by "Textured Soy Protein" (texturedsoyprotein)
Published 12/06/2017 at 11:55
by "Textured Soy Protein" (texturedsoyprotein)
Published 12/06/2017 at 11:55
No Tags
STARS: 14
You may have seen some stuff lately about Trump and Israel. Well, here’s my Jewish ass with some info for you.
Somewhat lost among all the other crazy shit happening in the news lately, our chief bloviating yam announced yesterday that he will officially recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, and move the American embassy there from Tel Aviv. This is probably going to stir some shit up.
To ridiculously over-simplify the Israel situation, many of the borders in the Middle East are leftovers from assorted colonial powers, peace treaties after wars, and other arbitrary less-than-perfect solutions that end up creating groups of people who are technically in one country but want to be part of some other country or have their own country.
Ever since Israel in its current form was created after World War II, much of the Arab world has resented the creation of a country that was governed by a Jewish majority when they had not wielded that influence up to that point. Multiple wars were fought, but eventually many Arab countries came around to not hating Israel so much, or even cooperating with it.
But the situation with the Palestinians in Israel, and contested territories like the West Bank and Gaza Strip, has continued to be a mess. I’m not going to give you a whole history lesson on them, because that would be way too much typing. But basically, Palestinians and Jews both lived in Palestine/Israel before it was turned into Israel, and ever since then they’ve been fighting over whether the Palestinians should get a piece of the country of their own.
Now, something you have to understand about us Jews, we’re not exactly a unified bloc. In Israel, you have a mix of moderate/secular Jews, and extreme hardcore Orthodox Jews, who tend to be hard-line anti-Palestinian. While there have been relatively moderate Israeli governments in the past, Israeli politics in the last 10 years have become increasingly dominated by the Orthodox hard liners. They do things like build Israeli settlements in the West Bank, which the Palestinians see as occupying their land.
Outside of Israel, Orthodox Jews are very much in the minority. Most Jews in the US and other places are generally not particularly religious. Being Jewish is much more a cultural identity that happens to be tied to a religion. We might go to services some times, mostly for major holidays, and our day to day lives are not dictated by religion. But we consider ourselves a religious minority, and therefore we push back against the conservative Christian type politicians who want to make laws based on the morality they believe is dictated by their religion. We don’t want the laws of the land to be dictated by some religion other than our own, and generally want laws to not be based on any religion at all. When conservative Christian types say shit like, “America was founded on Judeo-Christian beliefs,” that makes our skin crawl, because we don’t want to be associated with that shit at all. When it comes to Israel, we very much want it to exist, but we tend to be more moderate than Orthodox/right wing Israelis, and are more open to a 2-state solution.
So...Jerusalem. Judaism, Islam and Christianity all claim Jerusalem as a holy city. It is the holiest city for Judaism and Christianity, and the third holiest for Islam. Everybody wants it. But the city of Jerusalem was split up after the 1948-49 Arab-Israeli war. East Jerusalem was not technically part of Israel, and its status is still very much in dispute. Israel’s claim to East Jerusalem is not internationally recognized, but Orthodox hard-liners believe the city should be 100% Israeli controlled. Palestinians want at least East Jerusalem for themselves, and a bunch of other crap is disputed about it. For reference, the population of Jerusalem is roughly 65/35 Jewish/Muslim, with maybe a few percentage points split off each of those numbers for Christians.
Because both sides in the conflict claim Jerusalem as their own, since the creation of Israel as a country, no American president has taken a stance that one side or the other is the sole owner of Jerusalem. The US has always tried to be the mediator between the two sides and come up with a solution. Doesn’t matter which party you’re talking about. While we are a staunch ally of Israel, we have always been the lead mediator.
The Trump administration made solving the Israel problem one of its campaign promises. What you have to understand about Israeli sovereignty and how it plays to different groups in US politics, is that when a politician (usually Republican) sides with the Israeli Orthodox hard-liners, while that appeals to a small subset of American Jews, who it’s really targeting is conservative Christians. American conservative Christianity likes to claim Judaism as a like-minded religion (“Judeo-Christian beliefs”), and is content to have right-wing Orthodox Jewish Israel come out ahead in any Israel-Palestine conflict. Most of us less-religious American Jews are life-long Democrats, and see that Israel is more likely to have long-term peace if Palestinians have somewhere of their own so they quit blowing shit up.
Ok, that’s the background. Phew.
