I agree 100% with his comments about their differences. Not only do I agree with his conclusions, Obama clearly has given the issues in the relevant section of the first amendment more thought than McCain has. (Note: This is an interview of McCain by Beliefnet…I am certain McCain was given ample time to prepare.)
Out of the 25 blogs Time magazine chose as the top 25, I only have one on my aggregator, and as a guess, it’s probably one of the biggest surprises to most readers of the article. The Velveteen Rabbi. I have long been impressed by the thoughtfulness of her posts, I’ve enjoyed the poetry she’s written, and of couse she writes on topics I’m interested in.
correction: I missed it in my first glance at the article since I focused mainly on looking at their graphic to identify blogs I recognized instead of actualy paging through their choices. However, I also have Indexed on my daily reads. So I am up to 8%.
Note: Removing anything that contains leavened bread (chametz) from the home is one of the traditions of Passover. (One that is occasionally missed in more “liberal” branches of Judaism) Beer contains barley, and fermentation and leavening are closely related. Which is why beer must be removed. But the video suggest pouring it down the drain. (Perhaps for lyrical reasons.) There are other ways to get rid of it. (Unless ‘drain’ is meant metaphorically.)
And there is Kosher for Passover beer (though according to the article, the first batch in 2000 years was made back in 2004.) The fact that it is ‘gluten-free’ creates an additional market for it year-round. The brewery has an interesting selection of beers .
I’ve said this before, but I’ll repeat it since the news is raising the issue once again.
I accept that Christians and Catholics believe I am going to Hell unless I convert, and thus would pray for my conversion.  This doesn’t offend me.  They can pray all they like. I’ll pray too for their return to the monotheism from which they have strayed. I hope this doesn’t offend them. (And the 3=1 is less problematic, in my mind, than the concept of an entity powerful enough to engage in an eternal battle with the Lord. This creates a duality very similar to Pagan dualities of the Sun and the Moon. Not that there is anything wrong with Pagan dualities, if you’re a Pagan. But if you claim not to be, you might wish to reconsider.) So you can pray for my enlightenment, and I’ll pray for yours.
As long as it remains at the personal prayer level, it’s OK. Â A waste of time, on both of our parts in all probability, but OK. As long as neither of us picks up a gun, or in any other way tries to force conversion.
Regarding Pope Benedict’s revision of the Latin Prayer for the Jews. I understand that Vatican II didn’t change the Latin, so this is actually moving the Latin closer to the vernacular. I’ve written before that I don’t like it when the English in our Hebrew prayerbooks is modified, but the Hebrew remains the same. In my opinion, the mistake was made when the Latin was kept the same with Vatican II. The ‘mistake’ still hasn’t been corrected, but ‘it’s closer.’ And it’s their religion. They can do with it what they like.
President Bush had tears in his eyes during an hour-long tour of Israel’s Holocaust memorial Friday and told Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice that the U.S. should have bombed Auschwitz to halt the killing, the memorial’s chairman said.
1) So does this make George human, that he cried?
2) or Inhuman because he thinks we should have nuked Auschwitz…killing everyone there. Somewhat Pyrrhic, I think. I kind of like the idea of liberating the Jews that hadn’t been gassed yet, but I guess I’m biased.
Bush probably meant bombing the rails that led to the camp.
3)Who thinks the emotion he showed was real, and who thinks it was faked? Will we get a thousand news stories picking this apart?
Update: Thanks to DL who sent me a photo to add to this post
On the Eighth day of ×—× ×•×›×” YouTube gave to me eight nights of presents
Eight Crazy Nights! What would a YouTube ×—× ×•×›×” be without Adam Sandler?
But did you know there was an Aussie Punk version?
And what would a discussion of
×—× ×•×›×” be without even a brief mention of the giving of presents?
As much as some do try to argue that there are traditional reasons why a family might exchange presents on the Jewish holiday - it is a festive occasion - the primary reason it is done is so the child doesn’t feel ‘left out’. One solution is to exchange presents on December 25th. That preserves the Jewish holiday to be celebrated with the appropriate traditions. Some consider this ‘giving in’ and since Hanukkah is about resisting forced assimilation, they do their best to resist. Are there any other choices?
This isn’t the best time to be providing options — everyone for this year has already made a decision — but there is always next year. Presents can be exchanged on any day of the year.
