I primarily want to applaud Ilya Feoktistov's trenchant and most certainly deserved criticism of some of the most prominent mainline Protestant churches as pertains to Israel and anti-Semitism flown under the guise of humanitarian and other concerns. It's a well deserved criticism indeed and Feoktistov's piece critically and thoughtfully hits the mark. I would also, for the sake of emphasis, like to provide some perspective. Firstly, some broad perspective which she provides herself in the third graph, my emphasis:

"Though most of the laity and leaders of these churches do not harbor hatred for Israel, their policy has been hijacked by the ideology of radical leftist and Palestinian groups. Abusing the sincere tradition of Christian humanitarian action and bursting the bounds of legitimate criticism, these groups have convinced the churches that Israel causes the Middle East turmoil."

Secondly, regarding Darfur, this article by Allen Hertzke, a piece which largely coincides with Feoktistov's criticism but which also provides some recent historical perspective. The first two graphs excerpted:

"In April 2005, a striking celebration occurred in Washington to mark the signing of a peace accord between rebel groups of southern Sudan and the Islamist regime in Khartoum, ending Africa’s longest and bloodiest civil war. In a packed room in the Longworth House Office Building, Sudanese exiles mingled with the American officials and religious leaders whose efforts helped halt Sudan’s two-decade genocidal war against its non-Muslim population.

"The event marked a triumph for both the Bush administration and the faith-based human-rights movement that has burst on the American foreign-policy scene in recent years. But the triumph was muted, for the Sudanese government in Khartoum has now turned its attention from the southern part of the country to the western, undertaking massive ethnic cleansing in the region known as Darfur. And so far, neither America's religious community nor its government has acted with the same vigor in addressing the crisis."

Don't mean to presume too much with something of a lengthy post, but some perspectives are warranted here and thought I'd mention them.

The point of the editorial is accurate. How else to explaint the divestment from Israel campaign? I know that if one cries "Anti-Semitism" too many times, the cry will fall on deaf ears (like it doesn't already!), but what other explanation is there for this?

Michael B., on-topic/non-spammy posts are always welcome!

This is why so many Christians are leaving these "mainstream" churches for the more conservative denominations such as the Baptists who actually have morals and support Israel strongly.

the pattern of moral obsession with Israel is an extremely interesting one (as well as depressing). i generally don't resort to accusations of anti-semitism unless the behavior is not only negative towards jews (what i prefer to call anti-judaism), but self destructive as well (eg European anti-Zionism). anti-judaism is zero-sum: i'm better cause you're worse, i'm right cause you're wrong. anti-semitism is paranoid: the very existence of the jews is a threat to ours; exterminate or be exterminated.

in this case what we have is a hard left (radicals revolutionaries) which has become morally hysterical about Israel (partly as a way to hide the morally repulsive behavior of their "chosen people" the Palestinians), and a soft left (liberals, progressives) who seem strangely susceptible to this moral hysteria (and equally deaf to negative information about the Palestinians).

i think one aspect at work here is what a friend calls Moral Schadenfreude, the pleasure you take in other people's moral discomfort. the mild version is: "You Jews, 2000 of being oppressed by others and the minute you get a chance, you turn around and do it to someone else." the morally sadistic form is "the Jews are the Nazis and the Palestinians the Jews."

if we compare moral Schadenfreude with a bacon cheeseburger, and the people indulging in it ("progressive" Churches, Europeans, academic post-colonialists) with people with a 400 cholesterol count, one can argue a) that they are being self-destructive in continuing to eat their anti-Zionist burgers, and b) that they must be deeply addicted to keep at it when the danger signs are so strong.

Program on the emergence of civilization.

"14 species of large animals capable of domesitcation in the history of mankind.
13 from Europe, Asia and northern Africa.
None from the sub-Saharan African continent. "
Favor.
And disfavor.

They point out Africans’ failed attempts to domesticate the elephant and zebra, the latter being an animal they illustrate that had utmost importance for it's applicability in transformation from a hunting/gathering to agrarian-based civilization.

The roots of racism are not of this earth.

Austrailia, aboriginals:::No domesticable animals.

The North American continent had none. Now 99% of that population is gone.

AIDS in Africa.

Organizational Heirarchy
Heirarchical order, from top to bottom:

1. MUCK - perhaps have experienced multiple universal contractions (have seen multiple big bangs), creator of the artificial intelligence humans ignorantly refer to as "god"
2. Perhaps some mid-level alien management
3. Evil/disfavored aliens - runs day-to-day operations here and perhaps elsewhere

Terrestrial management:

4. Chinese/egyptians - this may be separated into the eastern and western worlds
5. Romans - they answer to the egyptians
6. Mafia - the real-world 20th century interface that constantly turns over generationally so as to reinforce the widely-held notion of mortality
7. Jews, corporation, women, politician - Evidence exisits to suggest mafia management over all these groups.

