Judaism: Wikis

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Did you know ...

the Judaic legal fiction of Prozbul protects both the poor and wealthy from the effects of the Sabbatical Year?
the Jewish mother of former German Federal Minister of Justice Gerhard Jahn died at Auschwitz?
the 5th century Yemeni King Tub'a Abu Kariba As'ad is widely believed to have been a convert to Judaism?
pianist and composer Moshe Cotel chose to become a rabbi after meeting a Holocaust survivor who was so inspired by his retelling of the story of Alfred Dreyfus that she had returned to Judaism?
the Baal teshuva movement refers to the phenomenon that began during the mid-20th century, whereby large numbers of previously highly-assimilated Jews chose to move in the direction of practicing Judaism?
the Montefiore Synagogue in Ramsgate, built in 1833 for Sir Moses Montefiore using a design by David Mocatta, was the first synagogue built in England by a Jewish architect?
the Will & Grace episode "Marry Me a Little, Marry Me a Little More" was the first time that a prime-time sitcom showed a Jewish protagonist marrying inside the faith?
the Sanhedrin, which is part of the Mishnah, a major Jewish religious text, focuses on criminal law, and that commentaries on the Sanhedrin by rabbis, as recorded in the Talmud, are noteworthy as precursors to the development of common law principles?
the Perek Shirah, an ancient Jewish text, contains 84 songs of various elements of creation, ranging from the heavens to dogs, based upon Biblical and Talmudic verses?
in the 1990s, Congregation Beth Israel was the largest Jewish congregation in Greater Vancouver?
in Islam, Tahrif is the charge that Jewish and Christian holy books have been subject to change, alteration or forgery?
Jacob's Well (pictured) in Nablus is a site associated with Jacob in Jewish, Samaritan, Christian and Muslim tradition?
Justice Henry Barron, the first Jew appointed to the Supreme Court of Ireland, also granted Ireland's first divorce in the same year?
Arthur Segal was prevented from exhibiting his art in Germany because of his Jewish background?
Alfred Gottschalk performed the 1972 rabbinic ordination of Sally Priesand, the second woman to be formally ordained in the history of Judaism?
Maryam Jameelah, a New York-born convert from Judaism to Islam, became a prominent female advocate for conservative Islam?
Ohaveth Sholum Congregation, Seattle's first Jewish congregation, fell four days short of having the first synagogue in Washington?
according to Ernst Lohmeyer, "the Christian faith is only Christian as long as it retains in its heart the Jewish faith"?
according to Jewish customs, a yahrzeit candle is lit in memory of the dead on the anniversary of the death on the Hebrew calendar?
Percival Goodman, described as "the most prolific architect in Jewish history" by The Forward, was also an urban planning theorist who criticized Robert Moses' ideas for parkways in New York City?
Abu Isa founded the first Jewish sect since the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem?

More interesting facts on Judaism

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Encyclopedia

Updated live from Wikipedia, last check: May 14, 2013 07:57 UTC (48 seconds ago)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This article is about the Jewish religion. For consideration of ethnic, historic, and cultural aspects of the Jewish identity, see Jew.

Judaica (clockwise from top): Shabbat candlesticks, handwashing cup, Chumash and Tanakh, Torah pointer, shofar, and etrog box

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.Judaism (from the Latin Iudaismus, derived from the Greek Ioudaïsmos, and ultimately from the Hebrew יהודה, Yehudah, "Judah";^[1]^[2] in Hebrew: יַהֲדוּת, Yahadut) is a set of beliefs and practices originating in the Hebrew Bible, also known as the Tanakh, and explored in later texts such as the Talmud.^ The Bible in Greek and the Vulgate is tenth-rate as literature: I cannot speak for the Hebrew, Aramaic, Syriac, or Coptic.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Since it’s interesting to see the etymology of modern words derived from original Latin I’ll include the original here as well.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

.Jews consider Judaism to be the expression of the covenantal relationship God developed with the Children of Israel—originally a group of around a dozen tribes claiming descent from the Biblical patriarch Jacob—and later, the Jewish people.^ Too many people marry, have children and are completely ignorant about raising them and basic child development.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Even in the historical religions; Jews considered themselves, as the chosen people of God and all the rest were atheist, while the pagans called the Jews atheists.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ It was a human that originally disobeyed God and a Human would have to be found perfectly righteous in His sight to restore the relationship.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^[3] According to most branches, God revealed his laws and commandments to Moses on Mount Sinai in the form of both the Written and Oral Torah.^[4] .However, Karaite Judaism maintains that only the Written Torah was revealed,^[5] and liberal movements such as Humanistic Judaism may be nontheistic.^ Trying to make such a one-sided argument a movement only energizes the less courageous.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^[6]

.Judaism claims a historical continuity spanning more than 3000 years.^ "My attempts to demonstrate evolution by an experiment carried on for more than 40 years have completely failed.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ No more bored than wives of thirteen years.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ "No more bored than wives of thirteen years.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

.It is one of the oldest monotheistic religions,^[7] and the oldest to survive into the present day.^ Without acts of love or compassion we would not survive one day in this world you claim was created by God.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ I couldn't agree more with him on the problem with labels and throwing all religions into one basket.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Children the world over are indoctrinated into one or another supernatural 'faith' system,depending on where they are born,and what religion their parents and community believe in.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^[8]^[9] .Its texts, traditions and values have inspired later Abrahamic religions, including Christianity, Islam and the Baha'i Faith.^ Most religious individuals simply think that an atheist is anti-religious and therefore against everything in religion including the moral codes and values.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Every meditative tradition that is part of a religion is entangled in that religions values, norms, and beliefs.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ But when people make truth claims about the divinity of any one particular religion, it poisons the real truth that is available in these extremely valuable, mythical and allegorical texts.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^[9]^[10] .Many aspects of Judaism have also directly or indirectly influenced secular Western ethics and civil law.^ Even many aspects of our genes (which definitely carry certain predispositions) are not rigidly immortal and beyond environmental influence as has been made out.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^[11]

.Jews are an ethnoreligious group^[12] that includes those born Jewish and converts to Judaism.^ It is true that as a people the Jews kept to themselves and Judaism in its earliest form caters strictly to a particular group of people.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

.In 2007, the world Jewish population was estimated at 13 million, of which about 40% reside in Israel^[13] and 40% in the United States.^ Our population world-wide has doubled in about 30 years and will double again by 2050.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ My first impression when reading this is Sam is throwing a curve ball to the Atheist world in the form of a stereotype that is prevalent, among the general population, about Atheists.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ October 13, 2007 4:40 AM Report Offensive Comment .

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^[14] The largest Jewish religious movements are Orthodox Judaism, Conservative Judaism and Reform Judaism. .A major source of difference between these groups is their approach to Jewish law.^ So to recap the difference between these two things that Gad says are the same.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ And once again, from a personal perspective I understand marriages can have a lot of differences and those differences can lead to divorce, but I think many of these differences can be worked out between the two parties.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ He is just an armchair philosopher like you and I. The difference between you and I is that I have an absolute source, a standard that is true to reference.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^[15] Orthodox and Conservative Judaism maintain that Jewish law should be followed, with Conservative Judaism promoting a more "modern" interpretation of its requirements than Orthodox Judaism. .Reform Judaism is generally more liberal than these other two movements, and its typical position is that Jewish law should be viewed as a set of general guidelines rather than as a list of restrictions whose literal observance is required of all Jews.^ But we are all much more than that.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ It has not been any more standard than other moralities."

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ It has not been any more standard than other moralities.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^[16]^[17] .Historically, special courts enforced Jewish law; today, these courts still exist but the practice of Judaism is mostly voluntary.^ I still don't see the sense in Sam going in for these far out practices when there are much easier and more pleasant alternatives for going on a trip.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ If these things existed permanently, then absurd things would need to happen: if you burnt up a table, the "tableness" would somehow still persist.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^[18] .Authority on theological and legal matters is not vested in any one person or organization, but in the sacred texts and the many rabbis and scholars who interpret these texts.^ I will never understand these people who's attitude is, "it doesn't matter if it's true".

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Timmy, you were the one who labeled it inconsistent, and you were the one who is unable to give a standard that is anything other than you own personal feelings and preferences.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ If I interpret a Scripture one way and you another, both having contradictory meanings, who is right?

