With the recent passing of United Nations Security Council Resolution 2334, the blame for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict was assigned to the easy target – Israel and the “illegal settlements”. However, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is essentially a religious (Muslim-Jewish) conflict that greatly predates the settlements in question. The main cause of the conflict is Islam’s historical antagonism toward Jews, which is rooted in the Quran. The governing Palestinian Authority in the West Bank and Gaza Strip and their misguided supporters and sympathizers, including the Security Council and proponents of the BDS (boycott, divestment and sanctions) movement, accuse Israel of being responsible for the conflict by illegally building settlements on Palestinian land, ignoring the fact that Palestine was the land of the Jewish people long before Muhammad came along. There never has been a Palestinian state. The state of Israel was established by an act of the United Nations in 1948 as a permanent homeland for the Jewish people who had recently experienced the horrors of the holocaust. However, Israel was (and remains) surrounded by hostile Arab nations, who promptly invaded the new state, intending to wipe it out. They were successful in driving out the Jewish inhabitants of East Jerusalem, annexing the biblical and ancestral Jewish heartland of Judea and Samaria and renaming it the West Bank. Another broad attack intended to eliminate Israel as a nation was launched by Israel’s Muslim neighbors in 1967. Again, the Jewish settlements were not the reason for the anti-Semitic aggression, because they did not yet exist. The Israelis counter-attacked, and in just six days, defeated the forces of the aggressors (Egypt, Syria and Jordan). In winning the Six Day War, Israel also won control of conquered territories, including the West Bank, the Golan Heights and the Sinai Peninsula. The Sinai Peninsula was later returned to Egypt. The governing Palestinian Authority, along with other Muslim countries of the Middle East (notably Iran, which is getting dangerously close to developing nuclear weapons, notwithstanding the ill-conceived nuclear agreement with the U.S.) continue to refuse to recognize Israel’s right to exist. Palestinian President Abbas has stated that he would never sign a deal that required recognition of Israel as a Jewish state, and in 2015 Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Khamenei warned Israel that it would be destroyed within 25 years. Israel needs to maintain control of much of the remaining disputed territory won during the Six Day War in order to have defensible borders in the face of such hostile neighbors. Palestinian Muslims who wish to live peacefully with Jews are free to do so in Israel, and many do. However, the sad fact is that no Jew would ever be allowed to live in peace in any Palestinian state. Indeed, the Palestinian Authority is increasingly inciting violence against Jews, and Jew hatred is openly taught in Palestinian schools and promoted on Palestinian TV. Under the current circumstances, the establishment of a Palestinian state alongside Israel (the so-called “two-state solution”) would, I fear, provide additional means for fanatical Muslims in Palestine and elsewhere to effect their goal of the elimination of Israel. Israel needs and deserves our support more than ever.
As a child, I was indoctrinated into fundamentalist Christianity which taught me that I was sinful and unclean by nature, and that if I didn't believe that Jesus died as a sacrifice to make me acceptable to God, I would be damned to hell for all eternity. When I later came to doubt the existence of such a punitive God, I began to see Jesus as simply a "good man" who died for his beliefs. However, during my subsequent spiritual journey in search of inner peace (described in detail in my book, Kundalini and the Morning Star), Jesus gradually took on vitally important new meaning for me. Early on in my active journey, as I was struggling to deal with panic attacks, I dreamed that I was swimming in a dense fog, and could see nothing but a faint light in the distance. Beside me was someone, whom I didn't recognize, trying to guide me to the light. I later came to accept that this dream personage was Jesus. Not long after, as I was questioning the validity of the Bible, I opened the New Testament at random, as a sort of test, and read the first words I saw - the words of Jesus: "Take up your cross daily, and follow me". When I then started researching the real Jesus, and discovered the "Gnostic Gospels", in particular the Gospel of Thomas, I was excited to learn that the salvation offered by Jesus involved an inner journey rather than simply a belief in sacrificial death. I am not saying that Jesus did not willingly die on the cross, but I am saying that his death was not a prerequisite for our becoming acceptable to God. As a result of his own spiritual journey, Jesus understood that salvation lay in uncovering the true self that is denied in childhood as a result of various untruths we are taught and outright abuse to which we are subjected, either in this or a past life. We who later suffer from mental illness were denied our birthright in childhood, which is unconditional love that fosters self-love. Coming to grips with the devastating consequences to my own psyche was a long and painful process. Indeed, I had already been struggling for many years (with difficult times thankfully interspersed with healing events bringing periods of relative calm and tranquility) when, at perhaps my lowest point, the spirit of Jesus intervened in a completely unexpected manner (as described in my book). As a result, I can now proclaim that Jesus is my savior. I love him and consider myself to be his disciple.
