As a Jew, in Texas of all places, I've always felt a little uncomfortable about Christian interest in Judaism and Israel. Somehow the interest feel less than honest. Either it's that the person wants to explore, research, and question us like we're some fascinating fossil (but we're a living religion!), or that they want to hasten the apocalypse by converting all the Jews or making a cataclysmic conflict in Israel (which is super uncool).

For it's part, Israel is equally leery of US interest. They'll take the military technology and aid, but they don't want the religious overtones. It's a pretty secular society. Which is why the religious courtship that the American right constantly makes to Jews and Israel is so comical and upsetting. They're sure we're going to hell, but there's a sense of awe they have wrapped up in it, and an undeniable religious mandate (from their perspective) to pay some kind of homage.

All of this to say: Israelis and American Jews on the left and right aren't likely to be too happy about these lunatics funding the GOP.

@1, it is a common belief among the more right wing Christian sects that final battle between God and the Devil will not happen until all the Jews have returned to the Holy Land, which is the real reason they support Israel. They want all the Jews to go back there so the Armageddon can occur and they can go to paradise (while the Jews and everyone else burn in hell according to their beliefs).

So yes, the right wing Christian movement's interest in Jews and Israel is beyond creepy. It's down right monstrous.

And I agree with Dan, Rachel has been on fire with this issue the past few days. She really keeps hitting on this and won't let it rest, for which I am very glad. Sometimes it's not enough to just point stuff out. Sometimes you have to shake the rafters a bit to get people to pay attention.

Memo to the GOP and the RNC:

If you lie down with dogs, you get up with fleas.

That is very very frightening stuff.
How's that though? Hitler was doing the storm troopers!
Jesus. What seriously offensive people you guys have to deal with.
Disgusting mob..

@4: Yeah, it's a real shame that the GOP and the RNC would tarnish their pristine public image by stooping to associate with Bryan Fischer and the AFA, who are definitely not at all representative of anyone within the GOP or RNC. If only they had known who they were getting into the doggie bed with!

Well, now the goose stepping makes sense **rolling eyes***.

What is so surprising? Illiterate, knuckle-dragging, mouth-breathing, terra-cotta necked morons ARE the Republican constituency.

For that matter, the LDS IS a 'false religion' by any Xtians standards. In a genuinely secular society, this wouldn't matter very much. Even Scientologists could, in theory, function as elected officials in a democracy where church-state separation was the default.

And, too, the kind of 'Christian' that Bryan Fischer and Lane are thinking of probably excludes the majority of Americans who identify as members of any 'real' Christian denomination.