The real threats to America

Pete Buttigieg was absolutely correct in calling out the hypocrisy of the religious right during the Democratic party debate. Despite all efforts to paint refugees from Central America as the largest threat facing America, a far more real threat comes from within the United States. That threat is the Christian evangelical belief that the book of the Apocalypse requires America to hasten the battle of Armageddon, therefore precipitating the Second Coming. An example of this belief can be found here.

Moving the American embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, for example, was one step to appease the Christian evangelicals who believe that–blasphemy aside–they can control when the Second Coming is to occur. Israelis themselves are not confused about the motivations of moving the embassy. They see the move as a cynical move, but nevertheless helpful in furthering Israeli dominion over Jerusalem.

How is this influence dangerous to America? For one, it draws America to arm Saudi Arabia and other Arab states, again in the belief that creating the conditions for war between Israel and the states that wish Israel did not exist would hasten the prophecies of the book of the Apocalypse. An all-out war between Israel (a country that has nuclear weapons) and any of its neighbors would prove to be such a calamity that there would be no question that at least one side would be tempted to use nuclear weapons. With Trump remarking that what good are nuclear weapons if you don’t use them, the region is ripe for a nuclear arms race.

Leaving aside the moral justification of such a war, the reality is that America would suffer from another Israeli-Arab war. Not only because oil supplies might be jeopardized, but because there would be no containing such a conflict to the Middle East.