Quakers Divest from Israel

September 27, 2012 By 58 Comments

Hold the presses!  The Quakers are divesting from firms doing business with Israel.  Maybe the famed smile of the Quaker Oats Man should now turn to a frown.  Specifically the Quaker Friends Fiduciary Corporation (FFC) is divesting from Hewlett-Packard (HP) and Veolia Environment. Ostensibly HP was guilty of providing technology consulting to the Israeli Navy, while Veolia was convicted for “environmental and social concerns.”

Naturally, the U.S. Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation gushed that it was “thrilled” that FFC was the “first U.S. national fund” to divest from those firms in reaction to demands from “Palestinian rights advocates.”

“Thrilled,” no doubt.  Anti-Israel divestment advocacy has largely been a dud in the U.S.  Just this Summer, three major denominations rejected divestment, though the Episcopalians, Presbyterians and United Methodists are all governed by elites who routinely condemn Israel (but not its foes).   There are only about 80,000 Quakers in North America.  Their spokespersons are heatedly anti-Israel. Quakers are traditionally pacifist of course.  But Quaker ire does not typically focus on Hamas or Hezbollah terror, nor on the violent threats of Israel’s neighbors.

Reputedly FFC has $250,000 in HP investments and $140,000 in Veolia.  According to the U.S. Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation, HP “maintains a biometric ID system used in Israeli checkpoints for racial profiling; manages the Israeli Navy’s IT infrastructure; and supplies the Israeli army with other equipment and services used to maintain its military occupation.”  The equally sinister Veolia is complicit in “a light rail linking illegal Israeli settlements with cities in Israel; it operates segregated bus lines through the occupied West Bank; and it operates a landfill and a waste water system that dumps Israeli waste on Palestinian land.”

The U.S. Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation reports that the FFC manages portfolios for over 300 Quaker meetings, schools and other church related groups, with a total of $200 in assets.  Earlier this year FFC divested $900,000 in Caterpillar stock at the urging of the Palestine Israel Action Group of Quakers in Ann Arbor, Michigan.  FFC then explained it had a “zero tolerance for weapons and weapons components.”

Quakers of course are pacifist.  So it’s not exceptional that they would divest from military related firms. But why cite Israel in this particular divestment?  Caterpillar has sold its wares to the U.S. Defense Department for many decades. Presumably so too have HP and Veolia.  Why not simply declare their actions to be anti-military as opposed to anti-Israel?

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About

Mark Tooley is President of the Institute on Religion and Democracy (www.theird.org) and author of Methodism and Politics in the Twentieth Century. Follow him on Twitter: @markdtooley.

  • Josh

    To AFSI Quakers from Israel:

    UP THINE!!!!!!!!!!!

    • http://www.facebook.com/introvert321 Shmuel Malov

      Amen

    • objectivefactsmatter

      Not nice, but I'm with you this time:>)

      The whole thing is shocking. It makes me think of Noam Chomsky and other lying professors like Howard Zinn who gave credibility to America's lying enemies. Zinn even admitted to being a fact-challenged historian.

  • Tanner

    This is very disappointing to hear this. First the UCC and now the Quakers. I think it's safe to say that the so-called Christian Left cannot be trusted anymore. It seems that there is barely any differences between the Secular Left and the Religious Left, except for the fact that one is non-religious and the other religious. The Christian Left is starting to reveal its true form these days. And it's not good. Even the Christian Left is secular in some ways, because they join open hands with those they are suppose to speak against (such as Hamas, etc.). Instead, they are doing the exact opposite, assisting in a possible holocaust of Israeli Jews by boycotting Israel. If only every Christian Conservative/Classical Liberal knew about this.

    • warpmine

      The left is the left, you can trust that they will side with the enemies of capitalism, Jews and America. There, you see you can trust them just not with common sense beliefs.

  • objectivefactsmatter

    "This is very disappointing to hear this. First the UCC and now the Quakers. I think it's safe to say that the so-called Christian Left cannot be trusted anymore. It seems that there is barely any differences between the Secular Left and the Religious Left,"

    There is no such thing as a religious left. Turning left means turning towards ideas that reject all Judeo Christian texts unless interpreted through the secular lens, hence they are secular posers who want to look "spiritual" and convince themselves that they are "covered" in case the Bible might be "partly true."