As of yesterday, there were no active Israel-Palestine peace talks. There also wasn’t much of any active fighting. It’s basically status quo, neither side is talking to each other. But even though there are no active negotiations, Trump decided to declare Jerusalem to be the capital of Israel, not Palestine, and to legitimize Israel’s sole claim to Jerusalem by moving the US embassy there.
Team Trump says this is a “recognition of reality,” but the reality is that Jerusalem is very much in dispute. It’s not like a bunch of other countries have embassies in Jerusalem and the US is following suit. The US embassy in Tel Aviv is one of 86 embassies there. There are zero embassies in Jerusalem.
In the context of the Israel-Palestine conflict, this is essentially the US taking Israel’s side on a key point of contention between Israel and Palestine, waaaaaaaayyyyy more than any previous US president has ever done, and a giant double middle finger to the Palestinians, and their supporters throughout the Arab/Muslim world.
This move might play well to the Israeli Orthodox hard liners, and American conservative Chrsitians, but in terms of being a good way to jump-start talks between Israel and Palestine, this is like throwing a brick through Palestine’s front window and then saying, “ok, now that I have your attention, let’s negotiate on who gets to clean up this broken glass.”
The reaction from the Arab/Muslim world, is, to put it lightly, predictable.
!!! UNKNOWN CONTENT TYPE !!!
Here’s the full security message from the U.S. embassy in Israel:
With widespread calls for demonstrations beginning December 6 in Jerusalem and the West Bank, U.S. government employees and their family members are not permitted until further notice to conduct personal travel in Jerusalem’s Old City and in the West Bank, to include Bethlehem and Jericho. Official travel by U.S. government employees in Jerusalem’s Old City and in the West Bank is permitted only to conduct essential travel and with additional security measures. United States citizens should avoid areas where crowds have gathered and where there is increased police and/or military presence. We recommend that U.S. citizens take into consideration these restrictions and the additional guidance contained in the Department of State’s travel warning for Israel, the West Bank and Gaza when making decisions regarding their travel.
I’m not going to theorize why the hell Trump decided this was a good move, and why it had to happen now. Like many Trump decisions, it seemingly came out of nowhere. All I do know is that it’s some kind of an attempt to fulfill a campaign promise, and it’s predictably stirring up all kinds of shit on an international level. But don’t think for a second that the majority of American Jews think it’s a good idea.
UPDATE FROM THE COMMENTS SECTION :
!!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!!
"DC3 LS, will be perpetually replacing cars until the end of time" (dc3ls-)
12/06/2017 at 12:07, STARS: 2
I always figured it was a dumb idea, because at the vary least. The Israel diplomacy people, or whatever, would be running around trying to tell on the NATO peeps things, then be like “Ah fuck, the Americans are fucking Jerusalem. Why couldn’t they have just stayed in Tel Aviv like everyone else?”
Fun Fact: “NATO peeps” is an official phrase recognized by twelve NATO nations.
(It’s not)
"For Sweden" (rallybeetle)
12/06/2017 at 12:07, STARS: 11
The formal diplomatic term for the situation is “lit”
"HammerheadFistpunch" (hammerheadfistpunch)
12/06/2017 at 12:08, STARS: 2
Don’t forget after the jump please.
"fintail" (fintail)
12/06/2017 at 12:08, STARS: 7
It’s good way to distract from awful domestic policy and endless scandal. Team 45 is masterful at that game. If others suffer for it, they don’t care.
I am sure the credentialed and credible negotiator son of a conman and son-in-law of a conman Jared can broker some peace. Ugh
"random001" (random001)
12/06/2017 at 12:12, STARS: 0
Nicely done.
"haveacarortwoorthree2" (haveacarortwoorthree2)
12/06/2017 at 12:12, STARS: 5
If one thought the administration had a brain, you could argue that the announcement — combined with the 6 month waiver — was designed to kickstart negotiations to get the Palestinians (and the rest of the Arab world) to the bargaining table and reach a permanent solution. Stick — the US is moving the embassy to Jerusalem unless we get something done in the next 6 months. Carrot — the embassy will stay in Tel Aviv if we can get something done. Yet we all know that’s not the strategy.
"duurtlang" (duurtlang)
12/06/2017 at 12:20, STARS: 4
Yet we all know that’s not the strategy.
