I work from the assumption now that Thomas is basically an anti-semite. I've lost patience with lefties like him. Dhimmi Watch had a good article on Thomas after he penned an editorial with Muslim activist Mahdi Bray. He has the soft veneer of a kind liberal churchman, but its only a mask of something much uglier. This letter exposes him.

I'm not entirely sure what anyone was expecting from Thomas or the UCC at this point. The denomination has been hijacked by hard-leftists in the upper echelons of power and polity. However, we do need to keep things in a bit of proportion: This denomination, unlike the PCUSA and the Episcopal Church, which at least have the vestiges of significange based upon their past glory, is pretty minor in the grand scheme of things. How many people had actually even heard of the UCC before these anti-Israel scandals broke? This is a small denomination, with limited resources, and a dwindling membership. All of its "radical" political posturing is clearly an attempt to assert significance on the global scene where, frankly, none exists.

I feel sick after reading that........

Lebanon, far more often than not reflecting a beautiful country and people, was nonetheless disproportionarely naive to think it could continue to live with Hezbollah. Sow; reap.

There needs be no joy in the observation, it's true nonetheless.

To be pedantic, there is much weariness under the sun; positively working to minimize that weariness requires that some basic facts of life be heeded, not neglected and not subjected to apathy, ignorance or a willful blindness.

And this, at IRIS Blog, is what has now long been incubated in Lebanon, excerpt:

Israel's current military operations to uproot Hizballah and to destroy it as a formidable military and terror organization is not merely an operation against another determined terror group like Hamas in Gaza. Hizballah has a disciplined, well-trained army with sophisticated weaponry, backed directly by Syria and Iran.

Also, this excerpt, emphasizing the degree to which this is a proxy war, vis-a-vis Iran and Syria:

A high-level Iranian official recently emphasized to Western diplomats in London Hizballah's importance to Iran: "Hizballah is one of the pillars of our security strategy, and forms Iran's first line of defense against Israel." Walid Jumblatt, the Lebanese Druze leader, shares this perspective: "The war is no longer Lebanon's...it is an Iranian war. Iran is telling the United States: You want to fight me in the Gulf and destroy my nuclear program? I will hit you at home, in Israel."

At least here in New England, UCC are better known as 'Congregational' churches. You'll find one in or near almost every town center.

The Congregationalists trace their origins back to the original Puritan settlers. In the early 1800s, there was a major schism, which gave birth to the Unitarian denomination.

Each of the mainline church leaders seem to be taking their marching orders from the National Council of Churches or the World Council of Churches.

All of them are writing that Israel retaliated because of two soldiers being kidnapped by Hizbollah. I believe there were many more actions than a kidnapping precipitating the retaliation.

Here is the opening lines from Mark Hanson, chief Lutheran---
"I write to you out of my deep sadness and concern regarding the escalating conflict in the Middle East, which has expanded recently into Lebanon. The kidnapping of two Israeli soldiers by Hezbollah militants has caused a severe reaction from Israeli forces."