Stephen Hawking joins academic boycott of Israel

This is good for world peace. Now the Israelis dont have to install a wheel chair ramp at the temple mount for his visit, which would set off WW3 from angry Muslims

reply to post by paxnatus


Wow, i feel sorry i live in the same reality as someone such as yourself.

Infact, I think YOU are the antichrist. Also, there's no such thing, it's a fairytale, better get right with yourself before the end, I'd hate to have you waste your life for nothing.

reply to post by Hopechest

Science is not the entertainment industry.

Originally posted by ken10
......Well its like this, the worlds most eminent take his words and dissect them and they stand up to scrutiny...So yes he probably does know what's what.

Well I dont want to go off topic but black holes DO NOT exist. I think he should know this.

Originally posted by paxnatus
reply to post by buster2010

 

Is this really news? A man who has done nothing but deny God's existence and, now he is speaking out against Israel in support of the Palestinians this is "news worthy" to you? No he is not anti Semitic he is anti Christ.



Pax

Wouldn't you first have to prove that God exists before crying someone is anti Christ? Let me guess you believe the God's chosen people BS huh? It's funny how you pick my post to respond to seeing how I didn't start the thread.

reply to post by paxnatus


When the minions of Christ spread pain, suffering and ignorance, then perhaps it is not a bad idea to choose a different path.

Religion, the crutch of the unwashed masses.

Originally posted by dontreally
reply to post by gladtobehere

 

Steven Hawking is the most intelligent person on the planet? Who says?

This is the same who considers himself an authority on whether God exists or not. It's as if when he speaks, the truth has been told.

One wonders whether we treat this man with such godly reverence because he's locked in his body and bound to a wheel chair.

Frankly, he might be the most egotistical person alive.

In any case, this is consistent with his other political interests. His claims about Gods non existence is 100% political in nature, reflecting his solidarity with the new atheists.

Though this is a disturbing development. But in any case, academia isn't quite all on the same page, here. You have your die hard leftists, radicalists, and antisemites, pushing the same idea about Israel. They probably do so for different reasons. Not least of which, in the case of Hawking, is a symbolic attack on the "Jewish" worldview. To just adumbrate this concept: For a long time the west has saw itself in terms of Judaism; Christians replaced the the old "legalist" religion of Judaism, and spent a millenia or so tormenting it's Jews. Then when the Jews were forced into banking by Christian guilds which wouldn't let them join, or feudal law which prohibited them from owning land, then, in the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries, when Jews found themselves over-represented (but still a minority overall) in banking and commerce, they were accused (again falsely) of rigging the entire system to suit their interests. Again, the Europeans saw themselves in contrast to the Jews.

And now, like clockworks, here we are again. This time it's the Jewish state that the international community (particularly Muslim and European states) seeks to contrast itself with. And this of course, is perfectly valid. There is no connection here. It isn't at all reflective of some pathological psychological trend - of course not, we have evidence.

And yet, here I am, wondering how on earth someone could boycott Israel, a nation which contributes more to humankind's well being than the entire Muslim world combined. A nation which, despite having the audacity to believe it could return to it's ancient land, a land they had been refused from returning to by political decree, won back its land after fighting for it in 1948. Did things go perfectly? Did injustices occur? As in all wars, yes. But do they deserve this? To be blacklisted? Even though this nation bends over backwards to give political rights to all its citizens; allows political representation to its Arab population (something which is de-jure qualification for "apartheid"), made Arabic a co-official language.

My God....Only someone blind to the details and feverishly swept up by political dramas could fail to understand the reasonability of the Jewish states existence.

I would be all for a two state solution were it not for the Arab worlds obvious ill intent towards Israel.

Poor innocent little Israel who never does anything wrong. We will overlook the ethnic cleansing Israel has been doing they have wiped out over 240 villages so far. We will of course believe Israel when it cries of "the Arab invasion" even though you can find interviews of Israeli soldiers that claim most of the Arabs weren't even armed and were only there to help the refugees to keep from getting killed.

We will overlook that Israel has turned Gaza into a ghetto even the Nazis would have been ashamed to create. And the Israel has done more for humanity is good for a laugh also. Israel only has 4 Nobel prizes in science to it's credit. Israel has a habit of taking credit for a prize even though the person that won it wants nothing to do with Israel. What's even more funny is how you overlook how long Israel has been attacking Arab nations without reason or right but it's the Arabs that are hostile to Israel.

Originally posted by paxnatus
reply to post by dontreally

 

What a beautiful and intelligent post! I agree and appreciate everything you have said. Thank you for injecting some intellectual fact into this debate and not simply basing it on emotion. Well done!

Pax

Could you point out what he said that was actually fact?

reply to post by dontreally

There's not a single company stupid enough to divest from Israel. Why? Because Israel = good business.

The reason why people do business with Israel is because at least here in America it's illegal to boycott doing business with Israel.

This is excellent propaganda for the BDS movement, and like most propaganda the actual truth is somewhat different. A spokesman for Prof. Hawkings at Cambridge University has denied that he's boycotting Israel. The real reason he declined the invite is for health reasons, his doctor has advised him not to fly.
www.thecommentator.com...

Just in the spirit of sticking to the academic aspects of this OP, I say who cares if the academia, including Hawking are boycotting. There are 187 nobel laureates of Jewish ancestry ( about 25% of all). I don't think they will feel the loss.

reply to post by gladtobehere

If Israel is wrong, it is wrong. We cannot simply go on supporting them, just because "they are Israel and we are America, and America supports Isreal" This is craziness!