Exactly
"jimz" (jimz)
12/06/2017 at 12:21, STARS: 13
I’m not going to theorize why the hell Trump decided this was a good move,
simple. he’s not very deep. Apart from fast food, he subsists on praise and ass-kissing. So I think his motivations are nothing more than he hopes his base will praise and worship him for giving a big “f*** you” to the Arab world.
you know how some people claim he’s playing “10-dimensional chess?” he’s not. he’s playing “Pigeon Chess.”
as in “it’s like playing chess against a pigeon. Any strategy you use is worthless because the pigeon will just knock over some pieces, shit on the board, and hurry back to the flock claiming victory.”
"My bird IS the word" (mybirdistheword)
12/06/2017 at 12:30, STARS: 0
I think anything we do over there will cause a shit storm regardless, so riling up the Muslims does not really concern me. I still just don’t get why this move is such a big deal, seems like a waste of taxpayer dollars considering the location of every other embassy.
"Textured Soy Protein" (texturedsoyprotein)
12/06/2017 at 12:30, STARS: 2
"Textured Soy Protein" (texturedsoyprotein)
12/06/2017 at 12:32, STARS: 3
It’s a big deal because it’s firmly taking Israel’s side in a negotiation that isn’t actually happening right now.
"Bman76 (hates WS6 hoods, is on his phone and has 4 burners now)" (bman76-4)
12/06/2017 at 12:39, STARS: 8
As in “this powder keg is lit”
"My bird IS the word" (mybirdistheword)
12/06/2017 at 12:42, STARS: 0
Guess that whole “blind squirrel” thing is a crock of shit.
"Danimalk - Drives a Slow Car Fast" (danimalk)
12/06/2017 at 12:56, STARS: 2
It’s all to distract from the terrible tax reform and the fact that our president endorses alleged pedophiles in Alabama.
"Gamecat235" (Gamecat235)
12/06/2017 at 13:00, STARS: 6
Soooo... I’m a lifelong areligious person of direct Jewish/Isrealite heritage (with a name to match).
My daughter has elected to be Jewish, and I support her in this (she’s a minor, and that’s as much as I’ll elaborate) as does my wife, who attends Jewish adult education classes to learn more about the traditions that I have skipped over.
So I have a bit of skin in this game, granted we’re Americans, so we’re removed, but only so much. This is a terrible terrible move. But then again, I’ve been pro-two state solution forever, I honestly and wholly believe that a religious based nationstate is a horrible idea. I abhor that my daughters services are closed with a performance of the Israel national anthem.
This will have the effect of simultaneously showing the world we stand with Israel as a nation, in SOLE unity, in defiance of every other nation and convention, and weakening the safety of Jews everywhere (including even non-practicing Jews, such as myself).
And for that, I can honestly say, Fuck you Mr. President. FUCK. YOU.
"415s30 W123TSXWaggoIIIIIIo ( •_•))°)" (415s30)
12/06/2017 at 13:04, STARS: 0
Thts me, only with a Green Machine...
!!! UNKNOWN CONTENT TYPE !!!
"MasterMario - Keeper of the V8s" (mastermario)
12/06/2017 at 13:05, STARS: 0
While I don’t think this is a great idea, let’s be honest, a 2 state solution is never going to happen. Israel is holding all the chips and has nothing to gain and much to lose with a 2 state solution. Negotiations are mostly a dog and pony show when it comes to this situation.
I honestly don’t really see this ever ending or at least ending peacefully. The hardliners, while probably a minority, cause too much damage to the relations between Israel and Palestine.
"450X_FTW" (mistermic)
12/06/2017 at 13:08, STARS: 1
Wait, republicans usually side with the hardcore orthodox jews? Don’t republicans know it was those hardcore jews that killed jesus!??!
"BKosher84" (bkosher84)
12/06/2017 at 13:27, STARS: 1
Listen, I hate Trump with a power of a thousand suns.. But this is literally him pandering to his base. If you haven’t figured out by now, everything Trump (and his administration) has done is “LETS MAKE PEOPLE HAPPY IN THE SHORT TERM, LONG TERM CONSEQUENCES BE DAMNED”. I feel sorry for our next president, whoever that may be, as his/her first four years will be dealing with cleaning all this shit up.
"jimz" (jimz)
12/06/2017 at 13:36, STARS: 2
Listen, I hate Trump with a power of a thousand suns.. But this is literally him pandering to his base.
... and?
last time I checked, the job of President doesn’t include “pander to own base.” I mean, I realize he hasn’t stopped campaigning; but I’m dismayed how so many people have no problem with that.
"jimz" (jimz)
12/06/2017 at 13:38, STARS: 2
only out of convenience and the usefulness of Israel as a foil against Muslim countries. I doubt the average republican voter gives a s*** about Jewish people. That is, if they don’t actively dislike them.