    • https://www.facebook.com/TomArrr Tom Arr

      Saying JudeoChristian is like saying DeadAlive.

      • SCREW SOCIALISM

        Saying Socialist is like saying BrainDead..

      • objectivefactsmatter

        "JudeoChristian is like saying DeadAlive"

        How do you figure that? Maybe you ought to ask questions or perform some research before sticking your foot in your mouth. Jews are associated with a national identity, ethnicity and various religions based on Hebrew prophets. Christians are also believers in those same Hebrew prophets, hence, "Judeo Christian texts." The various groups are not entirely mutually exclusive either, as you wrongly imply.

        • https://www.facebook.com/TomArrr Tom Arr

          First, I do not believe in some men who served God, I believe on Jesus Christ. They are now associated with all those things since the Zionist movement began in the late 1800's. The Jews were getting more and more secular(see the founders of communism and socialism), and they knew they needed some way to bind all they could together to serve their agenda of getting what they wanted, and not what God wanted. The only purpose of the Old Testament that tells the history of those hard-hearted, covenant-breaking, God-rejecting people, was to demonstrate how much each and EVERY person of the world needs Jesus Christ. He is all that anyone requires, and all that will serve to reconcile EVERY person to God. There has only ever been ONE People of God, and you will only find them today in the community of believers in Jesus Christ.

          • objectivefactsmatter

            "The Jews were getting more and more secular(see the founders of communism and socialism)"

            The "Christians" were getting more secular, believing in idols, etc. etc.

            "and they knew they needed some way to bind all they could together to serve their agenda of getting what they wanted, and not what God wanted. "

            And the pope divided the globe and assigned authority to……

            "The only purpose of the Old Testament that tells the history of those hard-hearted, covenant-breaking, God-rejecting people"

            The Jews as "God rejecting" represent all of man. Who is cited in the Bible as being "superior?"

            Only believers, who came from Jew and Gentile. Get the point?

            "There has only ever been ONE People of God, and you will only find them today in the community of believers in Jesus Christ."

            Clearly false, unless you stretch the definitions, and then you must include all of the prophets who believed in the Messiah from Abraham to John. You are a simple-minded bigot repeating old bigotry written long before you became an elitist.

    • Tanner

      Yes. Very good point, objectivefactsmatter.

      • objectivefactsmatter

        Yes, we are in agreement. I didn't mean to sound like I was correcting you but rather restating it with less diplomacy.

        Take care, Chris

  • oldtimer

    Sign of the times.. Matthew 24:12 "And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold."

  • Pray for Israel

    So sad but really prophecy in action. Who would ever imagine that anyone with a half way stable mind would profess Christianity, yet openly work in direct opposition to the tennants professed in the very text they claim as their doctrine's foundation? We see it all the time now. From letting homosexuals practice openly as they just ignore that part of scripture, to the abandonment of the Apple of God's Eye, Israel? There's blessings & curses directly attached to how believers act toward Israel. It's sad & pure evil but a complete confirmation of scripture & the state of confusion prophesied mankind would be in during the last days.
    Today up in down & left is right… It's pretty mindblowing to see people behave this way . It's as though they've all abandoned their common sense. Obama supporters are one such example where common sense is nowhere to be found.
    Even just 10 years ago I couldn't have ever imagined a world where the Church would abandon Israel. Incredible!

    • https://www.facebook.com/TomArrr Tom Arr

      Read Hebrews chapter 8 and understand why.

    • intrcptr2

      Quakers are nowadays a catch-all sort of group; where in the past they quaked at the word and power of God, one can in fact be an atheist "Friend".

      Professing Christ, but bearing no fruit, is no sign of regeneration in God's spirit, which of course Quakers claim to exalt more than any others. The church which is abandoning Israel is that false bride who accepts the false bridegroom in the last days.

  • Omar

    Of course, the same Quakers who want to divest from doing business with Israel also want the United States to "lift" the so-called "embargo" on the Castro regime in Cuba despite the fact that there is no embargo on Cuba (The United States is Cuba's largest food supplier and and one of Cuba's largest business partners-read Humberto Fontova's articles and books to learn more about the truth about Castro's Cuba in general). That is a double standard, considering the fact that Israel is a tolerant, democratic country, while Cuba is governed by a Communist dictatorship.