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^[19]

1 Religious doctrine and principles of faith
2 Jewish religious texts
3 Jewish identity
4 Jewish religious movements
- 4.1 Jewish movements in Israel
- 4.2 Alternative Judaism
5 Jewish observances
6 Community leadership
7 History
8 Judaism and other religions
9 See also
10 References
11 Bibliography
12 External links

Religious doctrine and principles of faith

Main article: Jewish principles of faith

13 Principles of Faith:

I believe with perfect faith that the Creator, Blessed be His Name, is the Creator and Guide of everything that has been created; He alone has made, does make, and will make all things.
I believe with perfect faith that the Creator, Blessed be His Name, is One, and that there is no unity in any manner like His, and that He alone is our God, who was, and is, and will be.
I believe with perfect faith that the Creator, Blessed be His Name, has no body, and that He is free from all the properties of matter, and that there can be no (physical) comparison to Him whatsoever.
I believe with perfect faith that the Creator, Blessed be His Name, is the first and the last.
I believe with perfect faith that to the Creator, Blessed be His Name, and to Him alone, it is right to pray, and that it is not right to pray to any being besides Him.
I believe with perfect faith that all the words of the prophets are true.
I believe with perfect faith that the prophecy of Moses our teacher, peace be upon him, was true, and that he was the chief of the prophets, both those who preceded him and those who followed him.
I believe with perfect faith that the entire Torah that is now in our possession is the same that was given to Moses our teacher, peace be upon him.
I believe with perfect faith that this Torah will not be exchanged, and that there will never be any other Torah from the Creator, Blessed be His Name.
I believe with perfect faith that the Creator, Blessed be His Name, knows all the deeds of human beings and all their thoughts, as it is written, "Who fashioned the hearts of them all, Who comprehends all their actions" (Psalms 33:15).
I believe with perfect faith that the Creator, Blessed be His Name, rewards those who keep His commandments and punishes those that transgress them.
I believe with perfect faith in the coming of the Messiah; and even though he may tarry, nonetheless, I wait every day for his coming.
I believe with perfect faith that there will be a revival of the dead at the time when it shall please the Creator, Blessed be His name, and His mention shall be exalted for ever and ever.

-Maimonides

While Judaism has seldom, if ever, been monolithic in ideology,^[20] it has always been fiercely monotheistic in theology. However, monotheism was not always followed in practice, especially in ancient times. The Jewish Bible (Tanakh) records and repeatedly condemns the widespread worship of other gods in ancient Israel.^[21] Today, Judaism lacks a centralized authority that would dictate an exact religious dogma.^[19]^[22] .Because of this, many different variations on the basic beliefs are considered within the scope of Judaism.^ People have different beliefs about many different issues.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Thanks Sam, this gives me a much better way to approach discussing religion with others I meet and to break the taboo of criticising, not religion, but the many various and very different religions.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ As I've said elsewhere here, I think this labeling discussion is ultimately helpful - there are many differences among us and because we've been underground (under the radar?

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^[20] Even so, all Jewish religious movements are, to a greater or lesser extent, based on the principles of the Hebrew Bible and various commentaries such as the Talmud and Kabbalah. .A major tenet of Judaism is the recognition of the Biblical Covenant between God and the Patriarch Abraham as well as the additional aspects of the Covenant revealed to Moses, usually considered Judaism's greatest prophet.^ Well, it turns out there is a corrolation and most of the ancient religionist considered Pan to be the first god of healing, and the most generous to the poor.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Well, from what you have revealed I don't accept your standard and am calling it for what it is, false, based on the Word of God.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ The Constitution says nothing about “moral” freedom or a “covenant between God and man.” These are words that Christians make passionate love to, but to attribute them to the Constitution is absurd.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^[23]^[3]^[20]^[24]^[25] .In the Mishnah, a core text of Rabbinic Judaism, acceptance of the Divine origins of this covenant is considered an essential aspect of Judaism and those who reject the Covenant supposedly forfeit their share in the World to Come.^ I wrote as a quote: "Those who cavalierly reject the Theory of Evolution, as not adequately supported by facts, seem quite to forget that their own theory is supported by no facts at all."

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Should a political group be formed by those who feel that the world needs to wake up from this long religious nightmare?

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ In the new economy or covenant that was made with all peoples, those who are trusting in themselves will suffer the second death spoken of in the book of Revelations.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^[26] .In contrast, some liberal Jewish movements maintain that the Bible was written by human authors and do not accept the existence of a personified deity active in history.^ But most convincing to me is the unity of the Bible; sixty-six different books written by over forty human authors claiming inspiration by God, over a period of 1500 hundred year dealing with God's revelation to mankind through the course of human history - for that matter, the history of creation onwards.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ No, the Bible is "to be taken" any way we choose, although of course the interesting readings are those based on some understanding of the authors' apparent intentions.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ In your view the world is only about 6000 years old, the written history of humanity, including the bible, shows that it has been a fairly brutal mess, even to the point that god wiped us out and started over.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^[27]

.Over the centuries, scholars have proposed numerous formulations of Judaism's core tenets, all of which have met with criticism.^ All the terms he rejects make up a history of many centuries of thought and are part numerous cultures and writings to be changed.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^[28] The most popular formulation is Maimonides' thirteen principles of faith, developed in the twelfth century. .According to Maimonides, any Jew to reject even one of these principles would be considered an apostate and a heretic.^ There reason why the Jews were waiting for a Messiah, was because God had revealed to them that He would send one, from Genesis 3 onwards the theme is constantly and progressively revealed.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ If WS had written just the one play, the shortest one, which is tae say ‘Macbeth’ and even as we have it with the missing parts, it would still seem tae me the work o’ a god!

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ I consider all of my wondering and contemplative thought to be completely rational, even though Gad would disagree.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^[29]^[30]

.However, neither Maimonides nor his contemporaries viewed these principles as encompassing all of Jewish belief, but rather representing the core theological underpinnings of Judaism.^ The quantity we refer to as "atheism" is, in fact, not a quantity at all - rather, it is the very absence of subscription to belief systems that are uniformly ridiculous.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ So let's not word it at all as what we don't believe, but rather, how we go about developing our beliefs and categorizing the relative certainty of those beliefs.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ However, associating each of these names with vast spans of time is not in the best interests of impartial science but, rather, seems to have theological motives, since it has been responsible for very effectively replacing one belief system by another.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^{[citation needed]} .Other Jewish scholars have held points of view diverging in minor ways from Maimonides' principles.^ For a person, such as you, who thrives on facts, insists on facts and uses facts incessantly to defend his own point of view, he ought to consider them as well, when others use them to argue their points.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ I have learned a lot about Sam’s Atheist presentation just by reading other peoples’ point of view.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ It is, at its core, a system of applying brutal honesty to your view of reality, of letting go of your preconceptions of the very core of our way of seeing things (self, other, things).

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^[20]^[31] In Maimonides' time, his list of tenets was criticized by Hasdai Crescas and Joseph Albo. Albo and the Raavad argued that Maimonides' principles contained too many items that, while true, were not fundamentals of the faith. .Thus, they claimed Maimonides categorized too many Jews who were simply in error as heretics.^ You are the one, as an atheist, who is saying 'it is so because I say it is so' or 'it is so because the majority says it is so', and the majority is never wrong, regardless of how many times they change their mind on a certain issue.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ And there are immoral Christians (and some even running the country) who claim to know that God created morality and they are acting immorally.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ YOU: "So you are relying on a human who claims to have achieved "Enlightenment" whom it is not even known to what extent we have his teachings, whether they are corrupted, how many myths have grown up around them, to lead you..."

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^{[citation needed]} Others opposed any simplified formulation of Judaism's core tenets, on the grounds that reducing Judaism to a short list of beliefs would minimize acceptance of the entire Torah.^{[citation needed]} Along these lines, the ancient historian Josephus emphasized practices and observances rather than religious beliefs, associating apostasy with a failure to observe Jewish law and maintaining that the requirements for conversion to Judaism included circumcision and adherence to traditional customs. Maimonides' principles were largely ignored over the next few centuries.^[32] .Later, two poetic restatements of these principles ("Ani Ma'amin" and "Yigdal") became integrated into many Jewish liturgies,^[33]^{[citation needed]} leading to their eventual near-universal acceptance.^ Perhaps I need to make this distinction again: There are two aspects to what I've discussed in all these posts: 1) emptiness theory and 2) a direct experience of emptiness leading to enlightenment.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ The hero realized he was at the cusp of a big event on planet Earth that would probably lead to its evolving into a lifeball, a single integrated planetary organism.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^[34]^[35]

Jewish religious texts

Rabbinic literature

.Judaism has at all times^{[citation needed]} valued Torah study, as well as other religious texts.^ Otherwise we would have all killed each other battle by battle in previous times.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ We all know that God can not exist for this, as well as many other reasons.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ All religious worldview, including atheism contradict each other in what they say.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

The following is a basic, structured list of the central works of Jewish practice and thought. .For more detail, see Rabbinic literature.^ (For more detailed accounts of this form of science see Michael Shermer's work on evolution in "Why Darwin Matters."

