BOOM
Before I travelled to Israel I used to believe that the Jews phenomenal achievements in all areas of human endeavours was because they were the anointed of God but the thought vanished after spending three days there. I saw things for myself. First, there is no milk and honey flowing in their land. It was a desert with acute shortage of rainfall and water. For Agric they depend on massive irrigation . The Jews are extremely hardworking, resourceful and innovative. They are determined to rise above the challenges in their environment. The Jews are not Christians but Judaists. The main difference between Judaism and Christianity is the total rejection of Jesus as the messiah. They also do not believe a word in the New Testament. In their Bible there's no new testament. Despite their abhorrence of Christianity and Jesus, they were smart enough to explore the commercial opportunities that pilgrimage offers. Israel makes billions of dollars yearly by commercializing a belief or faith they do not share.
Jesus was not killed by the Roman rulers of Judea but by his fellow Jews who saw him as a threat to the Religious establishment. Over 2000 years after they are yet to change their mind about him.
More than 90% of the Nobel laureates you listed are atheists. Albert Einstein who was declared as the greatest scientist of the 20th Century was an atheist. He neither accept Christianity nor Judaism.
Look at the countries that are doing well in the world you will see that it has nothing to do with their religious beliefs or special favours from God. Their progress has more to do with the choices they have made. Look at Donald trump, he does not read the bible but he knows that to win election in America you must pretend to share the sentiments of the evangelical Christians. That was precisely what he did. Japan was the first country in the world to achieve the feat of turning it's name into a brand. Once you see made in Japan on any product you are assured of it's excellent quality. Japanese people are neither Christians, Muslims nor Judaists. They achieved success because the are hardworking, resourceful, innovative and honest. What of Singapore that leapt from the fringes of third world to the first world. I can go on and on.
In Nigeria despite being blessed with huge natural and human resources, we do not want to succeed by vigorously exploiting the resources. We are dreamers hoping to succeed without lifting our fingers. We are miracles chasers who also cut corners. This explains why there is a huge market in Nigeria for diviners, sorcerers, prophets and Pentecostal pastors who promise prosperity without Labour.
The Chinese are fast becoming our new masters in Africa. In 1960 Nigeria had a better prospect for success than China and Singapore. In fact Western Region in Nigeria had television before Australia.
Look at UAE. Dubai and Abu Dhabi are the most visited Tourist Cities in the world. This was inconceivable just 20 years ago.They are 100% Muslims. This is the same religion that is exporting terror in many Arab and African countries including our dear country Nigeria. No UAE citizen has been accused anywhere in the world of involvement in terrorism. Their cities are more modern than Paris, New York and London .
Therefore, I do not share the believe that the greatness of the Jews has anything to do with fulfilment of any prophecy. On the contrary it can only be attributed to their iron cast determination to succeed in the face of all odds. It is awkward to attribute Einstein's success to any special blessing when the man never believed in God or offered any prayer throughout his lifetime. Material success has nothing to do with God . If it were so, Nigerians should be the richest people on earth because our greatest export apart from crude oil is religion.
From Olu Daramola {edited} #MO