  • EthanP

    The "Quakers" have been supporting various anti American efforts for some time. I guess nobody remembers their support for North Vietnam. Not just opposition to that war. Outright support of the North. To be divested by the now irrellavent Quakers is a badge of honor.

    • Omar

      The "Quakers" probably miss King George III and the Redcoats of the American Revolution.

  • Schlomotion

    "Reputedly FFC has $250,000 in HP investments and $140,000 in Veolia. According to the U.S. Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation, HP “maintains a biometric ID system used in Israeli checkpoints for racial profiling; manages the Israeli Navy’s IT infrastructure; and supplies the Israeli army with other equipment and services used to maintain its military occupation.” The equally sinister Veolia is complicit in “a light rail linking illegal Israeli settlements with cities in Israel; it operates segregated bus lines through the occupied West Bank; and it operates a landfill and a waste water system that dumps Israeli waste on Palestinian land.”

    Those seem like awfully good reasons to divest from those companies. Granted boycott is not very effective, and Quakers are not very relevant in the modern age, but they certainly have the freedom to use their judgment. Clearly they have invoked the ire, though, of an agency that wants to call them both ineffectual and also wants to seethe that they have $390,000 to push around.

    • Ghostwriter

      I wouldn't trust your judgment on ANYTHING,Schlockmotion.

  • Lou de Louzada

    How could Christians behave like this? Do they not read their bibles? Guess not. Sigh

  • Donkey Kong Jr

    "..the FFC manages portfolios for over 300 Quaker meetings, schools and other church related groups, with a total of $200 in assets"

    $200 in assets is not much money for 300 organizations. That's like 67 cents each…

    Proofreading = important.

    • objectivefactsmatter

      "$200 in assets is not much money for 300 organizations. That's like 67 cents each…"

      Obviously they have at least $390,000 from those to investments alone.

      "Proofreading = important."

      True.

  • https://www.facebook.com/TomArrr Tom Arr

    Now for every other Christian church to do the right thing and follow suit.

    • objectivefactsmatter

      You want every church to act like Judas?

      • https://www.facebook.com/TomArrr Tom Arr

        How is it acting like Judas? Are the Quakers betraying Jesus Christ or any of His people? Or are they separating themselves from the Israelis who blaspheme against His name daily in action and word, as they profess their love for their favorite act, revenge, from their favorite book, Esther?
        I have favorite books too, which they do despise and hate for the truth that they speak, read:
        Hebrews 8 for the truth of the sufficiency of Christ for all peoples, for the old covenant is broken and obsolete. Matthew 23:38-39 and Luke 21:24 to see that the Jews shall not know God, nor His city of peace-Jerusalem- till the time of the gentiles is fulfilled.
        2 John 1:10, Romans 16:17, 2 Thessalonians 3:6, and Titus 3:10 to understand that we should have nothing to do with those that do not follow the teaching and gospel of Christ, and seek to divide us from it. You may say Romans 11:28 shows they are still beloved, but Romans 11:31 tells us it is so they may find mercy same as everyone else has, through Jesus Christ. We read Romans 9 to know this is God's way for them to know their faults so that they may come to Him through Christ, as they will stumble for eternity in their unbelief till they do. And we should leave them to stumble, only pointing at Christ as the answer to all their trials and tribulations.

        • objectivefactsmatter

          "How is it acting like Judas? Are the Quakers betraying Jesus Christ or any of His people?"

          Yes. Read the Gospels and then the Book of Revelation, with care this time.

          " Or are they separating themselves from the Israelis who blaspheme against His name daily in action and word, as they profess their love for their favorite act, revenge, from their favorite book, Esther? "

          Are self-described Christians all acting as you think they should? Maybe all Christians should be treated as though the lowest behavior can be attributed to all, and then where are you? You are in the same cross-hairs you put the Jews collectively. God is not a collectivist you psychopath.

          Now among the Israelis, are there any messianic believers? Unless you say there are zero (go ahead and try), how you've got to tell me how many among self-described Christians are actually believers and how many have never even understood as well as the Jews what that means?