New Years used to be a traditional day for Christians to exchange presents. Most Jewish Americans celebrate New Years even though it’s the ‘Christian Calendar’, because it is also the secular calendar. If you asked me what day it is, I would tell you it is December 12th. I could tell you that with a second’s thought. I’d have to look up the day on the Hebrew calendar. (Thankfully, now my blog is a place to go for that.) I will be at a New Years Eve party getting sloshed this year, like most years. I don’t think this is unusual, but I have never lived in an Orthodox home, so I can’t say for sure.
In a novel I began writing several years ago I had a family come up with a somewhat more unusual solution. I’m not sure the novel will ever be finished, so I might as well release the idea here. It works best with a family of at least two children.
Rules:
1) Presents can be given any day of the month of December.
2) The gift giving is anonymous. The person giving the gift doesn’t sign their name to it. Leaves it where the receiver will find it, and know it is for them. This can be accomplished with pre-generated name stickers (so handwriting isn’t detectable) - or just leaving it on the individual’s bed, assigned chair at the dining room table, etc.
The smaller the family the more likely it is the children will be able to figure out who gave what, but if multiple smaller gifts are exchanged, or if extended family like aunts, uncles, cousins are brought into it, it will become more difficult. However, the point is to teach them the pleasures of giving for the sake of giving, without expecting any thanks in return. The ‘third’ rung on Maimonides ladder. Giving gifts to friends and relatives isn’t the same thing as giving tzedakkah (charity), but there is enough of a parallel. And by making the giving into a game, the giving becomes just as fun for the child as the getting.
At least, that’s the idea. I don’t know if it’s a good one. It hasn’t been tried to my knowledge. You’re free to try it next year. If you do, let me know how it works out.
Jewish kids return from Khanike party in NYC subway holding Menorah. Christian kids, wish them “Merry Christmas”. Jewish kids respond “Happy Khanike”. Christian kids, slightly confused, accuse Jewish kids of murdering Jesus on Khanike. Jewish kids “turn the other cheek.” Christian kids attack, but Muslim kid intercedes and stops beating.
On the seventh day of Hanukka YouTube gave to me seven sons refusing
The video above is of the song, Who Can Retell – which is probably the second most common religious song sung on Hanukka (second to Maoz Tzur). It contains the lyrics, “in every age a hero or sage came to our aid.” Many would label Judah Maccabee and his followers as the heroes of the Hanukka story. However, there are eight other heroes who occasionally get short shrift: Hannah and her seven sons. Her sons are known, not for what they did, but for what they refused to do, and at what cost.
There are two versions, however. In one version they are commanded by Antiochus to eat pork, and they refuse, one by one, eldest to youngest, each seeing their brother die for his refusal. In another version, they refuse to bow down.
The difference is important, because all but three of the 613 commandments are breakable “to save a life.” The three unbreakable commandments are 1) Murder. No one but G-d has a right to decide who should live and who should die. So killing one person so another can live isn’t permissible. This, of course, doesn’t include self-defense. Self-defense isn’t murder, and isn’t considered a violation of a commandment. However, this does include suicide. Killing yourself so someone else can live is deciding their life is more important than your own. Virtuous in some religions, this is viewed as usurping G-d’s role. 2) Biblically prohibited sexual relations. (There is some disagreement between branches of Judaism on which these are.) 3) Idolatry. (more)
The kosher dietary laws aren’t in that list of three. So if Antiochus commanded the children to ‘merely’ eat pork, shouldn’t they have done so to save their life? The answer is that some feel when the entire religious community is threatened, instead of just one individual, it becomes admirable to refuse to break any commandment. It’s the only time that martyrdom is actually encouraged.
Here’s a short poem I wrote about fifteen years ago, and which appeared in an early chapbook:
inferiority complex
Hannah’s seven sons sacrificed their lives
refusing to bow down
to King Antiochus.
Surrounded by the Romans nine hundred and sixty
men women and children ended their own lives
on Mount Masada.
I meanwhile have difficulty getting to the synagogue
more than two or three times a year and the dietary laws
are inconvenient.
On the Sixth Day of Janucá YouTube gave to me six muppets singing
Notes: The video actually contains four songs. The first one is six muppets singing about “What Do You Do with a Menorah?” This song is followed by “Latke Boogie Woogie” and “Spinderella”. In these two songs a few other muppets make an appearance. The original six do make a reappearance at the end in “Chanukah Blessing & Round.”
All four songs are really cute, and should be fun for kids. For a holiday without any ‘carols’ I’ve sure found a lot of fun songs on YouTube. t I wish they had existed when I was a kid. Or I wish I had known about them.
