Comments on: Religion is rational

By: Jimmy

Jimmy — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 16:24:01 +0000

For years, I have watched what has happened to non-Orthodox Jewish movements. They are dying. The 50% assimilation rate you hear about is caused by people that are taught that religion is optional, only love counts. Conservatism is becoming more and more liberal, trying to keep people from going Reform. Reform is adding more symbols to their service, trying to give people something concrete to hang on to. Reconstructionism and Spiritualism are all-inclusive, meaning they believe in nothing. Humanism is not even Judaism as they do not believe in the central tenet that there is a G-d that brought the Israelites out of Egypt.

By: Paul Easton

Paul Easton — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 20:29:15 +0000

No thank you Happy I dont want to drink the koolaid. And those who did have only themselves to blame. Its not as though they were not warned.

By: Paul Easton

Paul Easton — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 19:08:49 +0000

By HappyMinyan’s definition God must be an ANTISEMITE for getting angry at the iniquities of the Jews.

By: Ray Bright

Ray Bright — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 18:44:59 +0000

Can’t you guys get what I am saying?
There must be place for both religious and non-religious Jews in a Jewish nation and Jewish state.
Can we not respect each other and give space to each other to live according to our preferences?
Religious Jews can turn non-religious, non-religious may become religious. Meanwhile we are all Jewish. If we keep fighting among ourselves, our enemies will destroy us.
I personally am very happy to be just a nation among other nations, just like the French, Russians, or Norwegians. I have no need to be “chosen by god”. The right of being a nation has been denied to us by our enemies for 2000 years. If we continue to be idiots and fight among ourselves we will be clashed.
Wake up!!

By: HappyMinyan

HappyMinyan — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 18:21:12 +0000

ALERT! THIS CONTRIBUTOR (PAUL E) IS USING THIS FORUM FOR HIS ANTISEMITIC RAVING! “The so called Jews have turned away from God to worship a decaying heap of Drek. The world would be a much cleaner place without them.” — If this is his “truth,” he needs to be censored from this forum.

By: Paul Easton

Paul Easton — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 11:41:01 +0000

By speaking the truth.

By: HappyMinyan

HappyMinyan — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 09:28:52 +0000

Paul, you’re are on a verbal rampage…. let me get this straight….you are in opposition to Judaism as a basis for Israel’s existence but in favor of “living as though G-d exists”? Isn’t Judaism at least partially the search for a connection to G-d through observance of His commandments in the land He appropriated for us? What then is legitimate claim to the Eretz you are arguing for? How EXACTLY do YOU devote yourself to G-d?

By: Paul Easton

Paul Easton — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 10:23:26 +0000

And even HappyMinyan is wrongheaded. The proper motivation does not lie in childish pride, but in devotion to our God.

By: nnnt

nnnt — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 05:06:17 +0000

alvation from Holocaust, escape from the Russian holocaust in 1953, UN vote for Israel, subsequent military victories, Arafat’s refusal to accept

Myself, I was more than convinced in theism by many miracles, down to magic and witchcraft which I observed during my years

For me it was Harry Potter.

And on the top of it, the Pasquale’s wager seems reasonable: Live as if God exists for if he doesn’t you lose nothing.

Then the question becomes which one?

I suggest we decide which one to worship based on how bad they are to the non believers & how likely they are to exist relative to each other.

By that formula the Mormon god would have a good claim because of the unpleasantness of his wrath. But However unlikely Christ’s return is, Christ’s return in Texas is probably more unlikely so he loses points there.

Our God was never particularly clear on the personal ‘if I ever catch you.’ He’s more into political intervention then personal torture. See the ten plagues, Sdom VeAmora & the staying of Arafat’s pen.

By: HappyMinyan

HappyMinyan — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 03:27:31 +0000

Ray, Mizkayn….. Your misguided argument is the sure-fire way toward assimilation and would put an end to Jewish identity. Proud? Of what? You equate, inferentially, Judaism with superstition ( “oh, this is just one superstitious religion fighting another) and suggest that our nationhood is NOT based on our covenant with G-d. So that’s all we are, a nation in a country like the French, the Swedes….? The source of our pride is in our having been distinguished from all other nations because of our Torah and that we have been singled out to be a priestly people with all its rewards and obligations. Proud of what, falafel? Kishke?

You should care less about what the goyim think and more about what G-d thinks. If you felt included in the holy covenant He made with you through our forefathers, you’d be one of those to emerge from the woodwork!