          "I have favorite books too, which they do despise"

          You don't read with discernment. God uses groups to identify general behaviors to be taken as lessons to apply to all of mankind. There are no innocents, none without sin. There are people from all groups who reject part or all of the prophets. I could cite books and claim you despise them too. I don't want to lower myself to the level of hypocrisy that you display here.

          "read: Hebrews 8 for the truth of the sufficiency of Christ for all peoples, for the old covenant is broken and obsolete. Matthew 23:38-39 and Luke 21:24 to see that the Jews shall not know God, nor His city of peace-Jerusalem- till the time of the gentiles is fulfilled. "

          Fulfilled equals broken? Where did you learn your vocabulary? You've got some very thin reasons for your hate. Why were the earliest Christians also Jews? You've got a lot of explaining to do.

          "to understand that we should have nothing to do with those that do not follow the teaching and gospel of Christ, and seek to divide us from it."

          Individually, not collectively. Your hatred is so transparent. You are a pharisee.

          "You may say Romans 11:28 shows they are still beloved, but Romans 11:31 tells us it is so they may find mercy same as everyone else has, through Jesus Christ. "

          Correct, just like any other mission field in and out of the so-called Church of Christ. Therefore your hatred of the Jews in particular is outrageous. You get to decide when an entire nation has finally rejected Christ? Wow, maybe judgment day is here and you are God? Tell the others, this is a surprise.

          "We read Romans 9 to know this is God's way for them to know their faults so that they may come to Him through Christ"

          The Jews are cited as an example for how mankind reacts collectively to the Gospel. They are not cited as exceptionally evil, only as set apart for prophecy and for setting these examples. If they are cited historically as more evil than another, this is because they have been informed by the prophets at a time when the others had a higher claim of innocence.

          "And we should leave them to stumble, only pointing at Christ as the answer to all their trials and tribulations. "

          I see. You are such a loving person, that all of your vile hatred is justified by "leave them to stumble?"

          It's amazing that you could accuse anyone of having a stone heart. What a sad commentary you've made on your own character. Teaching the Gospel and arrogantly "pointing to Christ" as you define it are not equal. If you are Christian, you teach, not "point" like a pharisee points with an accusing finger of condemnation for not satisfying your standards as you judge an entire nation in the place of God's judgment. You are an anti-Christ. Good luck finding your way out of that.

          • George_Babbitt

            "Are self-described Christians all acting as you think they should? Maybe all Christians should be treated as though the lowest behavior can be attributed to all, and then where are you? You are in the same cross-hairs you put the Jews collectively. God is not a collectivist you psychopath."

            All the prophets, judges, and kings of of the old covenant dealt with Israel collectively at times.
            Acts 7:7 "I will judge the nation to which they will be in bondage,' said God,'and after that will they come out, and serve me in this place."
            Romans 10:19 "Again I ask: Did Israel not understand? First, Moses says, "I will make you envious by those who are not a nation; I will make you angry by a nation that has no understanding."
            Philippians 2:15 "That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world;"
            There really are too many examples here.

            "Fulfilled equals broken? Where did you learn your vocabulary? You've got some very thin reasons for your hate. Why were the earliest Christians also Jews? You've got a lot of explaining to do."

            Hebrews 8:9 which is a quote of Jeremiah 31:32 "It will not be like the covenant I made with their forefathers when I took them by the hand to lead them out of Egypt, because they broke my covenant, though I was a husband to them," declares the LORD."

            "I see. You are such a loving person, that all of your vile hatred is justified by "leave them to stumble?" "

            Romans 9:30-33 "What then shall we say? That the Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, have obtained it, a righteousness that is by faith; but Israel, who pursued a law of righteousness, has not attained it. Why not? Because they pursued it not by faith but as if it were by works. They stumbled over the “stumbling stone.” As it is written:“See, I lay in Zion a stone that causes men to stumble and a rock that makes them fall,and the one who trusts in him will never be put to shame.”"

            "It's amazing that you could accuse anyone of having a stone heart. What a sad commentary you've made on your own character. Teaching the Gospel and arrogantly "pointing to Christ" as you define it are not equal. If you are Christian, you teach, not "point" like a pharisee points with an accusing finger of condemnation for not satisfying your standards as you judge an entire nation in the place of God's judgment. You are an anti-Christ. Good luck finding your way out of that."