As near as I can tell from my internet research, ‘Janucá‘ isn’t just a possible Spanish spelling, it is the common Spanish spelling.
For those who may be worried…the end is in sight. I’ve picked out the videos for the last two days already. The notes could get long on both.
I have added a wordpress plugin today. It should be rather obvious to regular visitors.
Now all my readers can know how old the Earth is, according to the Jewish calendar. (Some say this is just the number of years of Mankind’s existence, and this assumption does make it, relatively speaking, more accurate, but it is still likely off a bit.)
On the Fifth day of Khanike YouTube gave to me five golden rings five torah books.
Notes: First, the spelling in the header may look real unusual, and you may think I made it up, but it is the spelling that the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research came up with as the ’standard’ transliteration for the Yiddish and Ashkenazic pronunciation of the holiday.
Second, I decided that today would be where the two holiday songs briefly merged. The one I am composing, if you will, and the original Christmas version. Because the Twelve Days of Christmas, as a song, may have a history that resembles some of Khanike’s traditions. Some say it originated in 16th century England during religious persecution as a sort of mnemonic device to teach catechism. (Others argue there is no hard evidence for this.) This is similar to the popular story that the dreidel originated in ancient times when the Syrian Greeks forbade the study of Torah. Alas, this origin story has been refuted as well.
The Five Gold Rings in the 12 Days of Christmas are supposed to represent the Five Books of Moses — which is the Torah. Khanike doesn’t appear in the Torah, it appears in the Book of Maccabees. (There is only one Book of Maccabees in the Jewish scriptures. Some non-Jewish scriptures have a second one.) This is why Khanike is considered a ‘minor’ holiday to some. Not minor in its importance, but since there are no Torah commandments relating to it, there are no required observances. One of the 613 commandments is that no additional commandments be written. So any holiday that commemorates events that occurred after the events in the Torah have no required observances/rituals associated with them. There are traditions, but that’s different. So there’s no requirement to rest from work, or to go to the synagogue during the eight days, except of course there is a requirement to rest from work on the Sabbath, and there is always at least one of those during any 8 days.
While Khanike isn’t in the Torah, the Torah is certainly important to Khanike, as the holiday centers around freedom to practice one’s religion.
The video choice contains the Miami Boys Choir singing a medley of two Khanike blessings, and three songs. It includes Maoz Tzur (Rock of Ages), which is probably the most popular religious song for Khanike. You can find several videos of different choirs singing this song, but I chose the Miami Boys Choir video for two reasons. 1) I felt the voices of the children were more uplifting then the voices of the adults in most of the other videos. 2) The song is completely in Hebrew in all versions, but this is the only video I saw that has subtitles, and I know a lot of my readers don’t understand Hebrew.
On the fourth day of Hannukah YouTube gave to me: Four dreidel sides
(three folk stars, two BNLs, and a lesson in the spelling)
Notes: A dreidel is a spinning top with four sides. Here’s what I wrote about dreidels three years ago. Contains variants on the game to balance out the odds, as well as ‘adult’ variants. Also explains what the Hebrew letters on the dreidel mean.
The video above is ‘interesting’ in that it’s a guy singing about playing with his dreidel all day long. And it never shows us a picture of what his dreidel looks like. If your mind is like mine, the song is hilarious.
On the Third Day of Chanukkah YouTube gave to me three folk stars…
…two BNLs…and a lesson in the spelling.
Notes: This song, Light One Candle, was written by Peter Yarrow of Peter, Paul and Mary. I feel some of its lyrics feel appropriate for Pearl Harbor Day as well.
Light one candle for the terrible sacrifice
Justice and freedom demand
But light one candle for the wisdom to know
When the peacemaker’s time is at hand
…
What is the memory that’s valued so highly
That we keep it alive in that flame?
What’s the commitment to those who have died
That we cry out they’ve not died in vain?
We have come this far always believing
That justice would somehow prevail
This is the burden, this is the promise
This is why we will not fail!
On the second day of hanuka YouTube gave to me…two barenaked ladies
Notes: One could argue there are more than two members of BNL, but there are two vocalists in this video.
The title and lyrics of the song say, “light the menorah.” Technically, it’s not a menorah that’s being lit. It’s a Hanukiah. A menorah has seven branches, one for each day of the week, and is lit on every Sabbath in most Synagogues. A Hanukiah has 9 branches - one for each of the eight days of Hanukkah, plus an extra one for a candle called the ’shamash’ that is used to light the other eight.
