Presbyterians to justify Israel divestment

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Israel divestment

This is a WorldNetDaily printer-friendly version of the article which follows.
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Friday, February 4, 2005

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Presbyterians to justify
Israel divestment
Denomination sets meeting to answer questions about financial action

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Posted: February 4, 2005
1:00 a.m. Eastern

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© 2005 WorldNetDaily.com

In an attempt to justify what some have called an anti-Semitic move, the Presbyterian Church USA will hold a three-day conference to explain to denomination leaders why action was taken to divest from companies doing business with Israel.

As WorldNetDaily reported, the denomination's General Assembly voted 431-62 in July to divest from Israel. The PCUSA is believed to be the largest organization or institution to join the divestment campaign against the Jewish state. It was the first Christian denomination to do so.

The move set the stage for the church to divest itself from companies that receive $1 million dollars or more in profits per year from investments in Israel or have invested $1 million dollars or more in Israel. Apartheid South Africa is the only other nation the denomination has similarly sanctioned.

Scheduled for Feb. 10-12 in Louisville, Ky., home to the denomination's administrative offices, the meeting is meant to let synods and presbyteries "know what we did and why we did it," Marthame Sanders, missionary-in-residence at the PCUSA offices said in a statement.

The meeting is expected to draw 200 participants representing every synod and presbytery in the nation.

The church's statement characterized last summer's move as part of a "process of 'phased selective divestment' in companies supporting the Israeli occupation of the West Bank and Gaza and in corporations profiting from either Israeli or Palestinian violence."

Said the denomination: "The action is also directed at engaging corporations or financial institutions who benefit from the ongoing creation and expansion of Israeli settlements on the West Bank."

The statement confirmed that Jewish leaders were especially upset with the General Assembly's action.

"Presbyteries and synods … have been getting asked a lot of questions about this," stated Sanders, saying the middle governing bodies needed and wanted information about what the assembly did "to be equipped to have a debate" on the subject.

Included on the meeting's agenda is a discussion of Presbyterian theology, "particularly related to Christian Zionism," the statement said.

Subsequent to the church's July action, a petition drive began to protest the move.

The petition says the church's resolution is "anti-Semitic because NO OTHER nation is being singled for divestment, not even those whose violations of human rights are truly egregious."

"Only the moral blindness of Jew-hatred could lead the church to compare Israel's multi-racial democracy to apartheid South Africa," the petition says. "Only anti-Semitism could lead the church to condemn democratic Israel, while not voting divestment from Saudi Arabia, where women have virtually no rights and non-Muslims are not even permitted to enter the country without special permission, from Sudan, where race-based genocide is occurring even as we speak, from Iran, where Bahai are murdered for their faith, or from the many other countries where human rights are violated as a matter of routine."

During the same time period this month, a PCUSA seminary in Austin, Texas, is hosting an event entitled, "To Loose the Chains of Injustice: American Churches and the Palestinians." The denomination is one of the participating churches in the Feb. 11-12 meeting.

"The focus of this conference is on the work of the churches for a just peace in Israel-Palestine," states a flyer advertising the confab.

A group of Presbyterian elders and ministers are circulating a petition among the PCUSA membership to call the General Assembly back into special session to rescind the Israel Divestment Resolution.

Related stories:

Presbyterian: Muslims easier to deal with than Jews

Are mainline churches anti-Semitic?

Episcopal Church next to shun Israel?

Petition condemns church for 'hatred' of Israel

Presbyterians to divest from Israel

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[honest2God]

Israel is a state, not a race.
Israel does not = Jews.
Israel is a geo-political entity.

[sweet_diane]

"I am an Elder in the Presbyterian Church"

My dad was too. I 'jumped ship' about 10 years ago to PCA (Presbyterian Church in America). Daddy would be floored to learn the turn PCUSA has taken in recent years.

[dervish]

Israel is The Jewish State. Your formulas don't work. Because Jews do = Israel. Singling out the only Jewish State in the world for special negative treatment disproportionate to their role in the world's ills is singling out the Jewish People collectively. Israel represents 5 million Jews about half the entire world's Jewish population.