            1 Corinthians 6:2 "Do you not know that the saints will judge the world? And if you are to judge the world, are you not competent to judge trivial cases?"
            Galatians 3:23-25 "Before this faith came, we were held prisoners by the law, locked up until faith should be revealed. So the law was put in charge to lead us to Christ that we might be justified by faith. Now that faith has come, we are no longer under the supervision of the law.

          • objectivefactsmatter

            "All the prophets, judges, and kings of of the old covenant dealt with Israel collectively at times"

            Yes they did. They did not teach believers to act as judges in the same role. You can use discernment for your own edification and teaching, but judging people collectively today in the style of prophets in the scriptures is putting yourself in the place of God. Judge what was written for the lessons, not as lessons in how to judge others in history when you don't know God's views.

            If you want to take lessons from people collectively, at least limit your remarks to that rather than condemning them wholly. There is a huge critical difference.

  • PAthena

    The Quakers have been anti-Israel for decades. The U.S. Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation is another way to attack Israel. They do not campaign to End the Occupation of Tibet, for example, nor do they campaign against Cuba, Iran, nor other tyrannies.

    • Sunshine gal

      Quakers are well known to be Jew Haters… even after what we knew about the Holocaust they still hated Jews.

      • objectivefactsmatter

        Once you've been corrupted by hate, murder pleases your heart.

    • Omar

      I know what you mean, PAthena. Those "Quakers" and their leftist/Islamist allies are hypocrites when it comes to human rights. Unlike the so-called "Palestinians" (who are an invented people indeed), the Tibetans are the true victims in their situation. While Israel respects the rights and liberties of everyone (regardless of characteristics) and mainly responds in self-defense against its enemies, the regime in China oppresses the Tibetan people on a daily basis. Tibet has been under Communist China's illegal occupation since 1950 (62 years ago). If there is any people that truly deserves international sympathy and a recognized state (and become a UN member state), it is the Tibetans, who have been denied their basic rights by the Communist regime in China (but because China is a Communist state, it gets a free pass from the left, since the left views China as an advocate of "social justice"). The regimes in Cuba and Iran deserved to be sanctioned by the world community, yet those regimes are not sanctioned because the left and its Islamist allies view those regimes as "progressive" since the main goal of the left and the Islamists (who are in an unholy alliance) is to undermine and destroy Western-style democracy. It is time for the West and its free-world allies to confront and defeat the unholy alliance of the radical left and the Islamists.

    • objectivefactsmatter

      "They do not campaign to End the Occupation of Tibet, for example, nor do they campaign against Cuba, Iran, nor other tyrannies."

      As one of the first posters said, they're no different from secular liberals…Democratic Party loyalists.

  • MJR

    Perhaps I had better warn the local Veolia guys who do a decent job keeping the streets clean round here (UK) to watch their backs in case the local Pakis find out about this. ;o)

  • Schlomotion

    I hate all dem joos because my pecker is so tiny

  • Chiggles

    Quackers: God-fearing communists.

    • objectivefactsmatter

      Funny, I like that one.

  • VLS

    They are Juduses!

    • objectivefactsmatter

      Exactly.

  • DrMike

    The Quakers also repeatedly have made their Friends' House in London available to the Hizb-ut-Tahrir Islamist group that condones terrorism against Israelis and denies the Holocaust http://hurryupharry.org/2011/03/14/what-on-earth-…. Their House in Berkeley also host meetings of the terror support group International Solidarity Movement.

    • objectivefactsmatter

      It keeps getting worse.

  • Larry S.

    I wish people here would be a little more discerning in their reactions: some here are making a mountain out of a molehill. Freedom Friends Church is not a broad indicator of the sentiment of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers). Although I do not doubt that the "boycott Israel" opinion is fairly common among individual Quakers, I do not believe the larger Yearly Meetings, as they are called, have embraced the boycott.

    As noted on the FFC website:

    "At the present time we are an independent Friends Church not affiliated with any larger group or Yearly Meeting as Friends name them. We hope that this is not always the case, but at present there is no Yearly meeting within reasonable geographic distance that is a good fit for us."

