Readers write: Are we desensitized to the war in Gaza?

Against his core teachings?

David Gushee – quoted in the Jan. 29 cover story “Meet the post-Evangelical Christians. They’re just getting started.” – observed that post-Evangelicals are “following Jesus out of American evangelicalism.” Bravo! Many Christians like me think that the political Evangelicals getting attention today have ignored Jesus for some time. Might that be why their numbers are declining?

Jesus’ core teachings are love, inclusiveness, and social justice. Aren’t many political Evangelicals coming up short on all of these measures?

The kingdom of which Jesus preached was spiritual, not earthbound. Jesus’ Great Commission instructed his disciples to go into all the world, baptizing new disciples and teaching them to observe the commandments. Where did Jesus mention creating nations on earth?

The claim that the United States was intended to be a Christian nation also reveals a lack of knowledge about the personal beliefs of the Founding Fathers. Would they really have made “freedom of religion” the first of a citizen’s rights if they were intending to establish a religion? The post-Evangelicals have recognized the gap between what evangelical Christians have been saying and the words of Jesus. Well done!

Daniel E. White
Green Valley, Arizona

Desensitized to Gaza

Palestinians are starving to death, as shown in “My flight over Gaza in a plane dropping food aid” in the March 25 Weekly. People and rights activists around the world are quite frustrated and angry about so many nations’ apparent apathy toward the Palestinians’ worst nightmare.

Yet I find that much of the mainstream news I consume, even the otherwise progressive outlets, are largely replacing the daily death and suffering of Palestinians living in Gaza with trivial domestic news. Sadly, that’s what most of those news outlets’ subscribers or regular patrons likely want (not that it necessarily morally justifies it).

Without doubt, growing Western indifference toward the mass starvation and slaughter of Palestinian civilians will only further inflame Middle Eastern anger toward us. Some countries’ actual provision, mostly by the United States, of weapons used in Israel’s onslaught will likely turn that anger into lasting hatred.

Meanwhile, with each news report of the daily Palestinian death toll from unrelenting Israeli bombardment, I feel greater desensitization and resignation. I’ve noticed this disturbing effect with basically all major protracted international conflicts, including in Ukraine. And I don’t think that I’m alone in feeling this nor that it’s willfully callous.

As a longtime news consumer, I think the value of a life abroad is typically perceived according to the abundance of protracted conditions under which it suffers, especially during wartime, and this effect can be exacerbated when there’s also racial contrast. Therefore, when that life is lost, even violently, it receives lesser coverage.

Frank Sterle Jr. 
White Rock, British Columbia

Portugal’s draw for expats

Your article “It’s not just the sunshine: Why Portugal attracts US expats” in the March 11 Weekly brought back to mind a bit of speculation I engaged in some years back: If family and friends were no consideration, in what country would I choose to live? I sought out those nations closest to the middle in per capita income, combined with the lowest disparity in income between their richest and poorest citizens. The winners at the time? Portugal and Hungary. Today, I’d say the political situation in Hungary gives Portugal the clear edge!

Brad Wronski
Red Wing, Minnesota