"Textured Soy Protein" (texturedsoyprotein)
12/06/2017 at 13:40, STARS: 1
My practicing of Judaism was mostly confined to eating deli food but now I went mostly-vegan and I’m going to have to come up with some kind of alternate reality vegetable-based pastrami. I may have to add this book to my wish list with my not-religious Catholic wife.
You raise a good point about making Jews less safe. I’m 35 and never went on Birthright Israel, because when I was younger I was too busy with my Jewish summer camp, and by the time I was done with camp the situation on the ground in Israel was too risky for my taste.
"BKosher84" (bkosher84)
12/06/2017 at 13:43, STARS: 1
I also completely have a problem with what he does/is doing/going to do. I was addressing the above comment that he was doing this to distract from other issues.
"66671 - 200 [METRIC] my dash" (66671)
12/06/2017 at 13:53, STARS: 1
Doesn’t Israel have good relations with Russia?
"DipodomysDeserti" (dipodomysdeserti)
12/06/2017 at 13:53, STARS: 1
I work very closely with a community of Orthodox Jews. Today should be interesting...
Most of them were pro Trump until he flip flopped on the settlements issue. Now they’ll probably love him again.
"Jayhawk Jake" (jayhawkjake)
12/06/2017 at 13:58, STARS: 2
I think my perspective of the religious based nationstate changed a little when I visited Israel. The reality is a good amount of people really dislike Jews, not just in the Middle East, and Israel represents a life raft that no other nation can truly offer. It serves a function that hopefully isn’t truly necessarily but unfortunately might be.
Does that preclude a two state solution? Not really. But the US intervening in this way, making a statement that doesn’t really help anyone, is just wrong.
"Gamecat235" (Gamecat235)
12/06/2017 at 13:59, STARS: 1
I went through a 5 year experiment of being totally (food based) vegan (not completely ethical, still wore and bought leather, etc). Stopped about a year ago. It was actually really neat to see how life worked without meat or dairy.
My body handled it pretty well, but my wife took some online classes through Cornell to learn more about balancing a plant based diet and nutrition needs, so we didn’t exactly do it blind.
That sounds similar to my upbringing. Chinese food on holidays, bagels and delis for everything else, done. LOL.
"Textured Soy Protein" (texturedsoyprotein)
12/06/2017 at 14:00, STARS: 1
Sorta kinda, getting warmer lately .
"Textured Soy Protein" (texturedsoyprotein)
12/06/2017 at 14:01, STARS: 2
My annoying aunt’s annoying boyfriend is Orthodox and stays slobbin that Trump knob.
"Textured Soy Protein" (texturedsoyprotein)
12/06/2017 at 14:05, STARS: 1
This place is a couple miles from where I grew up. The options here in Madison where I live now both for Chinese and Jewish deli are decidedly more limited. My sister went vegan a few years ago and I started going there with her when I’d visit my family. Now I’ll be hitting it up for sure any time I’m in town.
My diet was already heavily plant based, so I’m basically subbing out the remaining animal stuff for vegetable protein sources. I’m a fitness nerd and was already taking stuff like BCAAs and glutamine for my workouts so there’s really nothing I need to add there.
"Gamecat235" (Gamecat235)
12/06/2017 at 14:16, STARS: 0
The fun of it, and yes, I use that word appropriately, was figuring out how to eat in all manner of places and with all sorts of different groups. I got really good at reading menus and cobbling meals together (but I travel more than a bit for work, when I’m home, we cook 6+ dinners per week and eat leftovers for lunch and graze through the day).
I will say that travelling has become easier with this, though I find myself being a lot more picky about what I eat now.
I’ve still never made it to Madison. Though I did find this in my wallet a couple of days ago.
"Bad Idea Hat" (taoistlumberjack)
12/06/2017 at 14:19, STARS: 0
Jerusalem should be like the Vatican, except for all of the religions that claim it.
"DipodomysDeserti" (dipodomysdeserti)
12/06/2017 at 14:32, STARS: 1
Nonsense! Everyone knows Judas was a muslim sleeper cell.
"Mid Engine" (jdlogan2006)
12/06/2017 at 14:34, STARS: 0
I visited Israel as well, as a non-practicing anything I felt like I had no dog in the fight. The one thing that did strike me was an Israeli pointing out what it’s like to live there: can you imagine living in a very small disputed area where ALL of your neighbors want you dead?
