Priests, monks brawl in Bethlehem church

[JackLuis]

nstead of a peaceful gathering during the holiday season, some religious figures engaged in a contentious scene inside the Church of Nativity in Bethlehem on Wednesday morning.

According to the Associated Press, almost 100 Greek Orthodox and Armenian Apostolic priests clashed inside the church, swinging brooms at each other.

Both groups fought over space during the cleaning of the church for Orthodox Christians celebrations in January. The fight was broken up by Palestinian police using batons and shields.

Prince of Peace?

Hooligans and swine, more likely.

 

[3113]

Hey, they only went at each other with brooms. That seems pretty peaceful to me.

 

[stephen55]

At least they weren't suicide broomers...

 

[oggbashan]

This is almost an annual event in Bethlehem. Church of the Nativity

Responsibility for the church was divided by the Ottoman Empire between competing churches. Who is responsible for what wasn't really settled and has been disputed for hundreds of years, to the detriment of the fabric of the church which needs major repairs.

Who should repair it, who should pay, and what impact the repairs would have on future 'ownership' is intractable.

 

[lovecraft68]

See, this is why I don;t follow Christianity. You people are too damn violent!

 

[estragon]

At least they weren't suicide broomers...

Steve, that was unworthy of you. I expected something like "When the Rapture comes, will they be swept away?" Sorry, guys.

 

[3113]

At least they weren't suicide broomers...

*Groan*

Who should repair it, who should pay, and what impact the repairs would have on future 'ownership' is intractable.

The Palestinians should do this and pay for it. They're the ones making money from the tourists visiting it. At least, that's the way I'd view it. If something is a tourist attraction, then the city it's in pays to keep it repaired and in shape.

I expected something like "When the Rapture comes, will they be swept away?"

 

[sr71plt]

The Palestinians should do this and pay for it. They're the ones making money from the tourists visiting it. At least, that's the way I'd view it. If something is a tourist attraction, then the city it's in pays to keep it repaired and in shape.

There are practically no Palestinians left in Bethlehem. They have been muscled out over the last decade. Those who are still there are huddled in their homes, waiting for the worst.

 

[3113]

There are practically no Palestinians left in Bethlehem. They have been muscled out over the last decade. Those who are still there are huddled in their homes, waiting for the worst.

Yet I keep hearing about the shops and restaurants run by Palestinians visited by tourists who go to Bethlehem. And it was Palestinian authorities who came sweeping in there with their guns to stop the fight.

Maybe none of these shop and restaurant owners are living there, but clearly they've got authority over it and are making money off it. So why not sink some money into the church which keeps the tourist dollars flowing into their pockets?

 

[sr71plt]

Yet I keep hearing about the shops and restaurants run by Palestinians visited by tourists who go to Bethlehem. And it was Palestinian authorities who came sweeping in there with their guns to stop the fight.

Maybe none of these shop and restaurant owners are living there, but clearly they've got authority over it and are making money off it. So why not sink some money into the church which keeps the tourist dollars flowing into their pockets?

You hear about this from where? It's not Christian Palestinians, I don't think. They come in a variety of religions, you know.

And even the concept of "flocking tourists" to Bethlehem is several years in the past.

 

[ishtat]

Bethlehem used to be about 85 to 95% Christian until about 10 to 15 years ago. They in all their varieties now constitute less than 30% of the population.

Although the Christians "officially own or owned" the majority of the land, they have been required to allow substantial Israeli settlements to be established. There are still many non christian Palestinians but from a vast variety of Moslem groups which fight each other as much as the Christians do.

The Jewish Israelis are the most cohesive group but even they are riven with faction fighting.

And the best of it is that JC was not born in Bethlehem at all; he was born in Nazareth. The Gospel writers, who at the time were merely seeking a reformed Judaism, placed his birth in Bethlehem to conform with Old Testament prophetic tradition. If born in Bethlehem, the Gospel writers could claim that Yeshua ben Joseph was born of "the line of David". A requirement for anyone with Messianic ambitions.

 

[beatrice_dreams]

And the best of it is that JC was not born in Bethlehem at all; he was born in Nazareth. The Gospel writers, who at the time were merely seeking a reformed Judaism, placed his birth in Bethlehem to conform with Old Testament prophetic tradition. If born in Bethlehem, the Gospel writers could claim that Yeshua ben Joseph was born of "the line of David". A requirement for anyone with Messianic ambitions.

I thought I read somewhere that he was born at the other Bethlehem...

 

[Verdad]

I thought I read somewhere that he was born at the other Bethlehem...

As far as I know, Ishtat is quite right, as is his wont.

Jesus is consistently connected with Nazareth, which, unlike the Bethlehem story, has all the glamour and prestige of saying he came from Buttfuck, Galilee. Since there's no conceivable reason for gospel writers to connect him with Nazareth other than it actually being true, historians tend to rightfully conclude, with as much certainty as the evidence allows, that he came from Nazareth.

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

There is hardly any evidence of historical Jesus, and the facts refute much of what the Gospels assert.