    In other words, FFC is a fringe group within a larger, albeit still small, religious group. Although "left wingnuts" abound among Quakers, it is simply misleading to the point of dishonesty to tar the entire Religious Society of Friends with the sentiment of a fringe group. FWIW, along with pacifism, there also is a history of participation by Quakers in the US Marine Corps. For example, General Smedley Butler, after whom the Corps mascot was named, was a Quaker.

    While I can speak only for myself, if my Monthly or Yearly Meeting were to embrace a "boycott Israel" or "disinvest from Israel", I would promptly ask for release from membership.

  • Ghostwriter

    It's a shame the Quakers have made themselves look like idiots. I'm amazed that few of them know this.

  • TXJenny

    @Tom Arr: There is no problem with the term Judeo-Christian, except that it is sort of redundant. The Catholic Church tells us that Judaism is the living proof of Christianity; thus, to hate Judaism is to hate Christianity as well.

    • https://www.facebook.com/TomArrr Tom Arr

      I'm not hating on Judaism, I just know that it is obsolete, for those who were under the old covenant, broke it. They try to find life through the Law, when you will only find death through the Law, for it brings knowledge of sin, and the wages of sin are death. And without the ransom to life found in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, what do they have?
      Hebrews 8, Romans 9, Romans 11:31

      • objectivefactsmatter

        "I'm not hating on Judaism, I just know that it is obsolete, for those who were under the old covenant, broke it. They try to find life through the Law, when you will only find death through the Law, for it brings knowledge of sin, and the wages of sin are death. And without the ransom to life found in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, what do they have? Hebrews 8, Romans 9, Romans 11:31"

        Your zealotry leads you to conflating many things. Look at what you first replied to. The Christian Bible is a Judeo Christian text. The prophets were all "Jews" as we refer to them today. The Old Testament is not obsolete. You can't have a New Testament without the foundation of the Old Testament. Period.

        You hate all of this because you hate Jews. You hate others and need justifications. This is easy to find when you choose Jews as your target. How convenient. I could easily compare you to a non-believer because your statements are just as confusing as I have heard from some individual Jews for their non-acceptance of Christ. Notice I have no idea if they believe now, or started to believe within moments after I spoke to them. I have no way to know, therefore I have no way to judge.

        Where do you get your omniscience that allows you to condemn a nation or any group of people collectively? God is not a collectivist. Your God apparently is.

        • George_Babbitt

          "Judaism is distinct from Judeo Christian, which is what you originally condemned. Technically Christianity is a continuation of ancient Judaism (if we accept this is synonymous today with Hebrew) but Judaism today often refers to post-messianic Jewish or Hebrew theology and when that is the case, it was never valid if you are a Christian. How can you call that obsolete? Only if you conflate. "

          Hebrews 8:13 "By calling this covenant "new," he has made the first one obsolete; and what is obsolete and aging will soon disappear."

          "The same could be said for most Christians, who try to earn their way through obedience. Why don't you condemn the entire Church? Instead you advocate for the Church to stand collectively in judgment of a nation that is specifically cited in prophecy as fulfilling vital roles for eternity. Some Christian you are! Where will Christ reign from? Where will he return?"

          Hebrews 8:9 which is a quote of Jeremiah 31:32 "It will not be like the covenant I made with their forefathers when I took them by the hand to lead them out of Egypt, because they broke my covenant, though I was a husband to them," declares the LORD."

          "The same could be said for most Christians, who try to earn their way through obedience. Why don't you condemn the entire Church? Instead you advocate for the Church to stand collectively in judgment of a nation that is specifically cited in prophecy as fulfilling vital roles for eternity. Some Christian you are! Where will Christ reign from? Where will he return?"

          1 Corinthians 6:2 "Do you not know that the saints will judge the world? And if you are to judge the world, are you not competent to judge trivial cases?"

