Posted on 08/08/2004 10:04:24 AM PDT by SJackson
The Presbyterian Church (USA) has committed a grievous sin. The General Assembly of that church has voted to divest from only one country in the world. No, it was not China, which has occupied Tibet for half a century and continues to deny basic human rights to its own citizens. No, it was not Iran, which threatens nuclear holocaust, executes dissenters and denies religious freedom to Christians and Jews. No, it was not North Korea, Libya, Russia, Sudan, Cuba or Belarus. It was -- you guessed it -- Israel, the only democracy in the Middle East and America's most reliable ally in a troubled part of the world.
The way it will work is simple: A blacklist will be prepared for the church's leaders, showing companies that earn more than $1 million annually from investments in Israel or that invest more than $1 million a year in Israel. The Presbyterians plan to divest from any company on the list -- with a handful of exemptions for companies that deal in education, social welfare programs and construction.
Despicable act
How did the church come to such a ludicrous, wrongheaded position? Just look at the resolution itself, which bursts with bigotry and ignorance.
It effectively blames the Israelis for Palestinian slaughter of civilians by asserting that the occupation is the "root" of terrorism. This canard ignores the reality that the Palestinian leadership opted for murder and violence as the tactic of choice well before there was any occupation, and that the leaders of Hamas, Hezbollah and Islamic Jihad have vowed to continue murdering Jews after the occupation ends, as long as the Jewish state exists.
(Excerpt) Read more at pittsburghlive.com ...
And a ping for those on Alouette's list, she's away from her computor.
Posted with the disclaimer that the Presbyterian Church (USA) doesn't represent all Presbyterians, particularly those on FR.
I'm doomed. I agree with Dershowitz. Heaven help me.
"The way it will work is simple: A blacklist will be prepared for the church's leaders, showing companies that earn more than $1 million annually from investments in Israel or that invest more than $1 million a year in Israel. The Presbyterians plan to divest from any company on the list "
Umm... Do Presybeterians beleive in the bible? I don't see how a "religious" group can justify this.
The apostacy continues.....right on schedule.
Bill Clinton's biggest defender speaks out.
The General Assembly is full of leftist wing nuts whose goal in life is to destroy the true Christian faith of this Church. They also voted to remove Jesus as the only path to Salvation and to allow ordination of gays. On the bright side, this proposal will be shot down by the more conservative Presbyteries. Kind of like the House passing a bill, but the Senate throwing it out. Even then, it is still up to the individual congregations what they will do with their money.
I don't often agree with ole Alan, but I think he is right on target this time. The PCUSA headquarters have apparently been taken over by leftist. I think they also passed a resolution calling the Iraq war "illegal" (because the UN said it was) among other things. I predict that their membership will continue to decline.
They haven't since at least the mid-sixties, at least the leadership of PCUSA does not.
I took my leave of them in 1965 when they disowned the Westminster Confession and came out with the ominous, so-called "confession" of 1967.
It was really tough hearing the communist party gloat over how easy it was for them to take over the seminaries of the PCUSA. The inevitable results are what we are seeing today.
The GA issued an affirmation at last year's assembly reconfessing and reaffirming the Lordship of Jesus Christ in rebuke to a Louisville bureaucrat who had asked, "What's the big deal about Jesus?"
Hope in the Lord Jesus Christ . . .
http://www.pcusa.org/theologyandworship/christology/hopeinlord.htm
It is a misrepresentation to assert that Christ as alone the means of salvation has been denied.
The GA retained the ban on practicing homosexuals being ordained to church office and of course homosexual marriage is not allowed.
"They haven't since at least the mid-sixties"
Interesting. What is the reason for such a church then? Do people of faith still go to Presybeterian churches? What church did you switch to?
How about the ELCA's policy toward Israel?
http://www.elca.org/dcs/israeli-palestinian.html
---Our most immediate and urgent concern is for the cessation of human rights abuses against the Palestinians, because of the Israeli occupation. These abuses include detentions without trial, the closing of schools, denial of access to health care, deportations, and the use of live ammunitions and plastic bullets in response to non-life-threatening situations.
This brutal conflict has taken hundreds of Palestinian lives and caused untold suffering. It has also divided the citizens of Israel as well as the worldwide Jewish community, many of whom are concerned that a continuation of the conflict will only further erode Israel's democratic institutions and undermine Jewish prophetic values, which are our Christian legacy as well.---
Not a word about Israeli lives lost, not a word!
"How about the ELCA's policy toward Israel?"
I thought evangelical christians were very pro-israel. What's up with this?
You will have to ask them what their real purpose is. I asked one guy I knew who was in PCUSA seminary why he was going into the ministry of such an apostate church and his answer was as good as any: "It beats working for a living."
I enjoy the non-denominational Christian fellowships now. They can hold their clergy more accountable to the Word of God.
---I thought evangelical christians were very pro-israel. What's up with this?---
In spite the use of the word evangelical the ELCA is liberal to the core. Check this out and learn about the "rainbow fish"!
http://www.cgslutheranchurch.org/page12.html
The PCUSA's sins against Human Rights pale when they are compared with that denomination's sins against God.
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