Have you ever got into a conversation regarding Israel or the Middle East?

If you have you will have noticed that everyone seems to have an opinion about Israel, no matter what his or her depth of knowledge may be.

I am however saddened when Christians make statements about Israel which show their lack of knowledge about Israel, or their lack of understanding of the Hebrew Scriptures, which are the bedrock of our faith.

Often, many Christians fail to understand the call God has on the Nation of Israel, but they also fail to see how that relates to the current situation. Many have no idea about the land itself and what is happening today, and sadly many don’t care.

Their views however often reflect the views of society instead of the views of the Prophets of God.

A recent survey by the Israel advocacy group Bicom has uncovered the level of that that lack of knowledge.

When Bicom surveyed Londoners specifically about Israel and the Jews they received some amazing responses.

When questioned one person said "there are 450 million Jews in the world who are now celebrating a 2000 year anniversary of their capitol city which is Iran”. Another person said that “Afghanistan” was Israel’s capitol city.

One lady responded when asked about the Golan Heights " They are those buildings that look gold in certain weathers”.

Bicom showed photographs to some Londoners in an effort to determine if they knew who Ehud Olmert the Prime Minister of Israel is. Some interviewees pointed to a photograph of Bob Marley.

Many thought that the main religion of Israel was Islam.

Some said Israel was as big as China and that it is situated next to Vietnam.

When asked if they could name any famous Jews, some answered; Osama Bin Laden or Yasser Arafat.

For a nation that is so often talked about, so often on the news and the nation that is at the centre of Scripture, so little is known, not only by ordinary people but also by Christians.

Next time you are in a conversation with anyone regarding Israel it may be helpful to find out just how much they know about the land God gave to the Jewish people before you give credence to any opinions they may have.