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

Tanakh^[36] (Hebrew Bible) and commentaries
- Mesorah
- Targum
- Jewish Biblical exegesis (also see Midrash below)
Works of the Talmudic Era (classic rabbinic literature)
- Mishnah and commentaries
- Tosefta and the minor tractates
- Talmud:
  - The Babylonian Talmud and commentaries
  - Jerusalem Talmud and commentaries
Midrashic literature:
- Halakhic Midrash
- Aggadic Midrash
Halakhic literature
- Major Codes of Jewish Law and Custom
  - Mishneh Torah and commentaries
  - Tur and commentaries
  - Shulchan Aruch and commentaries
- Responsa literature
Jewish Thought and Ethics
- Jewish philosophy
- Kabbalah
- Hasidic works
- Jewish ethics and the Mussar Movement
Siddur and Jewish liturgy
Piyyut (Classical Jewish poetry)

Jewish legal literature

Main article: Halakha

.The basis of Jewish law and tradition (halakha) is the Torah (also known as the Pentateuch or the Five Books of Moses).^ The Jewish Scriptures comprised the Pentateuch, the first five books of the law - Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy - the Psalms and the Prophets.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

According to rabbinic tradition there are 613 commandments in the Torah. Some of these laws are directed only to men or to women, some only to the ancient priestly groups, the Kohanim and Leviyim (members of the tribe of Levi), some only to farmers within the Land of Israel. .Many laws were only applicable when the Temple in Jerusalem existed, and fewer than 300 of these commandments are still applicable today.^ On another subject, having read through more than half of these posts, I see only two from believers.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ These laws would include the Ten Commandments and the 613 Mosaic laws also.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ In many parts of the world these issues are still seen as immoral.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

.While there have been Jewish groups whose beliefs were claimed to be based on the written text of the Torah alone (e.g., the Sadducees, and the Karaites), most Jews believed in what they call the oral law.^ It comes from the fact that there is nothing to base my belief on so I believe not to believe.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ There again, whose and why are they right?

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ I intentionally used purpose and not reason because most atheists, including myself, believe that there are reasons for people being here.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

.These oral traditions were transmitted by the Pharisee sect of ancient Judaism, and were later recorded in written form and expanded upon by the rabbis.^ Considered as literature, the best scriptures about the gods are clearly those about the gods and goddesses of Ancient Greece, later translated to Rome, and written about by masters from Homer to Ovid.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

Rabbinic Judaism (which derives from the Pharisees) has always held that the books of the Torah (called the written law) have always been transmitted in parallel with an oral tradition. .To justify this viewpoint, Jews point to the text of the Torah, where many words are left undefined, and many procedures mentioned without explanation or instructions; this, they argue, means that the reader is assumed to be familiar with the details from other, i.e., oral, sources.^ Kripke says names are rigid designators, by which he means they refer to the things they point to independently of the properties of those things.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ In other words, according to Vedic philosophy, every physical reality has a psychological aspect, and both the psychological and physical realms have an underlying reality that is the source of both other realms–¬–spiritual reality.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Because when one subscribes to any one religion, they are forced to accept, and find rational explanations for, some of the most irrational, nay abominable, words ever written by humans.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

This parallel set of material was originally transmitted orally, and came to be known as "the oral law".

By the time of Rabbi Judah haNasi (200 CE), after the destruction of Jerusalem, much of this material was edited together into the Mishnah. .Over the next four centuries this law underwent discussion and debate in both of the world's major Jewish communities (in Israel and Babylonia), and the commentaries on the Mishnah from each of these communities eventually came to be edited together into compilations known as the two Talmuds.^ "Therefore, when Christ Jesus came into the world, He said: 'Sacrifices and offerings You did not desire, but a body You prepared for Me..."

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ You see, our positions are contrary, and logically it is not possible for two contrary positions in the real world to both be true at the same time and in the same sense.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Children the world over are indoctrinated into one or another supernatural 'faith' system,depending on where they are born,and what religion their parents and community believe in.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

These have been expounded by commentaries of various Torah scholars during the ages.

.Halakha, the rabbinic Jewish way of life, then, is based on a combined reading of the Torah, and the oral tradition - the Mishnah, the halakhic Midrash, the Talmud and its commentaries.^ Christianity is based on the Jewish Scriptures of the promised Messiah, not pagan tradition.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ No, the Bible is "to be taken" any way we choose, although of course the interesting readings are those based on some understanding of the authors' apparent intentions.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

The Halakha has developed slowly, through a precedent-based system. .The literature of questions to rabbis, and their considered answers, is referred to as responsa (in Hebrew, Sheelot U-Teshuvot.^ You said: “I noticed that you did not answer my question about the different kinds of love that you referred to.” .

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ What do you suppose Dan Dennet was referring to by "large questions for which we really don’t have good answers yet"?

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ I noticed that you did not answer my question about the different kinds of love that you referred to.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

) Over time, as practices develop, codes of Jewish law are written that are based on the responsa; the most important code, the Shulchan Aruch, largely determines Orthodox religious practice today.

Jewish philosophy

Main article: Jewish philosophy

Jewish philosophy refers to the conjunction between serious study of philosophy and Jewish theology. Major Jewish philosophers include Solomon ibn Gabirol, Saadia Gaon, Maimonides, and Gersonides. Major changes occurred in response to the Enlightenment (late 1700s to early 1800s) leading to the post-Enlightenment Jewish philosophers. .Modern Jewish philosophy consists of both Orthodox and non-Orthodox oriented philosophy.^ But as they contend with apathy and disinterest among non-religious types, they are also taking some heat from both established humanists and emerging youth-oriented groups.

The Tyee — Preaching the Word of Atheism 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC thetyee.ca [Source type: Original source]

Notable among Orthodox Jewish philosophers are Eliyahu Eliezer Dessler, Joseph B. Soloveitchik, and Yitzchok Hutner. Well-known non-Orthodox Jewish philosophers include Martin Buber, Franz Rosenzweig, Mordecai Kaplan, Abraham Joshua Heschel, and Emmanuel Lévinas.

Related Topics

Torah databases (electronic versions of the Traditional Jewish Bookshelf)
List of Jewish prayers and blessings

Jewish identity

Origin of the term "Judaism"

.The earliest known instance of the term used to mean "the profession or practice of the Jewish religion; the religious system or polity of the Jews," is Robert Fabyan's The newe cronycles of Englande and of Fraunce a 1513.^ Peter, the historic greatness of Western civilization was to use Greek mathematics and philosophy to balance Jewish religion.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ The racism analogy falls flat as there was a term for those fighting against racism, one which the opposing side used as a slur, misrepresenting its meaning.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Just because a religion proclaims good moral values does not mean that they actually practice them.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

As an English translation of the Latin, the first instance in English is a 1611 translation of the Apocrypha, 2 Macc. ii. 21 "Those that behaved themselues manfully to their honour for Iudaisme."^[37]

Distinction between Jews as a people and Judaism

.According to Daniel Boyarin, the underlying distinction between religion and ethnicity is foreign to Judaism itself, and is one form of the dualism between spirit and flesh that has its origin in Platonic philosophy and that permeated Hellenistic Judaism.^ You are the one making distinctions between man and ape.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ I can not see any necessary relation between the "I" in "I think, therefore I am" and the "I" in your Soul Theory or the Soul Theory of religion, which seem to me to be one and the same with different naming conventions.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^[38] .Consequently, in his view, Judaism does not fit easily into conventional Western categories, such as religion, ethnicity, or culture.^ On the other hand, if one claims to be uncertain and that the consequences of actions are unknown, the person is making a claim of certainty about uncertainty, one, and, two, how does one advance, holding consistently to such a view?

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ "For the most part religion is man's attempt at knowing God in which he/she invents a god that is suitable to his/her view of life based on earning the favor of that god by what he/she does."

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ So to talk about religion is to talk about our views of ourselves, our understanding of our ancestors, and our love of our culture.

Religion 28 January 2010 0:44 UTC www.zulunation.com [Source type: Original source]

.Boyarin suggests that this in part reflects the fact that much of Judaism's 4,000-year history predates the rise of Western culture and occurred outside the West (that is, Europe, particularly medieval and modern Europe).^ The first and only life form in the billions of years history of life on this planet that can imagine the likelihood of other life forms existing elsewhere in the universe, or even outside of our universe.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ But we can agree that it is a core document to help us understand the course of Western history for the last two thousand years, together with the works of Plato, Aristotle and Euclid.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ I see this reflected in the fact that to make the bible work you are forced to reference nearly every part of it to complicated and convoluted (and mostly outdated) interpretations and opinions outside the bible.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

.During this time, Jews have experienced slavery, anarchic and theocratic self-government, conquest, occupation, and exile; in the Diasporas, they have been in contact with and have been influenced by ancient Egyptian, Babylonian, Persian, and Hellenic cultures, as well as modern movements such as the Enlightenment (see Haskalah) and the rise of nationalism, which would bear fruit in the form of a Jewish state in the Levant.^ I see such teachings as a form of wisdom.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Psychic states that tend to cause such dilation or such a sense of the soul expanding are numerous and have numerous labels, which typically have a religious cast (since they are not well understood states).

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ I do think a fully enlightened being (a Buddha) is said to transcend space/time in certain ways, though it could be that they can see it, not necessarily be in the past/future/etc.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

.They also saw an elite convert to Judaism (the Khazars), only to disappear as the centers of power in the lands once occupied by that elite fell to the people of Rus and then the Mongols.^ "As he thus saw things, only by invoking his own magic powers could other men be brought into the transcendental company.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ A person can only make this promise if they believe that they have the supernatural power to love at will.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ With respect dear sister, I can't convert, only God can and if one is a Christian they are already converted by His grace, but they need to rightly discern His Word, otherwise they are in error.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

.Thus, Boyarin has argued that "Jewishness disrupts the very categories of identity, because it is not national, not genealogical, not religious, but all of these, in dialectical tension."^ These false religious teachers were refuted by the very words of Scripture itself.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ The Jewish religious way of life did not have all its origins from here below; the greater number and the more solemn things came from heaven above.