Outside of Israel, the Hanukiah became known as “the Hanukkah menorah”, which then got shortened to just Menorah, even though it became easily confused with the menorah used on the Sabbath.
By the way — I know what I’m posting tomorrow for the third day, but after that, I’m clueless. I’m confident I’ll find something, but I suspect I may be stretching a little to come up with videos for numbers 4-8.
On the First Day of Hanukkah, YouTube gave to me a lesson in phonetic spelling:
Notes: In Hebrew the spelling of the holiday is consistent. But Hebrew uses a different alphabet than English and all the Romance languages. So when going from one alphabet to another, you ‘transliterate’. That is, you spell the word phonetically using the letters of the new alphabet. However, there is no consistency in phonetic spelling — it’s just whatever feels right to the individual. Some spellings do get used more often than others, but none are ‘right’ or ‘wrong’, and as the song humorously points out, in Spain, beginning the word with a ’silent J’, as in the name ‘Julio’, wouldn’t be ‘wrong.’ Unusual - yes.
There’s a major thematic correlation between Hanukkah and Thanksgiving
167 years before the common era, Mattathias and several sons, including Judah Maccabee, revolted against the Seleucid ruler, Antiochus. This revolt, which lasted until 160 BCE, is commemorated every year in the holiday of Hanukkah. The success of the revolt, and the re-dedication of the Temple which had been desecrated by the Seleucids is celebrated. Like Thanksgiving, where Americans celebrate the hope and promise of the First Thanksgiving, and we save remembering what we did to the Native American population in the centuries that followed for other days — there is little discussion during Hanukkah about what happened later.
When Judah died, leadership passed to his brother Jonathan, and then it passed to their brother Simon. Judah, Jonathan and Simon were good leaders, but then the leadership of the Hasmonean Dynasty passed to the next generation. John Hyrcanus, the son of Simon, is known for forcefully converting the Idumeans to Judaism. Judaism is proud that there are very few times in our religion’s history that we forcefully converted anyone. This is one of those few sad times. When he died, leadership passed to his wife. However, their son, Aristobulus, wasn’t satisfied with High Priest, so he threw his mother into jail, and took leadership. At least he didn’t commit matricide, right? His reign lasted only a year, though, and he died a painful illness. (G-d works in not so mysterious ways sometimes.) He was succeeded, unfortunately, by a brother, Alexander Jannaeus. Alexander Jannaeus slew 6,000, starting a civil war that resulted in another 50,000 deaths, and this was a lot back then. He is considered so wicked a tyrant, that his death on the 2nd day of the Hebrew month of Shevat, in the Hebrew year 3685 (76 BCE), is recorded as a day of celebration.
2045 years later, to the day on the Hebrew Calendar, I was born. 2*(4+5)=18 (You were wondering what this was leading up to, weren’t you?) I can guarantee you that my parents had no idea who Alexander Jannaeus was, and I was not named after him, even though it is assumed that his Hebrew name was Jonathan. Last year my birthday on the Roman calendar coincided again with my birthday on the Hebrew calendar. I began writing this, but it fell by the wayside, and I didn’t complete it prior to my birthday. This year I am posting it prior to Hanukkah. My Hebrew birthday this year is January 9th.
On Sunday two women were ordained into an organization calling itself: Roman Catholic Womenpriests. They were ordained at a local Reform Synagogue - Central Reform Congregation. I’m not a member of CRC, but I was actually there on Saturday, as my sister-in-law, who converted to Judaism a few years ago, was having her Bat Mitzvah ceremony. I figured I might as well type out my thoughts.
If a Jewish synagoge were host to the ordination of two Baptist clergy, I wouldn’t expect the Roman Catholic Church to express any displeasure. Or Lutheran clergy. Or Muslim clergy.
The two women will be ordained as priests of an organization called Roman Catholic Womenpriests, which, in its constitution, defines itself as “an international initiative within the Roman Catholic Church.”
The group was founded in 2002, when seven women were ordained aboard a boat on the Danube River in Germany. All of them were later excommunicated. The organization says other women have since been ordained by male Roman Catholic bishops, including Patricia Fresen, a former Dominican nun and Roman Catholic Womenpriests bishop, who will ordain Hudson and McGrath.
The group insists that it is Roman Catholic, but the church says it is not. Church leaders say that Womenpriests is like any other Christian denomination that breaks away from the church because it dislikes its doctrine.