"DipodomysDeserti" (dipodomysdeserti)
12/06/2017 at 14:54, STARS: 1
You want Jerusalem to form a corrupt government with a shady bank that covers up child abuse all over the world? I think we should let the Vatican be the only Vatican.
"Rico" (ricorich)
12/06/2017 at 15:48, STARS: 2
Thank you for having an open mind and a pretty good grip on the situation.
This line: Orthodox hard liners, and American conservative Chrsitians,
This is the thing that confuses the hell out of me. The fact that these groups have decided “the enemy of my enemy is my friend” in a sense. The only thing they have in common is they don’t want to see Muslim majority in anything. Other than that, they don’t have much in common.
I mean, could you imagine and Orthodox Jew telling a Bible thumping Christian conservative that actually they don’t believe Jesus was the Lord and Savior. That person would be foaming at the mouth! Maybe conservative Christians think they can convert Orthodox Jews to Christianity.
"jimz" (jimz)
12/06/2017 at 15:49, STARS: 1
there’s an occasional writer for another car site who apparently believes holding liberal political views is literally treasonous to the Jewish faith.
"jimz" (jimz)
12/06/2017 at 15:55, STARS: 3
“The enemy of my enemy is my friend” describes all of U.S. foreign policy since at least the end of WWII.
We’re exceptionally good at creating our own enemies. We arm the Afghanis to fight the Soviets, which bites us in the ass. We prop up the shah of Iran, then end up with Khomeini. We back Hussein against Iran, then end up going to war with him and destabilize the entire region.
"Rico" (ricorich)
12/06/2017 at 15:58, STARS: 1
Palestinians living in those occupied areas don’t have it any better, in fact their treatment is often much worse since it’s legal.
"Textured Soy Protein" (texturedsoyprotein)
12/06/2017 at 16:12, STARS: 1
These two groups aren’t exactly mutually embracing each other. They happen to agree on Israel vs. Palestine.
American conservative Christians do this thing where they try really hard to take the moral positions of their particular interpretation of their particular religion and turn it into laws that everyone has to follow. Why this happens is complicated, but myself and most other liberal Jews view it as proselytizing through laws, and we hate being proselytized. Them claiming they’re acting in the name of “Judeo-Christian beliefs” is even worse, because they’re claiming we’re on their side when we’re not.
Orthodox Jews believe in many of the same moral restrictions as many conservative Christians, but there’s a lot less trying to impose their morals on outsiders. They’re more inclined to determine what their own members can’t do. Sure, they’ll criticize secular Jews plenty, but they’re not often pushing for legislation based on their religion.
I don’t know if the proselytizing through the law bugs Orthodox folks like it bugs me. But generally they support the hard-right politicians who are super pro-Israel and anti-Palestine, because that’s their pet issue. Kinda like how pro-life Christians who otherwise think Trump is a gross amoral asshole voted for him anyway because he’d put a pro-life judge on the supreme court.
"Manwich - now Keto-Friendly" (manwich)
12/06/2017 at 16:12, STARS: 1
“Like many Trump decisions, it seemingly came out of nowhere.”
Oh it came from somewhere... out of his ass most likely... just like most other things he come up with.
"fintail" (fintail)
12/06/2017 at 16:12, STARS: 0
The Simpsons predicted the cleanup as well as the “President” (sarcastic quotes).
"Rico" (ricorich)
12/06/2017 at 16:14, STARS: 1
Agreed! It’s just crazy seeing it go as deep as Orthodox Jews and Conservative Christians teaming up on the idea that they share the same “goal”.
"Textured Soy Protein" (texturedsoyprotein)
12/06/2017 at 16:26, STARS: 1
There’s a long history of Orthodox Jews thinking us liberal ones are selling out the religion. Here in the US we’re very much in the majority.
"Steve is equipped with Electronic Fool Injection" (itsalwayssteve)
12/06/2017 at 16:47, STARS: 1
I haven’t had time to go through all the comments, but I believe that the inevitable backlash from Palestine will become Trump’s Reichstag fire.
He is doing this for one reason and one reason only: to incite violence from Palestinian Muslims. This violence is then going to be used for his own political advantages and drive us deeper into war in the Middle East.
The man kept Hitler speeches in his bedside table. The place normal people keep their Bibles or dildos. whichever... I don’t judge.
Seriously, he’s taken so many pages out of the fascist playbook at this point I would not be surprised if by this time next year we are in a full-scale war against one or more Muslim nations named in his travel ban.