Medieval Sourcebook: Saint John Chrysostom: Eight Homilies Against the Jews 28 January 2010 0:10 UTC www.fordham.edu [Source type: Original source]

^ YOU: "Theists are the ones who made-up answers to all of these questions because they have a fear of living with these questions unanswered.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^[39]

.In contrast to this point of view, practices such as Humanistic Judaism reject the religious aspects of Judaism, while retaining certain cultural traditions.^ Of course, I'm practicing in the West, but still, I think Buddhists in general view the religious/ceremonial aspects more as symbolic and inspirational and less as absolute and literal.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Despite his fundamentalist upbringing, he spent many years trying to explain that experience from a scientific point of view rather than label it a religious experience.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ For a person, such as you, who thrives on facts, insists on facts and uses facts incessantly to defend his own point of view, he ought to consider them as well, when others use them to argue their points.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

What makes a person Jewish?

Main article: Who is a Jew?

According to traditional Jewish Law, a Jew is anyone born of a Jewish mother or converted to Judaism in accord with Jewish Law. .American Reform Judaism and British Liberal Judaism accept the child of one Jewish parent (father or mother) as Jewish if the parents raise the child with a Jewish identity.^ "No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him, and I will raise him up at the last day."

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ YOU: "One of the most positive phenomenons in a child's life is a strong, committed marriage between her mother and father" .

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ One of the most positive phenomenons in a child's life is a strong, committed marriage between her mother and father.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

All mainstream forms of Judaism today are open to sincere converts, although conversion has traditionally been discouraged. The conversion process is evaluated by an authority, and the convert is examined on his or her sincerity and knowledge.^[40] Converts are given the name "ben Abraham" or "bat Abraham", (son or daughter of Abraham).

Traditional Judaism maintains that a Jew, whether by birth or conversion, is a Jew forever. .Thus a Jew who claims to be an atheist or converts to another religion is still considered by traditional Judaism to be Jewish.^ Many consider them descended from Jews who were exiled to Egypt, as they came to India from Egypt and Persia.

Joshua Project - Banjara, Hindu of India Ethnic People Profile 11 January 2010 23:23 UTC www.joshuaproject.net [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

^ And still another called the Jews "an untamed calf".

Medieval Sourcebook: Saint John Chrysostom: Eight Homilies Against the Jews 28 January 2010 0:10 UTC www.fordham.edu [Source type: Original source]

^ As married atheists why would two people who question and shun religion, God and the Bible in all other aspects of our lives, not question and shun it in our marriage?

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

.However, the Reform movement maintains that a Jew who has converted to another religion is no longer a Jew,^[41]^[42] and the Israeli Government has also taken that stance after Supreme Court cases and statutes.^ I am no longer "bonded" to any religions.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ When I recently quoted Ryan, another blogger on this site who commented that Sam was probably the only person he agreed with completely, it was not intended to be taken literally.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ I know no Indian male who would not have problems if his wife flirted with another man.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^[43]

.The question of what determines Jewish identity in the State of Israel was given new impetus when, in the 1950s, David Ben-Gurion requested opinions on mihu Yehudi ("who is a Jew") from Jewish religious authorities and intellectuals worldwide in order to settle citizenship questions.^ In this you are stating that anyone who has a different opinion or disagrees with anything Sam says or does is wrong and you want no association with people like that.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Determinism often has religious connotations and that was the context I used when I originally answered your question.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ "Determinism often has religious connotations and that was the context I used when I originally answered your question."

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

This is still not settled, and occasionally resurfaces in Israeli politics.

Jewish demographics

Main article: Jewish population

.The total number of Jews worldwide is difficult to assess because the definition of "who is a Jew" is problematic; not all Jews identify themselves as Jewish, and some who identify as Jewish are not considered so by other Jews.^ Many consider them descended from Jews who were exiled to Egypt, as they came to India from Egypt and Persia.

Joshua Project - Banjara, Hindu of India Ethnic People Profile 11 January 2010 23:23 UTC www.joshuaproject.net [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

^ Regardless of all these feelings, I do not like or admire Israel's policies in recent years at all and I do not consider it anti-semitic or anti-Jewish to say that.

Daily Kos: UPDATE It's the Jews 15 January 2010 11:43 UTC www.dailykos.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Similarly, we might say that all those who incarnate Christ consciousness (CC) are the same person, deep down, modulo some kind of equivalence.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

.According to the Jewish Year Book (1901), the global Jewish population in 1900 was around 11 million.^ You: "Peter, are you willing to accept that global warming is bogus because it is based on interpretive data from 1/2 million years ago?

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Peter, are you willing to accept that global warming is bogus because it is based on interpretive data from 1/2 million years ago?

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Your magic ingredient is time, millions and billions of years in which there was supposedly no mind around to witness the birth of mind.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

.The latest available data is from the World Jewish Population Survey of 2002 and the Jewish Year Calendar (2005).^ Our population world-wide has doubled in about 30 years and will double again by 2050.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

.In 2002, according to the Jewish Population Survey, there were 13.3 million Jews around the world.^ Your magic ingredient is time, millions and billions of years in which there was supposedly no mind around to witness the birth of mind.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Timmy says: And yes, while the population boom is worst in the third world, even in the western world, we still make too many babies for the amount of resources there are on the planet.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Furthermore, a few white Jews have proven that there is a divine White Light among Jewish people that exist beneath the lust and greed that is commonly associated with the white Jews by so many.

Religion 28 January 2010 0:44 UTC www.zulunation.com [Source type: Original source]

The Jewish Year Calendar cites 14.6 million. .Jewish population growth is currently near zero percent, with 0.3% growth from 2000 to 2001. Intermarriage and the declining birthrate have influenced Jewish population figures, although conversion to Judaism may help to offset this slightly.^ Percentages may be printed as '0.00%' because of space limitations, but some are slightly greater than zero.

Joshua Project - Banjara, Hindu of India Ethnic People Profile 11 January 2010 23:23 UTC www.joshuaproject.net [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]
Joshua Project - Badhai, Hindu of India Ethnic People Profile 11 January 2010 23:23 UTC www.joshuaproject.net [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]

^ Among those nationalist movements were, of course, Zionism (based on both existing and immigrant Jewish populations in the area and on an ancient claim to the land) and Palestinians (based on a current population in the area).

Daily Kos: UPDATE It's the Jews 15 January 2010 11:43 UTC www.dailykos.com [Source type: Original source]

^ But the Jewish population of Germany (even after the Anschluß with Austria) was minuscule: less than 1 percent, perhaps 300,000-500,000 if I'm remembering the statistics correctly.

Daily Kos: UPDATE It's the Jews 15 January 2010 11:43 UTC www.dailykos.com [Source type: Original source]

^{[citation needed]}

It has been noted by some writers that the apparent prominence of Jews is disproportionate to the size of their population. One example, Mark Twain comments:

.If statistics are right, the Jews constitute but one percent of the human race.^ The Bible has always taught that humans were created in the image and likeness of their Creator and therefore we are of one race, of one kind.
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

It suggests a nebulous dim puff of stardust lost in the blaze of the Milky Way. Properly, the Jew ought hardly to be heard of, but he is heard of, has always been heard of. .He is as prominent on the planet as any other people, and his commercial importance is extravagantly out of proportion to the smallness of his bulk.^ Most of what people say will go in one ear and out the other.
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ In fact, he’ll see no ‘others’, no enemies, no evil nations or people to be wiped out altogether--- he’ll have transcended all limitations of time and space etc..
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

.His contributions to the world's list of great names in literature, science, art, music, finance, medicine, and abstruse learning are also away out of proportion to the weakness of his numbers.^ Science is the perfect tool to "measure and quantify" not only music and other arts but also religion because science just is the business of measuring and quantifying natural phenomena in all their variety.
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Scientists already get very involved with music via the science of acoustics and with visual art via computer graphics.
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Science doesn’t try to explain or measure music or any other form of art by its standard.
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

.He has made a marvelous fight in this world, in all the ages; and had done it with his hands tied behind him.^ All that relates to or affects the life of a person: He saw his world collapse about him.
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ "The LORD Almighty has sworn, 'Surely, as I have planned, so it will be, and as I have purposed, so will it stand...This is the plan determined for the whole world; this is the hand stretched out over all nations.
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ You on the other hand asked no questions and made nothing but statements of belief quoting the book that your belief was "set down in" once and for all.
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

He could be vain of himself, and be excused for it. .The Egyptian, the Babylonian, and the Persian rose, filled the planet with sound and splendor, then faded to dream-stuff and passed away; the Greek and the Roman followed; and made a vast noise, and they are gone; other people have sprung up and held their torch high for a time, but it burned out, and they sit in twilight now, or have vanished.^ Here you are telling other people what they should do with their time.
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ You are telling other people what they should be doing with their time.
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ "They seem to believe that you can argue people out of religion."
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

.The Jew saw them all, beat them all, and is now what he always was, exhibiting no decadence, no infirmities of age, no weakening of his parts, no slowing of his energies, no dulling of his alert and aggressive mind.^ After all no one would ever think of taking harmless musings of god and mind powers and turn them in to a religion(s), would they?
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ "Correct me if I'm wrong but I'm pretty sure that you also believe that all of this (the universe) has no beginning point, but rather it has just always been.
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Survival of all living creatures up until now has always been about how many kids you can breed.
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

.All things are mortal but the Jew; all other forces pass, but he remains.^ A discussion spurred on by mention of my atheist world view provides an opportunity for me to discuss my rational approach to all the other things.
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ He ordained that all things would come to pass according to His wisdom and glory, but sin precedes from men, not from God.
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ All the other explanations cannot make sense of these things."
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

What is the secret of his immortality?^[44]

Jewish religious movements

Main article: Jewish religious movements

Hasidic Jews wearing black frock coats and fur shtreimels.

