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"The United Methodist Board of Church and Society apparently believes that the roadmap for Middle East peace leads through Peoria, Illinois. Does anyone really think that punishing Caterpillar will help create a peace in the Middle East?" -- Mark Tooley, Executive Director UMAction
WASHINGTON, Jan. 10 /Christian Newswire/ -- The chief of the United Methodist Church's official lobby office is meeting tomorrow [January 11, 2007] in Peoria, Illinois with Jim Owens, President and CEO of Caterpillar in order to convey his opposition to Caterpillar equipment sales to Israel. Jim Winkler and the United Methodist Board of Church and Society are urging church members and church agencies to divest their holdings in Caterpillar, Inc. Their resolution, which will go before the United Methodist General Conference in April 2008, accuses Peoria-based Caterpillar of facilitating Israel's destruction of Palestinian property.
The 7.9 million member United Methodist Church's pension agency reportedly has $5 million in Caterpillar stock out of $15 billion in assets. Similar anti-Israel divestment actions have been rejected by the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), and the Church of England, among others.
IRD Director of UMAction Mark Tooley commented:
"The United Methodist Board of Church and Society apparently believes that the roadmap for Middle East peace leads through Peoria, Illinois. Does anyone really think that punishing Caterpillar will help create a peace in the Middle East?
"How bizarre that the head of the United Methodist lobbying office is now traveling to the doorstep of Caterpillar in order to protest its ostensible complicity in the Middle East conflict. Does he really believe that punishing Caterpillar will solve multi-generational ethnic tensions and religious fanaticism in the Middle East?
"Perhaps the United Methodist Board of Church and Society should examine a 2006 resolution approved by United Methodism's Pacific Northwest Conference. It noted that "some church groups have selectively advocated divestment of firms doing business with Israel while ignoring severe human rights abuses by the governments of Israel's neighbors," affirmed the Jewish state as ""nearly the only long-standing democracy among its neighbors in the Middle East," and declared that "selective attention to Israel's mistakes will not create peace in the Middle East."
Methodist Lobby Office Unveiling Anti-Israel Divestment Proposal This Week in Fort Worth
"The United Methodist church is discussing anti-Israel divestment when other church groups are moving in the opposite direction. Even if anti-Israel divestment were constructive, which it's not, why jump on a stalled band wagon?" -- Mark Tooley, Executive Director UMAction
WASHINGTON, Jan. 23 /Christian Newswire/ -- The 7.9 million member United Methodist Church's official lobby office is urging church agencies and members to divest their holdings in Caterpillar, Inc for doing business with Israel. The United Methodist General Board of Church and Society will unveil its proposal this Friday in Fort Worth, Texas before leading delegates of the church's governing General Conference in April 2008.
Several United Methodist regional conferences have endorsed anti-Israel divestment. The only major U.S. denomination actively to endorse anti-Israel divestment was the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), which, after enormous controversy over two years, revoked its divestment policy in 2006.
United Methodist Communications is sponsoring the quadrennial Pre-General Conference News Briefing for first-elected delegates and communicators this week. The event is for participants who wish to prepare for the 2008 General Conference.
IRD Director of UMAction Mark Tooley commented:
"Like other Religious Left agencies, the United Methodist lobby office thinks that U.S. pressure against Israel is the magic key for a peace settlement. The reality is more complicated, and Israel is not the exclusive obstacle to Middle East peace.
"The United Methodist church is discussing anti-Israel divestment when other church groups have moved in the opposite direction. Even if anti-Israel divestment were constructive, which it's not, why jump on a stalled band wagon?
"Delegates to the United Methodist General Conference should examine a 2006 resolution approved by United Methodism's Pacific Northwest Conference. It noted that 'some church groups have selectively advocated divestment of firms doing business with Israel while ignoring severe human rights abuses by the governments of Israel's neighbors,' affirmed the Jewish state as 'nearly the only long-standing democracy among its neighbors in the Middle East,' and declared that 'selective attention to Israel's mistakes will not create peace in the Middle East.'"
The Institute on Religion and Democracy, founded in 1981, is an ecumenical alliance of U.S. Christians working to reform their churches' social witness, in accord with biblical and historic Christian teachings, thereby contributing to the renewal of democratic society at home and abroad. www.ird-renew.org
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