"Mid Engine" (jdlogan2006)
12/06/2017 at 16:55, STARS: 0
I have no doubt that they’re oppressed as well, it seems to me that there’s value in reconciling the differences so all can go about their business. Trump arbitrarily declaring a “winner” does not further the cause of taking all stakeholders into account.
"jimz" (jimz)
12/06/2017 at 20:38, STARS: 0
dude, is this something you really need to work your recent conversion to veganism into?
Are you really going to be that guy? please don’t be a zealot.
"Textured Soy Protein" (texturedsoyprotein)
12/06/2017 at 20:52, STARS: 0
Not being a zealot at all. Us Jews are enthusiastic about our delis and Chinese food.
"Nick Has an Exocet" (nickallain)
12/06/2017 at 21:15, STARS: 0
“America was founded on Judeo-Christian beliefs” might make your skin crawl but it’s not untrue. It’s fine if the fact make you uncomfortable - heck, the fact makes me uncomfortable. But some fairly intelligent folks had the right of mind to say “separation of church and state”.
I once filmed a conference at an Ivy League conference call “the isreal palestine peace conference” or something along those lines. Delegates from both sides came together for 12 or so hours over two days. 10 of those hours were spent TALKING about peace. 2 of those hours were spent spewing hatred at each other. I simply walked away thinking “this will never actually end.”
How anyone things getting involved one way or another is a good idea is beyond me. If you ask me, the real wall should be built around this region and they can come out once they’ve figured out how to get along.
"Textured Soy Protein" (texturedsoyprotein)
12/06/2017 at 21:32, STARS: 1
The country was not founded on Judeo-Christian beliefs. That’s a myth created by modern conservative Christians. Those same founders who came up with the separation of church and state were very adamant about government being removed from religion. They were different marginalized versions of Christianity like Puritans, Quakers and Catholics (in Maryland). There were no Jews. These different marginalized Christians founded their colonies to be free to practice their brand of religion and they had no interest in enshrining any one religion in our laws. Hell, even the evangelical Christian movement was all about that separation until the middle of the 20th century. It’s only in the last few decades that they flipped and decided to enforce their religious morality on rest of us, and that’s when they came up with the “founded on Judeo-Christian beliefs” myth.
"Nick Has an Exocet" (nickallain)
12/06/2017 at 23:32, STARS: 0
There were about 2.5 million people in the US in 1776. They were not mostly puritans, quakers, and catholic.
The total U.S. Catholic population in 1790 was probably less than 5%. Methodist Episcopal Church was the largest denomination in the country. Many of the founding fathers were Deists (typically disenchanted Christians).
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deism#Deism_in_the_United_States
"Textured Soy Protein" (texturedsoyprotein)
12/07/2017 at 00:40, STARS: 0
When I said “they were different marginalized versions of Christianity like Puritans, Quakers and Catholics,” I was not making a detailed demographic breakdown of the US in 1776. Those were examples of the religions on which colonies were founded, namely Puritans in Massachusetts, Quakers in Pennsylvania, and Catholics in Maryland. Roger Williams founded Rhode Island specifically because he believed that if church and state were mixed, that would corrupt the church and the church needed to be protected from the state.
When it came time to write the constitution and the bill of rights, yes, the people writing it were Christians, but they were very interested in maintaining their freedom to practice their particular version of Christianity and not have any one religion enshrined in the country’s laws. This was extremely important to them. To quote Jefferson :
Believing with you that religion is a matter which lies solely between Man & his God, that he owes account to none other for his faith or his worship, that the legitimate powers of government reach actions only, & not opinions, I contemplate with sovereign reverence that act of the whole American people which declared that their legislature should “make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof,” thus building a wall of separation between Church & State.
Evangelical denominations seeking to legislate their particular version of morality is very much a 20th century invention. In the 20s and 30s there was a split among most Christian denominations over whether to adhere to fundamental/traditional theological ideas or be open to more modern interpretations. The fundamentalists laid low until the 70s when they became the dominant side of this argument especially within the Southern Baptists .
Abortion is really what has galvanized all the different conservative/fundamentalist Christian sects into pushing to legislate based on their morality. Sure, at different points in time people have used religion to justify certain morality-focused laws, but abortion is what has brought the folks out who want to make their morality the law for everyone.
The “founded on Judeo-Christian beliefs” myth is all a part of the post-Roe v. Wade conservative attempts to legislate morality. They claim that the country was founded on their beliefs and that’s why they should be allowed to legislate their beliefs now. Except it wasn’t founded on their beliefs. It was founded on the idea that the law should not be based on any one particular religion.