.In the late Middle Ages, when Europe and western Asia were divided into Christian and Islamic countries, the Jewish people also found themselves divided into two main groups.^ Bernie you wrote, “Talk about the UK and USA being two countries divided by a common language!

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Now, if only I could get people, who are actually abstract deists, to stop referring to themselves as Christians, then we'd really be getting somewhere.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ YOU: "It is not solely the Islamic groups who are "radical" as we have our own home grown Christian fundamentalists here in the West with a demented and nefarious view of the world."

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

.Jews in Central and Eastern Europe, namely in Germany and Poland, were called Ashkenazi.^ For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile - the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on Him, for, "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved."

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

Sephardic Jews can trace their tradition back to the Mediterranean countries, particularly Spain and Portugal under Muslim rule. When they were expelled in 1492, they settled in North Africa, the eastern Mediterranean, the Far East, and northern Europe. .The two traditions differ in a number of ritual and cultural details, but their theology and basic Jewish practice are the same.^ PH4(a) I believe it is something that is known already, that two rocks taken from the same sample of ground can have dates that differ by huge amounts.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ So to recap the difference between these two things that Gad says are the same.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Two rocks taken from the same sample of ground can have dates that differ by huge amounts.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

.Over the past two centuries the Ashkenazi Jewish community has divided into a number of Jewish religious movements; each has a different understanding of what principles of belief a Jew should hold, (although belief plays a lesser role than practice and observance in Judaism) and how one should live as a Jew.^ So I understand criticizing people's religious beliefs.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ I understand you see this differently than I do.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ "Then how can you be sure you are on the right path, that evolutionary science can hold these answers, that the Christian worldview is the one that is wrong?

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

.To some degree, these doctrinal differences have created schisms between the Jewish movements.^ There is a difference between wisdom and knowledge and I will grant that you, Timmy, Bernie and Andy have a great deal of knowledge, but wisdom comes with the fear of the Lord, of recognizing who He is and that He has created you.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ It is a religious doctrine ---- a vast difference between the two.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ So to recap the difference between these two things that Gad says are the same.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

Nonetheless, there is some level of Jewish unity. .For example, it would not be unusual for a Conservative Jew to attend either an Orthodox or Reform synagogue.^ Iowans have little exposure to secular or reform/conservative Jews; they've only ever heard of Lubavitchers and other Orthodox jews who are indeed mysterious and out of the mainstream.

Daily Kos: UPDATE It's the Jews 15 January 2010 11:43 UTC www.dailykos.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Potok is a co-editor of Etz Hayim, a new Torah and commentary published by the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism, which represents 1.5 million Conservative Jews.

Religion 28 January 2010 0:44 UTC www.zulunation.com [Source type: Original source]

.The article on Relationships between Jewish religious movements discusses how different Jewish movements view each other.^ Please explain how their view on this differs."

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Please explain how their view on this differs.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ The relationship between a human woman and human man, in romantic embrace, is a lot different than the relationship between a lion and a gazelle in violent conflict.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

.Many non-Ashkenazi Jews, especially in the United States, are members of congregations affiliated with the various movements, although they may not specifically identify themselves as members of that movement.^ So although atheists may act in many ways more morally than a Christian or adherent of some religion, they have no means of accounting for that morality.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ When someone states they are an atheist they are being more specific than if he were to say I'm a humanist.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Of course, we may well wonder whether as many people believe these things as say they do.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

They frequently do so out of convenience, and are likely to describe their religious practice as "traditional" or "observant", as opposed to "Orthodox" or "Conservative".