Female ordinations by fringe Catholic groups are not unusual, and bishops often ignore such events because they occur outside the church.
The Church declares the Womenpriests to be a separate church. In so doing, they give up any right to complain about where they are ordained. That the Womenpriests claim otherwise is irrelevant.
This has a parallel in that Jews for Jesus, and other Messianic Jewish churches claim to still be Jewish. Most of the rest of the Jewish community disagrees with the claim. But most religions disagree with each other on the claims they make. That doesn’t mean we disagree with their right to exist, and worship as they choose. That’s why there are different religions. And if a group of Rabbis from a Messianic Church wished to be ordained in a Catholic Church, and the Catholic Church said OK, I’d say, ‘fine.’ Neither the Catholic Church, nor the Messianic Church are part of my religious community, so it’s none of my business.
Similarly there have been scattered stories of Orthodox Jewish women becoming ordained as Rabbis. The Orthodox community doesn’t accept them, and they usually end up with Conservative Congregations. Not being Orthodox, my opinions aren’t very relevant, but I feel that’s as it should be. I don’t expect Orthodoxy to change. But I support the right for women to be Rabbis.
I wasn’t at the event yesterday, but it sounds like it was well attended. I think that CRC’s willingness to be host to the ordination of the clergy of a new religious group shows a strong interest in interfaith ties. Because being a supporter of interfaith relationships doesn’t mean you only strengthen ties with religion A once you get permission from religions B, C and D.
I have also heard some fellow Jews complain a little about the idea of the ordination of another religion occurring within a synagogue. It seems appropriate from a historical perspective for Central Reform, since they spent their first fifteen years renting space from the First Unitarian Church in the Central West End. I suspect several weddings and bar/bat mitzvahs occurred inside the church. Their current synagogue is across the street from the church where they began.
Careful readers of the Post Dispatch article linked to at the top of this post will notice that the new priests plan to celebrate mass at - where? - The First Unitarian Church. The exact same place CRC held its services for 15 years. It’s extremely appropriate for CRC to have been the location where they were ordained.
Been doing this for the past couple years, I might as well keep it up. See if it ever changes. These are the number of news articles turned up in a “Google News” search for the corresponding terms:
“Berlin Wall” - 848
Kristallnacht - 220
Holocaust 1938 - 99
“Night of Broken Glass” - 51
“Kaiser Wilhelm” - 42
“Beer Hall Putsch” - 40
“World Freedom Day” - 1
“International Day Against Fascism” - 1
Some will probably accuse me of being hypocritical, and perhaps suggest my feelings are based on the fact that I find Halle Berry hot, and Mel Gibson not…
But of all the stereotypes she could have picked up on, I am not much offended that she made a joke about the European Jewish propensity towards large noses. I find it much less offensive than the idea that we are responsible for all the wars in the world. Or a few other stereotypes which I’ve heard.
Only 56% of America feels that Freedom of Religion in America applies to all religions, regardless of how extreme. Down from 72% in 2000.
Other scary stats:
* 74% would prevent public school students from wearing a T-shirt with a slogan that might offend others.
The right to practice one’s own religion was deemed “essential†or “important†by nearly all Americans (97%); as was the right to “speak freely about whatever you want†(98%)
Of course our rights are essential, but it seems a lot more Americans than I thought don’t see what’s wrong with wanting to restrict their rights.
Ann Coulter has said some pretty offensive things over her career, but I don’t feel the latest controversy is one of them.
She is now on record as saying that she wishes Jews would become Christians. This doesn’t surprise me, for that is what the New Testament, as I understand it, teaches, and it’s the basis for millenia of proselytizing, and persecution.
They feel we’re going to Hell if we don’t convert, so they only have our best interests in mind. The difference between a missionary and an anti-Semite, is the difference between the proselytizing and the persecution - the means they recommend to achieve their desired end.
As long as its just talk, I can choose to ignore them, or if they’re a friend, I an assure them that I understand their love for me, but really, I believe what I believe, and no amount of words will change what I believe. Theoretically, I could pretend to believe something else, but G-d would see through that, because G-d is pretty smart, and so I would go to Hell regardless of which one of us was correct. I’m actually better off hoping I’m right.
Luckily, if I’m right, we’ll both wind up in Heaven, because Judaism doesn’t believe Heaven is a ‘restricted community,’ or at least it is open to ‘righteous gentiles’. That’s one reason proselytizing is foreign to many Jews, as there’s no impending doom for our friends if they fail to convert.