Anti-Israel, anti-Zionism is the New Anti-Semitism. Hiding behind the country is just a sham and provides the veneer of respectability you are endorsing rather than coming out with a direct assault on Jews, though in Europe that too is happening. This veneer of criticizing Israel shows its cracks when European Jews are the ever increasing targets of anti-Semitic violent attacks from Muslim youth furious at Jewish Israel and their far left intellectual cheerleaders. The cracks, chasms in fact, are further displayed in the Mosques all over the Muslim world which call Jews pigs, advocate their demise via Jihad, call the Holocaust a myth, publish the Blood Libel and the Protocols of the Elders of Zion. They know who they hate even if you are confused.

Please explain why Israel is the selected target of such exaggerated, in volume, intensity, and quantity, criticism. I have presented my theory of why, what is yours?

[Marano NYC]

I think its time the rank and file of the Church divests itself from the collection plate. Make it simple that you will not donate to a Church that is not reflective of your vision.
Write letters and organize and take your Church back. The Church is there to fill the spiritual needs of its congregants. If it does not listen to them than it serves no purpose.

[honest2God]

So are Jews that criticize Israeli policies anti-semitic?
It is claim of anti-semetism for political critiques of Israel that is a sham. This is not to say that anti-semitism exists. But if you confuse anti-semistism, with complaints against Israel's policies, then you hinder efforts to defend against anti-semitism.
Just because Israel is the Jewish state does not make it free of criticism for STATE NOT RELIGIOUS policies.

[dervish]

You have changed the terms of the debate.

I said special negative treatment disproportionate to their role in the world's ills. You turned that into a generic and unqualified complaints against Israel's policies. I never suggested that any or all criticism of Israel is anti-Semitic. Do you discern a difference between the criticisms of the US on this forum and those of the hate America crowd? I do.

Are you aware that for numerous years ¾ of the UN Resolutions are censuring Israel? I call that disproportionate. The amount of world focus and negative attention on Israel is not in line with what Israel has done. I also distinguish between internal political debate in Israel, a healthy sign of a vibrant democracy, and external condemnation and pressure.

And yes here are plenty of Jews that are anti-Semitic, mostly on the left (what a shock!), who single out Israel for more egregious conduct they excuse or ignore in others. Why does this surprise you? Aren’t there plenty of Americans on the left, the blame America first crowd, who do the same? Don’t you label them anti-American? I do.

To some extent it is not possible to separate Israel form religious policies since its laws are often based on the Torah including the operation of its military.

[justshutupandtakeit]

I believe the same thing. Third world churches are as outraged as I with the rampant perversion of the Church which is going on.

When I found out about these actions and informed my fellow session members they were stunned and we began to fight back. My church is against this and only because of my personal connections with it am I still within the denomination.

[mississippi red-neck]

While you do, figure out he aid we send to Arab countries. Egypt, Saudi Arabia The PLO and those 19 refugee camps we've been financing since 1948.

You know those that were dancing in the streets after 9/11. The ones we're fixing to send a couple more billion to. So they can blow up some more Israelis and put in numbered bank accounts.

Then consider all the intelligence information that Israel has supplied us with.

Also consider that most of the aid we give them is earmarked to be spent back in this country on military equipment from our factories that helps keep our infrastructure viable.

[Do not dub me shapka broham]

It's a shame that there are so many people-with such a large emotional and financial investment-in these churches.

I've heard that one of the primary reasons that some local traditionalist branches didn't break from the episcopacy-after the Jasper Johns and Eugene Robinson fiascoes-was because they would have been dispossessed of their church's assets.

It's almost as if the doctrinaire leftists, who now exercise unchallenged authority over the decision-making process, are blackmailing their parishioners into accepting something that contravenes their most deeply held values.

[DianeDePoitiers]

Re: Office of Boycott Compliance

It looks as if this church may be in violation of the laws which you have described, that prohibit U.S. companies and individuals from participating in the Arab boycott of Israel. Has anyone started a legal suit?