Orthodox Judaism holds that both the Written and Oral Torah were divinely revealed to Moses, and that the laws within it are binding and unchanging.
^ So the moral law is written on the heart of every man, whether he suppresses that law or not, and since the Fall he has known both what good and evil is.
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
^ "He said to them, "...Everything must be fulfilled that is written about Me in the LAW of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms."
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
.Orthodox Jews generally consider commentaries on the Shulchan Aruch (a condensed codification of halakha that largely favored Sephardic traditions) such as the Moses Isserlis's HaMappah and the Mishnah Berurah, to be the definitive codification of Jewish law, and assert a continuity between the Judaism of the Temple in Jerusalem, pre-Enlightenment Rabbinic Judaism, and modern-day Orthodox Judaism.
^ There is a direct historical continuity between the romantic tradition and the new paradigm in science of Fritjof Capra and others.
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
^ A tradition of celebrating a gene line, such as the Jewish line in the Old Testament, can hardly fail to be divisive and draw flak from the neighbors.
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
^ Timmy, consider yourself told, just as the Jews in Paul's day were told.
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
.Most of Orthodox Judaism holds to one particular form of Jewish theology, based on Maimonides' 13 principles of Jewish faith.
^ But it is the faulty beliefs one holds about how justified his particular war is that gets humans rationalizing about the justification of going to war in the first place.
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
^ There are people who say "I believe in God" simply because it is the most acceptable position to hold in their particular community.
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
^ No one holds jurisdiction over a complete set of truths and we all understand there is gray intermingled in even the most black and white situation.
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
Orthodox Judaism broadly (and informally) shades into two main styles, Modern Orthodox Judaism and Haredi Judaism. .The philosophical distinction is generally around accommodation to modernity and weight placed on non-Jewish disciplines, though in practical terms the differences are often reflected in styles of dress and rigor in practice.
^ Alternative medicine is a generic term used to describe any other approach that employs principles and methods that are different from those of orthodox medicine.
Religion 28 January 2010 0:44 UTC www.zulunation.com [Source type: Original source]
^ Abstract This paper provides a philosophical assessment of two institutions and their practices: the institution of traditional medicine and the ethical issues generated by its practice; and, the institution of contemporary African philosophy and the relevance of its practice to African societies.
Religion 28 January 2010 0:44 UTC www.zulunation.com [Source type: Original source]
^ The words sexual immorality is termed fornications in some Bibles and is different from adultery in that adultery is something practiced while married whereas fornication is applied to those who are single.
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
.According to most Orthodox Jews, Jewish people who do not keep the laws of Shabbat and Yom Tov (the holidays), kashrut, and family purity are considered non-religious.
^ But MOST people who get married are not so lucky.
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
^ GAD: "First of all, not all the wishful thinking of the religious nor the most advanced science has yet to provide a single shred of evidence for the "non-material" in this "material universe".
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
^ God has put governments in place to keep in check people becoming a law unto themselves.
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
.Any Jew who keeps at least those laws would be considered observant and religious.
^ Many consider them descended from Jews who were exiled to Egypt, as they came to India from Egypt and Persia.
Joshua Project - Banjara, Hindu of India Ethnic People Profile 11 January 2010 23:23 UTC www.joshuaproject.net [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]
^ Should a political group be formed by those who feel that the world needs to wake up from this long religious nightmare?
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
^ We are in need of absolute morals (in the form of laws) that protect innocent people from harm, especially harm from those in power, unleashed technologies, and/or ignoble and errant religious beliefs.
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
.
- Modern Orthodox Judaism emphasizes strict observance of religious laws and commandments but with a broad, liberal approach to modernity and living in a non-Jewish or secular environment.
  ^ The debate about Christian America is whether the government has the right to establish a religion or laws that promote religious beliefs (such as the 10 commandments or prayer in schools.
  On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
  On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
  ^ Do you think the Ten Commandments which forms the corner stone of Judaism is a bad set of laws?
  On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
  On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
  ^ God has said what is right and wrong in the Ten Commandments, and for Israel, the 613 Mosaic Laws that were imposed by God and in which many secular laws are derived unknowingly.
  On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
  On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
  Modern Orthodox women are gradually assuming a greater role in Jewish ritual practice, which is not acceptable in the Haredi community.
- Haredi Judaism (also known as "ultra-Orthodox Judaism", although some find this term offensive) is a very conservative form of Judaism. .The Haredi world revolves around study, prayer and meticulous religious observance.
  ^ What should surprise you most is that throughout human history millions of people around the world have had similar experiences as a result of prayer and belief in God.
  On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
  On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
  .Some Haredi Jews are more open to the modern world, perhaps most notably the Lubavitch Hasidim, but their acceptance of modernity is more a tool for enhancing Jewish faith than an end in itself.
  ^ All I am really, is someone who is open to the possibility that human ancestors may have moved through water sufficiently more than our ape cousins to have caused some phenotypic change in our lineage.
  On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
  On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
  ^ Finally a quote from Tennyson: "There is more faith in honest doubt than in half the creeds I do believe."
  On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
  On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
  ^ Me: "I will agree there is some "delusion" in marriage but overall marriage is more problematic than delusional" .
  On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
  On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
  - Hasidic Judaism is a stream of Haredi Judaism based on the teachings of Rabbi Yisroel ben Eliezer (The Ba'al Shem Tov). .Hasidic philosophy is rooted in the Kabbalah, and Hasidic Jews accept the Kabbalah as sacred scripture.
    ^ Christians share the same Scripture as the Jews, even if the Jews do not accept Jesus Christ as the promised Messiah of their Scripture.
    On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
    On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
    .They are distinguished both by a variety of special customs and practices including reliance on a Rebbe or supreme religious leader, and a special dress code particular to each Hasidic group.
Conservative Judaism, known as Masorti Judaism outside of the United States and Canada, was founded in Europe and the United States in the 1800s by rabbis and scholars who were disaffected from either Reform or Orthodox Judaism as adequate responses to the Enlightenment.
^ Both Sam and LindaJean adamantly separate meditation from any religious doctrines, which they clearly despise.
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
^ Truth criteria for our statements are more reliable the more solidly they are rooted in objective tests and public standards agreed by suitably distinguished experts.
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
^ And to some significant degree, the cause of that is the violent anti-communist and red-hating Western capitalist powers, including the United States of America.
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
.It is characterized by a commitment to following traditional Jewish laws and customs, including observance of Shabbat and kashrut, a deliberately non-fundamentalist teaching of Jewish principles of faith, a positive attitude toward modern culture, and an acceptance of both traditional rabbinic modes of study along with modern scholarship and critical text study when considering Jewish religious texts.
^ These things do not following the teachings of the faith.
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
^ Should this group consider part of it's mission to hold a position against the interest in, and experimentation with, things like non-religious non-supernatural meditation?
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
^ Positively the principle may be expressed: In matters of the intellect, follow your reason as far as it will take you, without regard to any other consideration.
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
.Conservative Judaism teaches that Jewish law is not static, but has always developed in response to changing conditions.
^ Marx proposed that the material universe is not static but dynamic, containing within itself the power of motion, change, and development.
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
^ To avoid that conclusion, Marx proposed that the materail universe is not static but dynamic, containing within itself the power of motion, change, and development.
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
^ He is still man as he always has been, just the nature of his spiritual condition before God has changed.
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
.It holds that the Torah is a divine document written by prophets inspired by God and reflecting his will, but rejects the Orthodox position that it was dictated by God to Moses.
^ Contrast these blunders in the Qur'an (Koran) showing this book is not inspired by God with this example of something really divinely inspired and accurate from the Jewish/Christian Bible: .
True History of Islam, Mohammed and the Koran 28 January 2010 0:00 UTC bibleprobe.com [Source type: Original source]
^ The uninspired Qur'an The Jewish and Christian Bibles were written by "inspired men of God" who immediately committed God's Word to writing.
True History of Islam, Mohammed and the Koran 28 January 2010 0:00 UTC bibleprobe.com [Source type: Original source]
^ The Enuma elish and other folk lore was written after the Genesis accounts which were handed down from generation to generation and became Scripture when God told Moses to write them down."
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
^[45]^[46] Similarly, Conservative Judaism holds that Judaism's Oral Law is divine and normative, but rejects some Orthodox interpretations of the Oral Law. .Accordingly, Conservative Judaism holds that both the Written and Oral Law may be interpreted by the rabbis to reflect modern sensibilities and suit modern conditions, although great caution should be exercised in doing so.
^ "We think we have a book that is not only reflective of the theology but helps to challenge people," said Rabbi Jerome Epstein, executive vice president of the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism.
Religion 28 January 2010 0:44 UTC www.zulunation.com [Source type: Original source]
^ If you haven't, you really should, it's a great movie with Bill Murray and Scarlet Johansson, written and directed by Sofia Coppola.
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
^ So the moral law is written on the heart of every man, whether he suppresses that law or not, and since the Fall he has known both what good and evil is.
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
.There is no absolute uniformity within Conservative Judaism and the communities that retain more traditional practices are sometimes called Conservadox.
Reform Judaism, called Liberal or Progressive in many countries, originally formed in Germany in response to the Enlightenment.
^ That is what I mean when I say there are no absolutes.
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
^ There are many more examples but no more time.
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
^ There are many forms of Buddhist meditation.
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
.(Note that in the United Kingdom, there are two distinct congregational unions, Reform and Liberal.
^ There you go, two neocon republican jews, two liberal/progressive (what's the label today?
Daily Kos: UPDATE It's the Jews 15 January 2010 11:43 UTC www.dailykos.com [Source type: Original source]
^ The Reformation prospered in Geneva; many of those religious scholars who fled the reign of Mary Tudor (Bloody Mary) started a congregation there.
Religion 28 January 2010 0:44 UTC www.zulunation.com [Source type: Original source]
^ Perhaps I need to make this distinction again: There are two aspects to what I've discussed in all these posts: 1) emptiness theory and 2) a direct experience of emptiness leading to enlightenment.
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
.The former is significantly more traditional than the latter, but both hold to similar theoretical positions.
^ The position that I hold is far more complex than the crude summary above.
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
^ These other "brands" of worldviews are significantly less probematic than "atheist" because they state a positive content, a set of "beliefs", values etc.
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
^ We who eschew magic and myth for reason and evidence do need a different banner than "Atheist," and all of us concerned for our future would benefit from more of the latter, and less of the former.
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
) .Its defining characteristic with respect to the other movements is its rejection of the binding nature of Jewish ceremonial law as such and belief instead that individual Jews should exercise an informed autonomy about what to observe.
^ For example, neither the form of sacrifice, nor of the holocaust, nor the binding force of the Law, nor any other aspect of their old commonwealth and way of life can stand.
Medieval Sourcebook: Saint John Chrysostom: Eight Homilies Against the Jews 28 January 2010 0:10 UTC www.fordham.edu [Source type: Original source]
^ Should Jews be more afraid than others?
Daily Kos: UPDATE It's the Jews 15 January 2010 11:43 UTC www.dailykos.com [Source type: Original source]
^ And so it pays homage to the truth that the principle underlying all Nature's operations is the aristocratic principle and it believes that this law holds good even down to the last individual organism.
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
.Reform Judaism initially defined Judaism as a religion, rather than as a race or culture, rejected most of the ritual ceremonial laws of the Torah while observing moral laws, and emphasized the ethical call of the Prophets.
^ I am not calling for a law against marriage, any more than you are calling for a law against religion.
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
^ I, too, have called myself an atheist but always felt it fell short of what I wanted to say and, frankly, engaged the religious on their terms rather than my own.
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
^ Harris' article strikes me as a rejection of the mortal applications regarding religious faiths rather than the religions themselves.
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
.Reform Judaism developed an egalitarian prayer service in the vernacular (along with Hebrew in many cases) and emphasized personal connection to Jewish tradition over specific forms of observance.
^ He drifted into Detroit at a time when many African-Americans were beginning to form racial identity groups around charismatic personalities such as Marcus Garvey.
True History of Islam, Mohammed and the Koran 28 January 2010 0:00 UTC bibleprobe.com [Source type: Original source]
^ By thus bonding themselves deliberately and emotionally into this tradition, they are transcending their personal selves and developing affective bonds to the generations, which is to say to the species.
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
^ The Soul Chakra connecting with one to twenty Soul Personalities and many ego-Sub-Personalities which need to be integrated with the soul .
The Kundalini Kriyass of Kriya Yoga!! Energy Enhancement Meditation Course Level 1 14 January 2010 9:19 UTC www.energyenhancement.org [Source type: General]
Today, many Reform congregations encourage the study of Hebrew and traditional observances, while a smaller number continue to espouse the liberal ethos of the classical reformers of the nineteenth century.

A Reform synagogue with mixed seating and equal participation of men and women

Reconstructionist Judaism started as a stream of philosophy by Rabbi Mordechai Kaplan, originally an Orthodox rabbi who had come to teach at the Conservative Jewish Theological Seminary of America, and later became an independent movement emphasizing reinterpreting Judaism for modern times.
^ Among Western Buddhists, there are college-educated men and women who apparently believe that Guru Rinpoche was actually born from a lotus.
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
^ God has always put equal value on both men and women, He just gave each of us different functions, roles and abilities.
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
^ Some of the clearest teachings come from the Reformers that pointed to the Lord Jesus Christ and what He has done.
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
.Like Reform Judaism, Reconstructionist Judaism does not hold that Jewish law, as such, requires observance, but unlike Reform, Reconstructionist thought emphasizes the role of the community in deciding what observances to follow.
Jewish Renewal, a recent North American movement, was begun by Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi, a Hassidic rabbi, in the 1960s.
^ YOU: "Well Peter it would be impossible to follow a set of laws perfectly, if one does not understand the set of laws perfectly."
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
^ Torture and barbarous actions come when mankind does not follow God's laws and decrees.
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
^ LJ: “If you mean that absolute authority requires a person to follow all of God’s laws (there are so many and they are so contrary),” .
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
.Jewish Renewal focuses on spirituality and social justice, but does not address issues of Jewish law.
^ The Bible does not address many of today's issues directly.
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
^ YOU: "The Bible does not address many of today's issues directly.
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
.Men and women participate equally in prayer.
Humanistic Judaism.
^ God has always put equal value on both men and women, He just gave each of us different functions, roles and abilities.
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
.A small nontheistic movement that emphasizes Jewish culture and history as the sources of Jewish identity.
^ And since the Bible is essentially Jewish tribal history, let Jews take the lead in judging its cultural relevance.
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
Founded by Rabbi Sherwin Wine, it is centered in North America and Israel but also has affiliated groups in Europe and Latin America.

