Posted on 02/04/2005 10:11:21 AM PST by Cornpone
CHICAGO (Reuters) - A New York man has been arrested for threatening to burn down Presbyterian churches because of policies he believed were anti-Semitic, the church said on Friday. No attacks occurred after the threat was received last November but churches across the country were placed on alert.
Jeffrey Winters, 25, of the New York borough of Queens was arrested and charged with interstate communication of a threat to injure another person, the 2.8 million-member Presbyterian Church USA said from its Kentucky headquarters. It said that the FBI had informed the church of the arrest on Thursday.
Last July the denomination's top legislative body authorized a targeted divestment of church holdings from multinational companies profiting from Israeli-Palestinian violence in the West Bank and elsewhere. The divestment was to begin in 2006 only if public pressure failed.
The move angered elements of the U.S. Jewish community, and the church said it has received several other menacing letters, including one this week.
All he has to do is wait another few years and the Presbytarian churches will be completely empty.
Wierd. Thankfully, it appears he's all talk and no action. 25 years old? How much could he even know about the PCUSA? Something here doesn't make sense....
The Presbyterians haven't been doing much to win my good graces lately, with the Jew hating and the Post Natal Abortion support, but burning down their churches isn't acceptable recourse.
Owl_Eagle
”Guns Before Butter.”
I'm more pro-Israel than most, but of all of the groups doing Israel wrong, why focus on the Presbyterians more than Academia, Europe or Islam? There may be some anti-Christian sentiment involved.
"divestment of church holdings from multinational companies profiting from Israeli-Palestinian violence in the West Bank and elsewhere."
Please, again, why is this racist?
Not that I love the PCUSA, but really....
The Presbyterians are still Christians?
No, I guess it isn't racist. But it is arguably antisemitic by association. And it is exceedingly stupid, and now hypocritical.
Keep in mind that these are the types who climb into their robes each Sunday morning and intone some variation on the theme: "let forgiveness flow down like water," what I suppose you could call Joan Baez theology.
Except, of course, when they're threatened. Then it's "justice" they seek. Where's the forgiveness here? Why aren't they embracing this foe? Why aren't they asking themselves what they might have done to cause this nut-case to make that threat? Where's the empathy, the understanding, etc?
By the way, I belong to this denomination and have protested. I don't intend to leave at this point; if we're to salvage it; we'll have to work from inside. There are people in this denomination who are solid Christians and patriots.
I still don't understand - if it's anti-Semitic, couldn't is also be "anti-Palestinian"? Doesn't it all even out?
Of course, isn't the PCUSA also having "issues" of accepting homosexuals? As I suppose every wishy-washy Protestant group is. Funny how they could defend homos to the death, but affront Jews?
I'm starting to ramble here...
The Presbyterian church is big, mainstream? Since when? I don't even think they are "Christian". But you are right, it's a backward church as far as it's administrative hierarchy is concerned.
***backward church as far as it's administrative hierarchy is concerned***
So Biblical church government is backward?
BTW, there are 9 Presbyterian denominations. Only two are wacked... (Granted one of the two is a big as the other 8 combined)
I believe the Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church can also be called a biblical Presbyterian denomination.
I would question calling the Cumberland Presbyterian Church biblical. The CPC is having a joint General Assembly with the PCUSA in 2006. Holding a joint GA with PCUSA does not pass the smell test that Cumberland is biblical.
Pinging you to 16.
I'll see your ping and raise you another thread.....
It can be considered racist because they are applying a harsher standard to Israel than any other country in the world (including countries with far worse human rights records).
Not that that justifies burning down churches...
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