Our visit to Canada to see our new granddaughter came to an end, and my wife and I returned to our home in Europe. Not long after, I became depressed once again. Thankfully, the episode did not last long (a matter of a few days), but it was very intense. I had little appetite, and had difficulty sleeping. I decided to spend nights in a separate upper floor bedroom so that I would not disturb my wife. As has been typical, my thoughts about myself were extremely critical. Finally, the pain became so difficult to bear that I wondered how much more I could endure. However, I desperately did not want to cause my wife any further hurt. I lay in bed and prayed fervently to Jesus to quell my angst, not for my sake, but for my wife's. Toward morning, I fell asleep, and dreamed that a cat told me that she was secretly pregnant, and that she was going to give me one of her kittens. When I awoke, I was relieved to find that I had slept a bit (without medication), and I was reassured by the dream (a kitten represents the playful innocence and goodness of the divine feminine). Later that morning, as I thought about the previous night, I felt very deeply the pain my wife would experience should I ever die prematurely - it was as if I were inside her mind. I realized that my desire not to hurt my wife was far stronger than my ego's residual self-loathing. This was a very important insight. It proved to me that I was capable of true, unselfish love. It meant that I was "good". Acknowledging my innate goodness was an emotional release, and I felt so much better about myself. That evening, I found myself thinking about my little sister, who had committed suicide in 1986. I thought I had long ago plumbed the depths of my grief, but I was wrong. I grieved deeply for my loss, and I also grieved deeply for how she must have suffered prior to taking her own life. Allowing oneself to grieve the loss of a loved one, especially when the circumstances are tragic, feels painful, but it is actually a healing act of self-love. That night I dreamed that I rescued a cat from falling off of a very high ledge. Afterward, the cat lay contentedly on its back in my hands, purring away - another reassuring dream.
My wife and I traveled to Canada to spend several weeks visiting with our beautiful new granddaughter. Staring into her completely innocent eyes triggered something, and I became depressed and could not sleep. Similar to my previous experiences, my depression was largely driven by obsessive negative thinking about myself. However, my previous experiences had also taught me that these "bad" thoughts had no basis in ultimate reality. I knew they were simply the product of an ego that had been deeply wounded in childhood, and that in God's eyes I was as innocent and as lovable as my dear granddaughter. I knew that I would always be as God had made me. Acknowledging the truth of my own absolute innocence rapidly lifted my depression, and I was able to enjoy the final two weeks of our stay in Canada.
Similar to what I experienced during past depressive episodes, this particular episode also brought an unexpected gift. In the midst of the pain, I had a profound realization of the truth of Jesus' words when he said "The kingdom of heaven is spread out upon the earth, and men do not see it". I did see it, briefly, and it was magnificent. Last night I dreamed that I saw a little girl slip off the edge of a pier and disappear beneath the waves. I rushed to the spot and dove in. Visibility was very limited and I desperately felt around for her. Finally, I located her and pulled her to the surface. Laying her on her back on the ground, I performed mouth to mouth resuscitation, although I was concerned that my breath might not be all that fresh. Thankfully, she opened her eyes immediately - she had apparently inhaled very little water. I looked around for her parents, but they were nowhere to be seen. I knew that they knew she had almost drowned, and it really bothered me that they were apparently unconcerned about her welfare. This dream was a stark reminder that some children are raised in abusive environments by caregivers who aren't truly loving and giving of themselves. Unfortunately, such children will suffer the consequences of low self-esteem and associated mental illness in later life. Healing for them can be a very difficult journey. I hope I am able to help.
Last night I dreamed that I was swimming at our summer cottage and some guy on the shore started shooting arrows at me, for no reason that I was aware of. They all missed, and I proceeded to gather them from the water around me, intending to keep them. The shooter demanded that I return them to him, but I refused. He then said that the law was on his side, and that a policeman standing nearby could confirm that. I asked the policeman if I really did have to return the arrows, and he said yes. I argued that, under the circumstances, I should be able to keep them. The policeman started spewing what sounded to me like nonsense, making no effort to understand (or even hear) my side of the argument. In an effort to be heard, I shouted (out loud - I often talk in my sleep): "Your logic is so flawed - you're like a blind cat meowing at the moon". I awoke to my wife's laughter, and we laughed together for some time. This morning, my wife remarked on the symbolism - water, cats, and the moon are all feminine.
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AuthorRobert Keith's work focuses on the healing of mental illness, particularly where such illness has been fostered by fundamentalist religion. He and his wife have raised four children. As a family, they were always open about Robert’s own struggles and their individual spiritual journeys. Robert is now semi-retired but continues to offer spiritual counseling. Archives
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