Jewish movements in Israel

Main article: Religion in Israel

.Even though all of these movements exist in Israel, Israelis tend to classify Jewish identity in ways that are different than diaspora Jewry.^ And I am smarter than your average bear, even though it may not seem so from your perspective.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ That we are completely unaware that the only reason we behave the way we do is because we are copying god morals even though we don't believe in him?

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ So you just phrase your belief in a way that isnt assertive, even though behaviorally and psychologically it is the same.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

.Most Jewish Israelis classify themselves as "secular" (hiloni), "traditional" (masorti), "religious" (dati) or Haredi.^ "Many scientists see themselves as having a spirituality not attached to a particular religious tradition.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

.The term "secular" is more popular as a self-description among Israeli families of western (European) origin, whose Jewish identity may be a very powerful force in their lives, but who see it as largely independent of traditional religious belief and practice.^ I found it to be a deep and poignant question and very difficult to contemplate’ As who wouldn’t Gad, since the proposition is about the most powerful ever put forward on the question of evil.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Of course, I'm practicing in the West, but still, I think Buddhists in general view the religious/ceremonial aspects more as symbolic and inspirational and less as absolute and literal.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ But while it may grab a few headlines, some quiet work in the trenches may achieve alot more, even though it may feel less righteous and powerful.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

.This portion of the population largely ignores organized religious life, be it of the official Israeli rabbinate (Orthodox) or of the liberal movements common to diaspora Judaism (Reform, Conservative).^ It is in our best interest to behave morally because morality and ethics greatly increases quality of life for large populations of people.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Studying the life of Muhammad shows he was influenced by a number of religious teachings; Zoroastrianism, Judaism, Christianity and the local pagan deity of the half moon.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Studying the life of Muhammad shows he was influenced by a number of religious teachings; Zoroastrianism, Judaism, Christianity and the local pagan deity of the half moon."

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

.The term "traditional" (masorti) is most common as a self-description among Israeli families of "eastern" origin (i.e., the Middle East, Central Asia, and North Africa).^ BTW "which you term as "glassing ---you probably mean gassing" No glassing is the term I meant, it's what happens when a nuclear bomb fuses sand (as in a desert as in the middle east) into glass i.e.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Much anti-semitic propaganda in the Middle East is of European origin...

Daily Kos: UPDATE It's the Jews 15 January 2010 11:43 UTC www.dailykos.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Next to the Islamic countries of the middle east, it is the most religious country in the the world.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

.This term, as commonly used, has nothing to do with the official Masorti (Conservative) movement.^ The term tells us nothing about their behavior or the history/meaning of the civil rights movement.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ While the term may have been used in certain circumstances, for example, among the people working in the movement as a way to describe themselves, I question that it was used in the mainstream culture and media as a way of describing the movement.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Are you suggesting the term "non-racists" was used during the civil rights movement (CRM) as a label for those who were active in eliminating racism and working in the movement?

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

.There is a great deal of ambiguity in the ways "secular" and "traditional" are used in Israel.^ There is a difference between wisdom and knowledge and I will grant that you, Timmy, Bernie and Andy have a great deal of knowledge, but wisdom comes with the fear of the Lord, of recognizing who He is and that He has created you.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ My points here are about using baby steps to unbrainwash, as opposed to being deluded into thinking that there is any other way.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Almost every great scientific discovery ever has come from someone's imaginative, way out there, "what if".

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

.They often overlap, and they cover an extremely wide range in terms of ideology and religious observance.^ That covers a wide scope of behaviors and is often extremely hard to do.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ This is a good example of how religious people often don't even understand or follow what they say they believe is in the Bible.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ I also agree that the terms "god" and "religious" have a very wide range of meanings and, therefore, we should be more specific in describing religious beliefs of a person or a group.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

.The term "Orthodox" is not popular in Israeli discourse, although the percentage of Jews who come under that category in Israel is far greater than in the diaspora.^ The way you are using it, you are attacking all Israelis and any American Jew who are supportive of Israel.

Daily Kos: UPDATE It's the Jews 15 January 2010 11:43 UTC www.dailykos.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Although he had delivered a long homily against the Jews on the previous day, and had become hoarse from the length of his Sermon, he now delivered the following discourse.

Medieval Sourcebook: Saint John Chrysostom: Eight Homilies Against the Jews 28 January 2010 0:10 UTC www.fordham.edu [Source type: Original source]

^ Some on the left have adopted this term as a code for talking about Jews with too much power and/or Jews who they feel have more allegiance to Israel than the USA. So, it should be easy then, to point to a reference where the left has started using this term to mean Jew.

Daily Kos: UPDATE It's the Jews 15 January 2010 11:43 UTC www.dailykos.com [Source type: Original source]

Various methods of measuring this percentage, each with its pros and cons, are the proportion of religiously observant Knesset members, the proportion of Jewish children enrolled in religious schools, and statistical studies on "identity".

.What would be called "Orthodox" in the diaspora includes what is commonly called dati (religious) or haredi (ultra-Orthodox) in Israel.^ Most Christians in the Netherlands however are, what I would like to call 'inclusivists': they tend to include everything and everybody in their own group.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

.The former term includes what is called "Religious Zionism" or the "National Religious" community, as well as what has become known over the past decade or so as haredi-leumi (nationalist haredi), or "Hardal", which combines a largely haredi lifestyle with nationalist ideology.^ Trotsky wrote as an internationalist Marxist who opposed nationalistic ideologies, including the nationalistic ideology of Zionism.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ The US (acting as a "Christian" nation) has killed 100 times the number of people than Muslim extremists have in the past decade.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ I, too, have called myself an atheist but always felt it fell short of what I wanted to say and, frankly, engaged the religious on their terms rather than my own.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

.(Some people, in Yiddish, also refer to observant Orthodox Jews as frum, as opposed to frei (more liberal Jews)).^ "Some people are “getting off” more on the harsh, belittling criticisms than actually debating the ideas."

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Here are some more traits that, in my opinion, put people into this miniscule demographic I have called the Scarlet A's.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Some people are “getting off” more on the harsh, belittling criticisms than actually debating the ideas.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

.Haredi applies to a populace that can be roughly divided into three separate groups along both ethnic and ideological lines: (1) "Lithuanian" (non-hasidic) haredim of Ashkenazic origin; (2) Hasidic haredim of Ashkenazic origin; and (3) Sephardic haredim.^ Muslims resented the assumed "intrusion" by a non-Muslim group into a Muslim area.

Daily Kos: UPDATE It's the Jews 15 January 2010 11:43 UTC www.dailykos.com [Source type: Original source]

^ You and I are both separate persons, but we are both “humans.” The Father, Son and Holy Spirit are three Persons, but all are the One true God.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ But this woman was drunk when we ran into her, and she proceeded to -- literally -- grab my wife by the arm and drag us, along with her group, to their next destinantion...

Daily Kos: UPDATE It's the Jews 15 January 2010 11:43 UTC www.dailykos.com [Source type: Original source]

.The third group is the largest, and has been the most politically active since the early 1990s.^ Compared to the United States, the number of fundamentalistic Christians is very low and most of the time fundamentalist Chrisians are not very aggressive or political active.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ MLK Jr was more aggressive (he went on marches, boycots) than any of the atheists who are politically active and I dont think most people consider MLK Jr "militant."

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^{[citation needed]}

Alternative Judaism

Other expressions of Jewish identity fall outside of this conservative-liberal continuum.

.Unlike the above movements, which were ideological reactions that resulted from the exposure of traditional rabbinic Judaism to the radical changes of modern times, Karaite Judaism did not begin as a modern Jewish movement.^ Time had a beginning, God did not.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ A third, more general meaning is the integral human life expressed in the world's philosophical traditions prior to modern times.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ A third, more general meaning is the integral human life expressed in the world's religious traditions prior to modern times.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

.The followers of Karaism believe they are the remnants of the non-Rabbinic Jewish sects of the Second Temple period, such as the Sadducees, though others contend they are a sect started in the 8th and 9th centuries.^ They can only build models on how they believe it started.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ They also want to believe because their arch opponents - religious fundamentalists such as creationists - do not believe in life's spontaneous origin.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ But seriously, all this is predicated one one big assumption: that the Bible is in fact what its authors said it is and what they and countless followers sincerely believed and believe it to be.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

.The Karaites (or "Scripturalists") accept only the Hebrew Bible and what they view as the Peshat: "Plain or Simple Meaning"; and do not accept non-biblical writings as authoritative.^ Then it will be simple to convince people to stop having babies just for the sake of having babies because that is the only tradition that they know.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Spiritual thoughts about the meaning of our imagination are not at all irrational or dangerous, nor do they need to be viewed as supernatural.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Arab contact with Black Africa was for one purpose only, plain and simple.

