Makes me think of an ethic joke...

Submitted by Peter Herz (United States), May 26, 2010 at 10:44

I'm old enough to remember the golden age of the ethnic joke, back before everyone had to become PeeCee--or else! It seems as if Dr. Mazrui has tumbled into something similarly embarrassing.

But, before we get too much onto Jews and their brilliance--

Confucius, Lao Zi, Zhu Xi, Mo Zi, Zhuang Zi, etc. were all great philosophers, and they weren't Jewish.

Augustine of Hippo, Cyprian of Carthage, Thomas Aquinas, John Calvin, John Knox, Samuel Rutherford, John Ponet, John Witherspoon, Johannes Althusius, Francisco de Vitoria, Philippus Marnix van Sint Aldegonde, Francois Hotman, and Hubert Languet all synthesized questions of theology and social organization. None of them were Jewish.

Maybe we're aware of Jewish contributions because the Jews of the late 19th century and early 20th century, newly freed from a host of legal disabilities, tried very, very hard to prove they were worthy of acceptance in the wider society. They not only contributed richly in arts, sciences, letters, etc., but started talking loudly about what they had contributed--largely to combat the anti-Semitic bombast assailing them. However, I will bet the proverbial farm that if we wanted to, we could pick any people group--ethnic, religious, geographical--and come up with an equally impressive list. Anyone ever see the little books _How the Irish saved Civilization_ and _How the Scots Invented the Modern World_? Ever hear Germany described as _Das Land des Dichter und Denker_--the land of poets and thinkers?

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