Sheesh... I just wish these guys could learn to get along, and then we can support everyone.

Feel free to discuss Hawking and the actual thread content.

Lets recap for the latecomers.

Hawking backed out of an engagement in an effort to stand with the BDS agaginst Israel because of their treatment of the Palestinian people.

It has absolutely nothing to do with religion, at all. It's about the treatment of those people by a country, simple as that. Of course it's a calculated move, most people decide to do things, then they do them.

Hawking isn't "antigod" at all. Nothing he's described or explained has ever once hinted at there not being a god. He himself takes an athiest standpoint, but that really has no bearing on the physics he's proven to be real. Nothing has disproven, or proven, god.

What Hawking HAS done though, is shown that many of the complex processes that take place in physics in the micro and macro worlds, don't need "god" to explain why they are taking place.

But, my friends, he's the first to admit that, sure, we can trace things to the big bang, and with math show why things are the way they are...

But why are the laws of physics the way they are?

THAT'S your god folks, take it or leave it. gone are the days that you can say that rock is a rock because god made it a rock. The playing field you are in is shrinking, scaling back as we make more and more discoveries. If you are unwilling to amend your beliefs to fit in line with reality, you are the ones who are the problem.

So again, lets discuss Hawking, his boycotting of Israel, and the implications. Lets NOT start calling each other idiots for what we believe, let's not play the antisemite card and derail the thread as always. Since there's a group of people here horny to flag every post i make to the mods, I'll be watching this thread, and others closely, and I can start playing loose with the alerts too.

If Israel is wrong, it is wrong. We cannot simply go on supporting them, just because "they are Israel and we are America, and America supports Isreal" This is craziness!

While I agree with your sentiments, I'd like to add clarification. The nasty things being done by Israel are in no way representative of all Israelis, or Jews for that matter. So when someone like me says I don't support Israel, I'm saying I don't support some of the actions of their government. I DO support their right to a peaceful and free life, I DO support their right to protect themselves from attackers, and I do support their right to take proactive measures to ensure the safety of their population.

I don't support apartheid, I don't support racism, and I don't support terrorism on any side, or any cause or reason.

I choose not to support Israel, not because it's Israel, and not because it's a Jewish State. I do so because of the actions of their government. I don't support a lot of stuff the US does either, and it's not because I hate Americans, or Mexicans. It's because some of the things that government does are simply wrong, almost evil in some cases.

If this makes me an antisemite, so be it. I'll wear that star with pride because I'd rather have truth on my side than a bunch of loud mouthed people who can't take criticism.

Well I'm certainly on Hawking's side.

It is not right to sit back and let Israel do what it pleases like this.

Originally posted by paxnatus
reply to post by buster2010

 

Is this really news? A man who has done nothing but deny God's existence and, now he is speaking out against Israel in support of the Palestinians this is "news worthy" to you? No he is not anti Semitic he is anti Christ.



Pax

Actually he has helped me believe more in a God. And hes not anti anything unlike you that thinks we should only make news of what suites your own personal agenda

Originally posted by paxnatus
reply to post by buster2010

 

Is this really news? A man who has done nothing but deny God's existence and, now he is speaking out against Israel in support of the Palestinians this is "news worthy" to you? No he is not anti Semitic he is anti Christ.



Pax

A person can dislike a country/government on reasons based other than religion, such as the actual actions of these countries. He is not defending the Palestinians due to religious concerns, he is standing up for them due to the Israeli's government treatment of the Palestinian people, nothing more.

People do not dislike the Israeli government due to Judaism, they dislike them due to their terrorism.

reply to post by dontreally

Read some books on the subjects, or at least learn something about me, before you make baseless claims about my understanding of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

I am still waiting for you to show me that picture of your book collection which you previously offered.

You couldn't last time because you were moving.

Please, oh please enlighten us with the books you have read

reply to post by Hopechest


My apologies to the OP if this is too far off topic but I felt obligated to interject.

Two words.

Mel Gibson, a highly acclaimed actor and directer himself, destroyed for speaking out against Israel.

He couldn't get a job teaching a 4th grade play nowadays unless he pays for it himself

Mel Gibson is doing just fine.

He has starred in 3 movies since his incident in 2008 and currently is in a film which is in post production to be realeased later this year.

www.imdb.com...

I doubt he works for peanuts.

In your defense, speaking out against Israel, or Anti-Jew rants such as the one he yelled at those officers, will usually ruin your career, especially in Hollywood.

reply to post by dontreally

Firstly, not all Palestinians are religious. Per capita, there are more atheists amongst Palestinians than anywhere else in the Arab world.

Do you have any stats to back that up or is this more of your unproven propaganda?

Originally posted by paxnatus
reply to post by buster2010

 

Is this really news? A man who has done nothing but deny God's existence and, now he is speaking out against Israel in support of the Palestinians this is "news worthy" to you? No he is not anti Semitic he is anti Christ.



Pax

Here is a newsflash for you Christians out there.. Israel as a nation, and as a Jewish state are INHERENTLY anti-Christ.

And almost all of them have no Semitic heritage, and they laugh at your Jesus, too.

But of course your prayers will one day turn them around, you must subscribe to your false beliefs about them even though they themselves will openly tell you, you are a fool.

The only reason Israel even lets Christians into the country is because of the incredible blind support they get, not prayer or GOD WISE, but MONEY AND BLOOD WISE.