To sum up: I feel Coulter is offensive on many levels, but I’m not offended, nor do I feel threatened, by her desire for me to become Christian. I desire for her to become Liberal. We probably both have equal odds of our desires being fulfilled.
This is the week all censors love, where everyone is encouraged to go to their local school board or library and demand a book be removed from the reading list, or removed from the shelf. Because no one knows better than us on what is suitable to read, and what isn’t. (It’s the idiots who want to ban good books that give censorship a bad name!)
Personally, I think that book of heresies some refer to as the New Testament should be removed from every library in the land. It’s led way too many people astray for the past couple millenniums, and it’s high time we put a stop to it!
Wait. That’s not what Banned Books Week is about? It’s about letting everyone choose to read the books they want to read? Who comes up with this crap? Probably someone like authors or librarians who have a self-interest in people reading.
It’s just like the great American philosopher, Mark Twain once said. Nobody ever does anything if it’s not in their self-interest.
Friend Anarkey on her blog suggested all Christians and Atheists Read this.
I thought about it, and read it anyway, and found I agree completely. All Atheists and Christians are equally silly, and equally wrong.
Somehow, I don’t think that’s the message intended. Though I laughed at all the images in the article, especially the one in the middle of the last page.
And seriously, it’s a good article. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be linking to it. Even my Tribe has its share of idiots.
Rosh HaShanah, the Jewish New Year, begins Wednesday evening at sundown. The year will be 5768. That means that the Earth will have been in existence for a full 5767 years. (Those who insist it’s only been around for 4000 years are crazy! I have ancestors older than that!)
Due to Scalzi I learned about the new Bacon-flavored salt that is vegetarian and certified kosher. Also, with a little research, I discovered Betty Crocker’s BacOs is also vegetarian, and certified kosher.
Back when I ate pork, I never liked bacon much, due to the high proportion of fat to meat, and I’m not a big fan of crispy things. But bacon flavoring could be good. I always loved the taste of pork in sausage, pepperoni and canadian ham. Now I’m stuck with BBQ chicken pizza, pineapple, or hamburger. (I don’t keep kosher; I just don’t eat pork.)
I am used to receiving idiotic emails from Donald Wildmon, of the American Family Association. That’s why I got on their email list, so I would receive them. But this one that just popped up in my email box takes the cake.
Let me first explain that the American Family Association is pro-religion in the public sphere. They are usually the first to insist that it is great and wonderful to open Senate hearings with a prayer — and hellishly horrible to suggest we shouldn’t.
They have heard that for the first time the Senate will be opened with a prayer by a Hindu!
On Thursday, a Hindu chaplain from Reno, Nevada, by the name of Rajan Zed is scheduled to deliver the opening prayer in the U.S. Senate. Zed tells the Las Vegas Sun that in his prayer he will likely include references to ancient Hindu scriptures, including Rig Veda, Upanishards, and Bhagavard-Gita. Historians believe it will be the first Hindu prayer ever read at the Senate since it was formed in 1789.
So…are they supporting this under the theory that opening the Senate with any prayer is OK…as long as all prayer is allowed, the government isn’t supporting any particular religion. (I might not agree with it 100%, but it’s a position I respect, and lean towards it more than some of my political allies. I may even be able to find a past AFA email making the argument on another issue.)
No. They are upset, because Hindus (gasp!) believe in more than one god. And that’s just unAmerican!
WallBuilders president David Barton is questioning why the U.S. government is seeking the invocation of a non-monotheistic god. Barton points out that since Hindus worship multiple gods, the prayer will be completely outside the American paradigm, flying in the face of the American motto “One Nation Under God.”
“In Hindu, you have not one God, but many, many, many, many, many gods,” the Christian historian explains. “And certainly that was never in the minds of those who did the Constitution, did the Declaration [of Independence] when they talked about Creator — that’s not one that fits here because we don’t know which creator we’re talking about within the Hindu religion.”
So the AFA wants a country where all the OK religions are tolerated, the not-OK religions are sent to the back of the bus, and they’re not afraid to say it.
Line 1: Here is interred
Line 2: Reb Moshe Leyb, son of
Line 3: Ahron Kruvant.
Line 4: Died five days into
Line 5: the month of Tishrei
Line 6: in the year 5672.
Line 7: May his soul be bound in the bonds of life.
My boss today wished me a “Happy Aliyahâ€.
