme God as all the prophets have predicted. He who neither reads nor understands this, as yet knows no theology, in my opinion. And so I presume the men of Cologne cannot understand the Scripture, because it is necessary that such things take place to fulfill prophecy. If they are trying to stop the Jews blaspheming, they are working to prove the Bible and God liars (\u201cMartin Luther\u2019s to George Spalatin,\u201d from Luther\u2019s Correspondence and Other Contemporan, Letters, <\/em>trans. by P. Smith (1913), Vol. 1, pp. 28-29).<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Furthermore he wrote:<\/p>\n

I had made up my mind to write no more either about the Jews or against them. But since I learned that those miserable and accursed people do not cease to lure to themselves even us, that is, the Christians, I have published this little book, so that I might be found among those who opposed such poisonous activities of the Jews and who warned the Christians to be on their guard against them\u2026They are so blind and stupid that they see neither the words found in Genesis 17 nor the whole of Scripture, which mightily and explicitly condemns this lie\u2026They are real liars and bloodhounds who have not only continually perverted and falsified all of Scripture with their mendacious glosses from the beginning until the present day. Their heart\u2019s most ardent sighing and yearning and hoping is set on the day on which they can deal with us Gentiles as they did with the Gentiles in Persia at the time of Esther\u2026The worse a Jew is, the more arrogant he is, solely because he is a Jew \u2014 that is, a person descended from Abraham\u2019s seed, circumcised, and under the law of Moses. David and other pious Jews were not as conceited as the present-day, incorrigible Jews\u2026I wanted to present this to us Germans so that we might see what rascals the blind Jews are and how powerfully the truth of God in our midst stands with us and against them (Medieval Sourcebook: Martin Luther (1483-1546): On the Jews and Their Lies, 1543)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Martin Luther advised his followers:<\/p>\n

\u2026to burn down Jewish schools and synagogues, and to throw pitch and sulphur into the flames; to destroy their homes; to confiscate their ready money in gold and silver; to take from them their sacred books, even the whole Bible; and if that did not help matters, to hunt them of the country like mad dogs (Luther\u2019s Works, vol. Xx, pp. 2230-2632 as quoted in Stoddard JL. Rebuilding a Lost Faith, 1922, p.99).<\/p>\n

Accordingly, it must and dare not be considered a trifling matter but a most serious one to seek counsel against this and to save our souls from the Jews, that is, from the devil and from eternal death. My advice, as I said earlier, is: First, that their synagogues be burned down, and that all who are able toss in sulphur and pitch (Martin Luther (1483-1546): On the Jews and Their Lies, 1543 as quoted from Luther\u2019s Works, Volume 47: The Christian in Society IV, (Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1971). pp 268\u00ad293)<\/strong>.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Leaders esteemed by the Eastern Orthodox, Roman Catholics, and Protestants have all advocated horrible antisemitism.<\/p>\n

Antisemitism was part of the reason for the infamous Spanish Inquisition–which targeted not only Jews, but Christians with ‘Jewish practices,’ as well as others who would not profess total loyalty to the Church of Rome–and Protestants had their antisemitism then as well (see The Spanish Inquisition and Early Protestant Persecutions<\/a><\/span>).<\/p>\n

The holocaust in World War II proved that antisemitism was still massively deadly, centuries later.<\/p>\n

Persecutions are not over.<\/p>\n

Another ‘inquisition’ is prophesied by the son of perdition (2 Thessalonians 2:3; see also Who is the Man of Sin of 2 Thessalonians 2?<\/a>).<\/p>\n

\n

28 While returning to his land with great riches, his heart shall be moved against the holy covenant; so he shall do damage and return to his own land…32 Those who do wickedly against the covenant he shall corrupt with flattery<\/strong>; but the people who know their God shall be strong, and carry out great exploits. 33 And those of the people who understand shall instruct many; yet for many days they shall fall by sword and flame<\/strong>, by captivity and plundering. 34 Now when they fall, they shall be aided with a little help; but many shall join with them by intrigue. 35 And some of those of understanding shall fall, to refine them, purify them, and make them white, until the time of the end; because it is still for the appointed time (Daniel 11:28, 32-35).<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

The persecutions above are by one called the King of the North<\/a> (Daniel 11:40; 7:25a). The King of the North will NOT like the message that the Philadelphians are proclaiming at least of part of which will likely be the Continuing<\/a><\/em> Church of God<\/a> identifying him to the world as the prophesied King of the North. “Those who do wickedly against the covenant he shall corrupt with flattery” –like the inquisitors of old, he will try to get people to betray others. In this case, he is looking for those that know something about the Church of God, but fell away (cf. 2 Thessalonians 2:3; see, also, The Falling Away: The Bible and WCG Teachings<\/a>).<\/p>\n

While it is apparently the Philadelphia Christians<\/a> that are targeted for this particular persecution, it is likely that some Laodicean<\/a> and other Christians will be affected at least to some degree. The Laodiceans will mainly misunderstand what is happening and not realize that their persecution is coming! This is also consistent with the persecution, accomplishments, and problems in Matthew 24:9-20 that will mainly affect the Philadelphians, but will lead to problems then for the Laodiceans in Matthew 24:21-22.<\/p>\n

The 19th century Methodist theologian Adam Clarke,\u00a0in his commentary, identifies the people in Daniel 11:32 as follows:<\/p>\n

\n

But the people that do know their God<\/em><\/strong>
\nThe genuine Christians.<\/p>\n

Shall be strong<\/em><\/strong>
\nShall be strengthened by his grace and Spirit (Clarke A. The Adam Clarke Commentary, Daniel Chapter 11.)<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Notice also a Catholic rendering of Daniel 11:34:<\/p>\n

\n

And when they shall have fallen they shall be relieved with a small help: and many shall be joined to them deceitfully. (Douay Rheims)<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Those associated with the ‘synagogue of Satan’ (Revelation 3:9), will apparently betray and assist in this persecution (see also What is the Synagogue of Satan?<\/a>) which is consistent with Daniel 11:32. Daniel 8:24 shows that this same leader persecutes “the holy people,” thus that is further proof that Christians in the end time are who are being persecuted.<\/span><\/p>\n

This will be a type of inquisition with infiltrators!<\/p>\n

In the past, as the article Persecutions by Church and State<\/a><\/em> helps document, Christians were persecuted because they:<\/p>\n