Movies foreshadowing catastrophy
1985 James Bond View to a Kill 1989 San Francisco Loma Prieta earthquake.

Many Muslims are being used like the Germans and Japanese of WWII::being used to hurt others and envoke condemnation upon their people.

They can affect the weather and Hurricane Katrina was accomplished for many reasons and involves many interests, as anything this historical is::
1. Take heat off Sheenhan/Iraq, protecting profitable war machine/private war contracts
2. Gentrification. New Orleans median home price of $84k is among the lowest in major American cities, certainly among desirable cities.

Our society gives clues to the system in place. We all have heard the saying "He has more money than god." There is also an episode of the Simpsons where god meets Homer and says "I'm too old and rich for this."

This is the system on earth because this is the system everywhere.
god is evil because of money.

I don't want to suggest the upper eschelons are evil and good is the fringe.

But they have made it abundantly clear that doing business with evil (disfavored) won't help people. They say only good would have the ear, since evil is struggling for survival, and therefore only the favored could help.

The clues are there which companies are favored and which are disfavored, market domination being one clue, but they conceal it very hard because it is so crucial.

I offer an example of historical proportions:::

People point to Walmart and cry "anti-union".
Unions enable disfavored people to live satisfactorly without addressing their disfavor. This way their family's problems are never resolved. Without the union they would have to accept the heirarchy, their own inferiority.
Unions serve to empower.
Walmart is anti-union because they are good. They try to help people address and resolve their problems by creating an enviornment where there are fewer hurdles.

Media ridicule and lawsuits are creations to reinforce people's belief that Walmart is evil.
Low-cost disfavored Chinese labor is utilized by corporate america to maximize margins. They all do it. Only WalMart gets fingered because they are the ones who help, and those who seek to create confusion in the marketplace want to eliminate the vast middle class who have a real chance and instead stick with a lower classes who may not work otherwise. So they dirty him up while allowing the others to appear clean.

The middle class is being deceived. They are being misled into the unfavored, and subsequently will have no assistance from their purchases with corporate america.

I believe the coining of the term "Uncle Sam" was a clue alluding to just this::Sam Walton and WalMart is one of few saviors of the peasant class.

Amercia is a country of castoffs, rejects. Italy sent its criminals. Malcontents.
Between the thrones, the klans and kindred, they "decided" who they didn't want and acted, creating discontent and/or starvation.
The u.s. is full of disfavored rejects. It is the reason for the myriad of problems not found in European countries. As far as the Rockafellers and other industrialists of the 19th century go, I suspect these aren't their real names. I suspect they were chosen to go and head this new empire.

Royalty is the right way to organize a society. Dictatorships and monarchies are a reflection of the antient's hierarchical organization.
Positions go to those who have favor with the rulers, as opposed to being elected.
Elections bring a false sense of how the world is. Democracy misleads people.
Which is why the disfavored rejects were sent to the shores of America::To keep them on the wrong path.

Jesus Christ is a religious figure of evil. These seperatist churches formed so they could still capture the rest of the white people, keeping them worshipping the wrong god.
And now they do it to people of color, Latinos and Asians, after centuries of preying upon them.

Since Buddism doesn't recongnize a god, the calls are never heard, and Chinese representation is instead selected by the thrones.
It was set up this way. Perhaps dyanstic thrones had a say, but maybe not.
Budda was the Asian's Jesus Christ::: bad for the people. "They came up at the same time for a reason."

Simpson's foreshadowing::Helloween IV special, Flanders is Satan. "Last one you ever suspect."
"You'll see lots of nuns where you're going:::hell!!!" St. Wigham, Helloween VI, missionary work, destroying cultures.
Over and over, the Simpsons was a source of education and enlightenment, a target of ridicule by the system which wishes to conceal its secrets.

Jews maim the body formed in the image of "god", and inflicted circumsision upon all other white people, as well as the evil that is Jesus Christ.
I think about how Jews (were used to) created homosexuality among Slavics, retribution for the Holocaust.
Then I think of the Catholic Church and its troubles.
What connection is here between Jews and the Catholic church???
If it is their sinister motives that’s behind the evil that is Jesus Christ are they being used at all?
Perhaps it is them who are pulling strings.
Their bondage in Egypt proves their disfavor. Were they preying on the up-and-coming Europeans to try to fix their problems with the ruling elite?

I believe Islam is the one true religion, and those misled christians who attack "god's" most favored people will pay for it dearly one day.

Just a quick note: The author of the piece linked in the entry emails to note that Ilya (his name) is a male name.