I raised my eyebrows. “Are we opening a location in Israel?â€
Another possibility was that he thought I was about to die, and ‘ascend’, but only one of my tribe has, allegedly, done that in the past. It would be near miraculous for it to happen twice
I don’t have to move. He misread a news story and thought Aliyah was a holiday.
A documented virgin birth. Admittedly, a hammerhead shark. But it proves that it’s possible in yet another vertebrate species.
It’s been done artificially with mammals. (mice.) And there was a 1956 report of several alleged natural cases in the UK with humans. (But of course, all the results were female.)
I’m not sure why the ADL is so concerned about the beatification process of Pope Pius XII, or why in 2000 it was concerned with the process for Pope Pius IX (who has been beatified, but apparently isn’t yet a saint).
I don’t pretend to know much about Catholicism, but they have a pretty hefty list of saints. From 1978-2004 alone, 482 saints were added to the list, as well as 1340 beatifications. I suspect in that list there are already a handful who weren’t all that kindly toward members of other faiths. If that’s an important characteristic, they might have to review their list, and edit it somewhat. It’s possible I am incorrect, and every saint on the list is innocent of any xenophobia. But if not, what’s one more?
Now if this were Cao Daism, which to my knowledge only has three saints — Vietnamese poet, Trang Trinh (1492-1587); Leader of the 1911 Chinese Revolution, Sun-Yat-Sen (1866-1925); and French Poet, Victor Hugo (1802-1885) — Then I could understand a little discussion as adding a fourth would be a major event. And you can be certain I would be blogging about it as soon as I found out.
This Sunday is the Jewish holiday of Lag b’Omer. (Obscure to most Reform Jews like me.) It’s a day of happiness, bonfires, and playing with bows and arrows. Three things that also correspond to traditional, Pagan, May Day celebrations. How strange. The Velveteen Rabbi writes about it.
Anna, a friend and fellow writer just returned from a trip to Buenos Aires, and brought me back a gift. Outside of Israel and the US, Buenos Aires has the third largest Jewish population of any city in the world. (Paris and London being #1 and #2 respectively) However, outside of Israel, Buenos Aires has the only kosher McDonalds.
She brought me a placemat:
I wish my scanner were a bit larger. She translated it for me, and it basically explains to the non-Jewish customer what ‘kosher’ means.
She also took a picture of a sign outside the restaurant, which appears to be inside a mall:
West Bank Story is on YouTube. The short film that won the Oscar. The short film starring my cousin. It might not be on YouTube for long. It is a violation of copyright and all. But if you still haven’t had a chance to see it, and want to watch it first before you make up your mind to spend I think $3 to download it from ITunes…
As unproductive and as unconvinced
Of living bread and the soul’s eternal draught
As a frog on a Passover-cake in a streamless desert,—
I should indicate I’m not absolutely certain what this simile is suggesting. Frogs in general, I feel, are unproductive. But then, I’m not a frog. I appreciate the insects they eat. And there are many recipes for passover cakes — many of them quite tasty.
My guess is that Arlington isn’t actually referring to a cake, but is using the term to represent matzah, since matzah is flat like a lily pad. It’s reminscent of a comedy routine I heard recently, and I forget who did it, but they were complaining about similes and metaphors, and how poets are always comparing things to other things they’re not like at all.
There are currently no references to the phrase “as a frog on a passover-cake” anywhere on the internet except Bartleby’s copy of this poem, at least according to Google, so I suspect it isn’t a phrase that caught on for Arlington. A search through Google Books suggests a reviewer from the Atlantic Monthly in 1932 was intrigued by the line, but I’m not allowed to view the text, so I can’t see exactly what he said.
The following poem doesn’t directly mention the holiday, it makes reference to both Moses and the Fruit of the Vine. What’s more, it’s by local poet, Eugene Field, best known for his poem, Wynken, Blynken, and Nod.
BOY, I detest the Persian pomp;
I hate those linden-bark devices;
And as for roses, holy Moses!
They can’t be got at living prices!
Myrtle is good enough for us,— 5
For you, as bearer of my flagon;
For me, supine beneath this vine,
Doing my best to get a jag on!
There’s a movement to Reestablish the Sanhedrin, and renew animal sacrifice in Israel. (It’s important to note these are extreme fringe Rabbis, but it’s nice to see they aren’t talking about blowing up the Dome of the Rock, and are only interested in building The Temple next to it. Not that the Muslims are OK with that. And while generally accepted Jewish tradition states the Temple won’t be rebuilt until the Messiah comes, I’d say the moment Islam accepts the reconstruction of The Temple is a good sign of the Messiah. As long as these extremists are willing to wait before they start hammering, they can sacrifice as many animals as they want. Sure, I feel a little for the animals, but I’m not a vegetarian.)