          The church is Israel now. All promises made to the patriarchs are fulfilled and found only in Christ.
          2 Corinthians 1:20 "For no matter how many promises God has made, they are "Yes" in Christ. And so through him the "Amen" is spoken by us to the glory of God."
          Galatians 3:16 "The promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. The Scripture does not say "and to seeds," meaning many people, but "and to your seed," meaning one person, who is Christ."
          Galatians 3:19 "What, then, was the purpose of the law? It was added because of transgressions until the Seed to whom the promise referred had come. The law was put into effect through angels by a mediator."
          Galatians 3:28 "There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus"
          Galatians 3:29 "If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise."
          1 Peter 2:9 "But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light."
          If anyone is concerned about the recipients of these promises really being Jews, genealogical sons of Abraham, then Jesus himself literally fits the bill. Jesus is literally and physically a bloodline son of Abraham and David (Matt. 1:1-17; Luke 3:23-38). All the promises made to physical Israel are for him. He is the recipient of all of these promises. He lives today. He now literally owns the land of Palestine. Since Jesus rules the world, the land of Palestine is included in his kingdom. It is all his.

          • objectivefactsmatter

            Hebrews 8:13 "By calling this covenant "new," he has made the first one obsolete; and what is obsolete and aging will soon disappear."

            It's obsolete to those individuals who reject the Gospel, when they reject it. It is not obsolete to those who only know the Old Testament and have not heard the Gospel. Obsolete covenant is specific to the individual relationship. I know it is confusing because some of the punishments from God seem to be collective, but he knows how to obtain justice that we can't fully understand. That doesn't mean he will keep judging a nation of people today for example, just because he did so in the past. Do you think all Jews living today are condemned as of this moment? From birth?

            "1 Corinthians 6:2 "Do you not know that the saints will judge the world? And if you are to judge the world, are you not competent to judge trivial cases?"

            You think that means any believer can judge others? I understand this to be prophetic, pointing to a role on judgment day or perhaps afterwards. Notice also that judging a nation and its present standing with God collectively is not trivial!

            "The church is Israel now."

            There are parallels in the covenants, but that is NOT the same as excluding Israel from prophecy or making them lower than gentiles. That is an old fallacious argument.

            "All promises made to the patriarchs are fulfilled and found only in Christ. "

            Jews are not excluded from becoming believers any earlier in their lives than gentiles are. They have till their last hours to accept Christ, just as you do.

            "I am not of this world."

            Who owns Palestine? Jews are excluded because Christ owns that property distinctly from his sovereignty of the universe?

            Going back to the original subject, divestment, it is one thing to say, "I have no religious reasons to support Israel" and quite another to attack its existence. I have no problem with the former because I never claimed there is a clear biblical mandate to support the modern nation of Israel. But attacking them and insulting them as if they have failed more than any other population is absolutely heinous considering what they did for you and all humans. Without the Jews, there would obviously be no salvation offer as we know it.

            Use the Bible to support Israel or not, but don't use the Bible to attack them. It's the height of hypocrisy.

      • objectivefactsmatter

        "I'm not hating on Judaism, I just know that it is obsolete"

        Judaism is distinct from Judeo Christian, which is what you originally condemned. Technically Christianity is a continuation of ancient Judaism (if we accept this is synonymous today with Hebrew) but Judaism today often refers to post-messianic Jewish or Hebrew theology and when that is the case, it was never valid if you are a Christian. How can you call that obsolete? Only if you conflate.

        "for those who were under the old covenant, broke it. They try to find life through the Law, when you will only find death through the Law, for it brings knowledge of sin, and the wages of sin are death."

        The same could be said for most Christians, who try to earn their way through obedience. Why don't you condemn the entire Church? Instead you advocate for the Church to stand collectively in judgment of a nation that is specifically cited in prophecy as fulfilling vital roles for eternity. Some Christian you are! Where will Christ reign from? Where will he return?

        • George_Babbitt

          This thread has been made redundant per the other threads we are engaged in.

  • lcb

    I don't see any mention of Evangelical Friends on their website; so this group does not seem to represent all Quakers. http://www.friendsfiduciary.org/about-us/

  • Mack

    So the Quaker Oafs man smiles benignly on Jews as long as they are being murdered.

    Shame.

    • https://www.facebook.com/TomArrr Tom Arr

      They murder themselves daily as they continue to reject Jesus Christ.

      • objectivefactsmatter

        "They murder themselves daily as they continue to reject Jesus Christ."

        No more or less than any other group of people. You're pretty dense I see. Newflash; many Jews "convert" or acknowledge Jesus as Messiah.

        Wake up, bigot.

  • Karen DeVito

    Stop impersonating me, you creep.