[ScottM1968]

Look, Israel may have provided intelligence information to us, but it sure also has stolen intelligence from us:

http://www.newsmax.com/archives/articles/2001/12/18/224826.shtml

Being pro-Israel for intelligence reasons is pure folly.

However, this does not mean I have a problem with investing in Israel companies for those who choose to do so.

[American in Israel]

It seems that they do not read the Bible, these "Church" folk. For this is what God has to say about the "West Bank" the Mountains of Israel:

36"And you, son of man, prophesy to the mountains of Israel, and say, 'O mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Lord!

2 Thus says the Lord God: "Because the enemy has said of you, 'Aha! The ancient heights have become our possession,'(done by Jordan when they invaded)'

3 therefore prophesy, and say, 'Thus says the Lord God: "Because they made you desolate and swallowed you up on every side, so that you became the possession of the rest of the nations, (Done by the UN when they claimed it for themselves as occupied lands) and you are taken up by the lips of talkers and slandered by the people"-- (Done by the MSM almost every day)

4 therefore, O mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Lord God! Thus says the Lord God to the mountains, the hills, the rivers, the valleys, the desolate wastes, and the cities that have been forsaken, which became plunder and mockery to the rest of the nations all around (Done by all the Arab Squatters in Israel right now!)

5 therefore thus says the Lord God: "Surely I have spoken in My burning jealousy against the rest of the nations and against all Edom (Jordan aka the "Palestinians"), who gave My land to themselves as a possession, with wholehearted joy and spiteful minds, in order to plunder its open country."'

6 "Therefore prophesy concerning the land of Israel, and say to the mountains, the hills, the rivers, and the valleys, 'Thus says the Lord God: "Behold, I have spoken in My jealousy and My fury, because you have borne the shame of the nations."

7 Therefore thus says the Lord God: "I have raised My hand in an oath that surely the nations that are around you shall bear their own shame.

8 But you, O mountains of Israel, you shall shoot forth your branches and yield your fruit to My people Israel, for they are about to come.

9 For indeed I am for you, and I will turn to you, and you shall be tilled and sown.

10 I will multiply men upon you, all the house of Israel, all of it; and the cities shall be inhabited and the ruins rebuilt.

11 I will multiply upon you man and beast; and they shall increase and bear young; I will make you inhabited as in former times, and do better for you than at your beginnings. Then you shall know that I am the Lord.

Who says prophesy is vague and does not come true? It seems the Presby's are in direct oppostion to the Word of God. Not their first time. I also recall mention of the Last Days in that love will grow cold and brother will rise against brother.

Seems that prophecy is coming true too..

[mississippi red-neck]

Seems that prophecy is coming true too..

You are correct.

Though I think we have disagreed on a few points in the past I am in agreement with you on this prophecy here.

Ezekiel 38&39 is the same event and prophecy just in greater detail.

I too believe it is not that far off in the future. It is the only way I see for this nightmare in the middle east to be brought into some form of stability.

After these events take place Israel's enemies in the middle east will be greatly subdued and she will be left the dominate power in the area with an increased desire and ability of some of her people to resume temple worship.

This is not however the end of Israel's enemies but only the local ones. The ones involving the world is dealt with later.

[justshutupandtakeit]

That is exactly what is happening. My church would lose everything to the Presbytery should it split but the worst part is no one knows about what is being done in their names except the perpetrators who disguise their intents and actions until it is too late.

[Dr. Eckleburg]

There are many PCUSA churches who are fighting this.

[Do not dub me shapka broham]

It reminds me of what happened when the Archbishop of Canterbury, George Carey, was replaced by the current, radical leader of the Anglican Church.

It's a concerted (stealth) campaign to undermine the rudimentary understanding of the Christian faith among its chief adherents.

No wonder the pews in the Church of England are so empty.

[American in Israel]

This is not however the end of Israel's enemies but only the local ones. The ones involving the world is dealt with later.

I think you and I are on the same page. Blessings!