A student has been suspended for dressing up like a pirate. However, the student complains he was practicing his religion - Pastafarianism. Pastafarianism began in Kansas as a parody argument against Intelligent Design — the creator arguing that his religion had to be taught alongside Intelligent Design. But it’s taken on a life of it’s own. Possibly like Discordianism, though no one is certain about the intent of the creators of Discordianism.
Previously I blogged about the relationship between Pirates and Global Warming without realizing the graph was part of Pastafarianism.
A good post from The Huffington Post on the Jesus ossuaries.
I could add a few more points, but this about covers it. I admit I didn’t see the special, and have been following this as I do most news stories, through online commentary. (newsblogs and online newspapers). But when the only DNA evidence was from residue on the Mariamne and Jesus tombs, and it only shows they’re not matrilineally related, that’s pretty flimsy.
OK…A few additional points: Assuming Mariamne e Mara is Mary Magdalene as the ‘documentary’ does seems to be a ‘leap of faith’. Here are some (equally if not more likely in my opinion) Mariamnes
Clarifying an earlier point. The original statistician said 1 in 600 families should have that pattern by chance. That’s all he said. IF there are 1200 families in that time period, I **think** the odds are 1-to-1, or 100% odds, that there will be two families. I am not an expert in statistics, and I could be wrong. Anyway, he never gave odds on how likely it was that the tombs were Jesus’ family. Only how common that pattern of names would be. The odds that it’s Jesus has a few more factors he didn’t include in his figuring. (Such as the population of Jerusalem in that era, and the number of possible generations we are dealing wtih.)
Note: According to this at the ‘Seige of Jerusalem’ (70 CE) - Josephus says the population was 3,000,000; but Tacitus says it was 600,000. So let’s use the lower figure and estimate 50,000 families as a low mark. (That’s assuming 12-member families.) Using the statistician’s figures of 1 family in 600 with this pattern, we should expect 42 families with this pattern at the time of the Siege. 42!
The statistician makes it clear he did not say that there were 600-1 odds that it was Jesus and his family. He said that 1 in 600 families of that era would have that combination of names. Therefore…if there were 1200 families in that era (or more), one would expect to see two families (or more) with that combination of names.
The Scientific American article also discusses some of the assumptions that went into figuring out the statistics, some of which may be questionable.
Finally…all we will ever have are the statistics. I am unable to foresee any technology that can shed any more light on this since we lack any DNA evidence of the ‘real’ Jesus. All we can prove is the relationships of those in the ossuary, which proves nothing beyond how they were related to each other.
So to promote this as the “Real Jesus” and the implications that Christianity is built on falsehoods has only one purpose, and I will not participate in such purposes. As once I do, I no longer can object to those who promote attacks on my religion that aren’t based on fact — such as the holocaust deniers, those who support the European Blood Libel, the spreaders of the Protocols, etc.
Once actual facts, as opposed to statistical odds, are uncovered, then ask me again.
I actually thought the Documentary on the Discovery Channel about the alleged coffin of Jesus, Mary Magdalene, their son, and a few other family members would be based on more than statistics. But According to the Discovery Channel website.
All leading epigraphers agree about the inscriptions. All archaeologists confirm the nature of the find. It comes down to a matter of statistics. A statistical study commissioned by the broadcasters (Discovery Channel/Vision Canada/C4 UK) concludes that the probability factor is 600 to 1 in favor of this tomb being the tomb of Jesus of Nazareth and his family.
So, yes, the inscriptions are real, and the coffins may date to the right era. That they are Christianity’s “First Family” is entirely a matter of statistics.
Every week on Thursday I get an email announcing this week’s Torah portion. Every Torah portion is named after the first unique Hebrew word in that portion. It’s a really boring naming system, which often results in titles that have nothing whatsoever to do with the portion, but it works in its way.
Still, while I’ve studied passages from the Torah, identifying a Torah portion from its name alone is something I can’t do. Except for one. I just received the weekly email and therefore know that 25 years ago this weekend, I became a man. At least that’s when it was celebrated. I had turned 13 a couple weeks earlier, but it’s not always possible to schedule the Bar Mitzvah on the same week as the birthday when the congregation is a large one.
