Category: Religion

Mike Pence and the (alarming) company he keeps

Former VP Mike Pence recently visited Israel, where he spent time with Israeli extremists associated with a banned terrorist movement  and meeting with mega-donor and Israel hawk Miriam Adelson, who is willing to pay big bucks for policymakers’ loyalty.

What Israel is doing against Bethlehem today…

While millions of Americans have been celebrating Christmas, Israeli forces have been attacking men, women, & children in the Bethlehem region, where shepherds are said to have received a profoundly wondrous message: “Peace on earth, goodwill to men”… Defense for Children reports: “Israeli forces targeted Palestinian children with excessive force making 2021 the deadliest year for Palestinian children since 2014.” (videos)

New Reformed Church resource focuses on justice for Palestinians

“The World Communion of Reformed Churches (WCRC) in its commitment to justice seeks to lift up the cries of the Palestinian people to draw attention to the abuses and atrocities that are faced by Palestinians on a daily basis. We hope that this resource will be used by churches to have a deeper understanding of the Palestinian question and its global implications.”

Young Evangelical support for Israel drops by half in 3 years – study

While the evangelical Christian establishment is firmly in the pro-Israel camp, this may change as increasing numbers of young evangelicals now support Palestinian rights – a position held by many Southern Baptists when they overwhelming opposed Truman’s instant 1948 recognition of Israel…

United Church of Christ (UCC) labels Israel an Apartheid state

“We reject Israel’s apartheid system of laws and legal procedures,” the United Church of Christ (UCC) stated at its general synod, in a resolution approved by 83 percent of members despite an appeal by the American Jewish Committee. (The term ‘apartheid’ for the Israeli system has been used by numerous experts, including South African apartheid leader Bishop Desmond Tutu, a South African report on Israel, and scholars on the region.)

A Jewish Reflection on Israel’s Crimes and Israeli Hubris

Jewish author Michael Lesher – who blogs for the Times of Israel, among other outlets – muses on many Jewish leaders’ responses to the recent attack on Gaza: “trust in God and believe in Jewish infallibility.” Lesher suggests that instead, they should “devote their efforts toward restraining the Israeli war machine,” and consider the consequences of “[building a] future on a foundation of stolen property and murdered children.”