True History of Islam, Mohammed and the Koran 28 January 2010 0:00 UTC bibleprobe.com [Source type: Original source]

.Some European Karaites do not see themselves as part of the Jewish community, while most do.^ Some scientists who don't believe in God see themselves as very spiritual people.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ I am Jewish, and most Jews don't see any serious risk and are not unleashing their "Never Again" forces.

Daily Kos: UPDATE It's the Jews 15 January 2010 11:43 UTC www.dailykos.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Although I can share most of the reasons Sam gives fornot labelling ourselves as 'atheists' I still see some more strategic reasons to do so.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

.Nazis often did not associate Karaites with Jews, and therefore several Karaite communities were spared in WWII and exist to this day even in places such as Lithuania where Jewish communities were completely devastated.^ But even if the positive evidence did not exist, the absence of evidence would be sufficient to believe such purposes did not exist, as it would generate the same difficulties as the sadistic ghosts.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ A complete column does not exist anywhere in the world, and in some places it is the opposite of what you would expect to find.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ I wouldn't believe in him even if he did exist.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

.In other areas, such as Greece, the Nazis deemed Karaites as belonging to a greater Jewish tradition and abused them accordingly.^ In all If poems (and other traditional Yorb genre such as Ijala and Iwi Egungun), Oldmar is gender neutral.

Religion 28 January 2010 0:44 UTC www.zulunation.com [Source type: Original source]

^ A tradition of celebrating a gene line, such as the Jewish line in the Old Testament, can hardly fail to be divisive and draw flak from the neighbors.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

.Another historical division among ethnic Jews are the Samaritans, who maintain a distinct cultural and religious identity from mainstream Judaism, and are located entirely around Mount Gerizim in the Nablus/Shechem region of the West Bank and in Holon, near Tel Aviv in Israel.^ If one society or culture believes that abortion is a right of the mother to choose and another believes that it is murder and the mother does not have the right to choose, who is right.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ If one's entire worldview is structured around faith, perhaps it becomes difficult to view the world through the eyes of someone else who is not faithful to some entity or ideal?

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ "If one society or culture believes that abortion is a right of the mother to choose and another believes that it is murder and the mother does not have the right to choose, who is right.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

Jewish observances

Religious clothing

.A kippah (Hebrew: כִּפָּה, plural kippot; Yiddish: יאַרמלקע, yarmulke) is a slightly-rounded brimless skullcap worn by many Jewish men while praying, eating, reciting blessings, or studying Jewish religious texts, and at all times by some Jewish men.^ I need some time to digest all of this.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ They have all been answered many times.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Well Timmy, I do not see what you do in private or how many times you have acted in a manner that even by your standard you deem is wrong, but God sees it all.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

In non-Orthodox communities, some women have also begun to wear kippot. Kippot range in size from a small round beanie that covers only the back of the head, to a large, snug cap that covers the whole crown.

Tzitzit (Hebrew: צִיציִת) (Ashkenazi pronunciation: tzitzis) are special knotted "fringes" or "tassels" found on the four corners of the tallit (Hebrew: טַלִּית) (Ashkenazi pronunciation: tallis), or prayer shawl. .The tallit is worn by Jewish men and some Jewish women during the prayer service.^ Mature women are like aged wine and some men eventually figure it out.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ And that should go for both men and women, but there's that damned marriage thing that you are defending for some reason that makes it unfair in mens favor.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Surah 4:11 - A woman can only inherit half of what a man can Surah 4:34 - Women cannot serve as imams, but they can't even lead a prayer in front of men.

True History of Islam, Mohammed and the Koran 28 January 2010 0:00 UTC bibleprobe.com [Source type: Original source]

Customs vary regarding when a Jew begins wearing a tallit. In the Sephardi community, boys wear a tallit from bar mitzvah age. .In some Ashkenazi communities it is customary to wear one only after marriage.^ But as satisfying as it is, I do have some concern remaining, over its efficacy, which is really the only reason of developing an atheist communication I'm personally interested in.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Late marriages have become possible only because sex outside marriage has become the norm, at least in some cultures.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ But for the ones who have happy marriages, they have to find some other justification.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

A tallit katan (small tallit) is a fringed garment worn under the clothing throughout the day. In some Orthodox circles, the fringes are allowed to hang freely outside the clothing.

.Tefillin (Hebrew: תְפִלִּין), known in English as phylacteries (from the Greek word φιλακτέριον, meaning fortress or protection), are two square leather boxes containing biblical verses, attached to the forehead and wound around the left arm by leather straps.^ The Hebrew word for personal killing as in the example "Thou shalt not kill" is rasah - meaning personal killing or murder.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ The word for virgin in Hebrew (betulah) can have two meanings; one being a virgin, the other a married woman (Joel 1:8).

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

.They are worn during weekday morning prayer by observant Jewish men and some Jewish women.^ But women in general have to deal with men as they are.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ To accomplish great achievements, during this time in history, men and women were gathered together by spiritual concept, or a declaration of the Word of God.

Religion 28 January 2010 0:44 UTC www.zulunation.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Is it honest for promiscuous men to want the women they love to be monogamous?

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^[47]

A kittel (Yiddish: קיטל), a white knee-length overgarment, is worn by prayer leaders and some observant traditional Jews on the High Holidays. .It is traditional for the head of the household to wear a kittel at the Passover seder, and some grooms wear one under the wedding canopy.^ The tradition(s) that fall under the label Buddhism have one primary aspect that is the cornerstone for all the practices--there is a primary goal.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ In one of the ruined temples, there is a colossal Jaina figure thirteen feet nine inches with a canopy of two feet six inches over head which is supported by two elephants.

CHAPTER - VI 14 January 2010 7:18 UTC www.jainworld.org [Source type: Original source]

Jewish males are buried in a tallit and sometimes also a kittel which are part of the tachrichim (burial garments).

Prayers

Main article: Jewish services

A Yemenite Jew at morning prayers, wearing a kippah skullcap, prayer shawl and tefillin.

Traditionally, Jews recite prayers three times daily, with a fourth prayer added on Shabbat and holidays. At the heart of each service is the Amidah or Shemoneh Esrei. Another key prayer in many services is the declaration of faith, the Shema Yisrael (or Shema). The Shema is the recitation of a verse from the Torah (Deuteronomy 6:4): Shema Yisrael Adonai Eloheinu Adonai Echad—"Hear, O Israel! .The Lord is our God!^ Like Jesus is lord, God is powerful, there is no reason for our existence, meditation is useless.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ "Hear O Israel: The LORD our God, the Lord is one."

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Until the Lord returns our best is going to be second best because we are sinners, we sin and fall short of God's glory (and standards).

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

The Lord is One!"

Most of the prayers in a traditional Jewish service can be recited in solitary prayer, although communal prayer is preferred. Communal prayer requires a quorum of ten adult Jews, called a minyan. .In nearly all Orthodox and a few Conservative circles, only male Jews are counted toward a minyan; most Conservative Jews and members of other Jewish denominations count female Jews as well.^ If I criticize religion or stand up for homosexuality, a few might not only be upset at me for doing those things, but also because they associate their religion and their prejudice toward homosexuality with their race.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ "Was the earth not flat until it was proven, did the earth not circle the sun until every one believed it, was evolution not true until it was proved, no all these thing were true even when only a few people believed them" .

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Iowans have little exposure to secular or reform/conservative Jews; they've only ever heard of Lubavitchers and other Orthodox jews who are indeed mysterious and out of the mainstream.

Daily Kos: UPDATE It's the Jews 15 January 2010 11:43 UTC www.dailykos.com [Source type: Original source]

In addition to prayer services, observant traditional Jews recite prayers and benedictions throughout the day when performing various acts. .Prayers are recited upon waking up in the morning, before eating or drinking different foods, after eating a meal, and so on.^ He had perfect moral rightness and perfect physical being before God up to the point of eating the fruit.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ It's not really mine, so many before have said the same thing, and slowly and surely the world is waking up.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

The approach to prayer varies among the Jewish denominations. .Differences can include the texts of prayers, the frequency of prayer, the number of prayers recited at various religious events, the use of musical instruments and choral music, and whether prayers are recited in the traditional liturgical languages or the vernacular.^ I can feel the difference now in terms of the spiritual "feelings" I used to experience when my prayer life was strong.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ The debate about Christian America is whether the government has the right to establish a religion or laws that promote religious beliefs (such as the 10 commandments or prayer in schools.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ I think we can spend eternity disputing the numbers and we will find some variance between different surveys completed over the last few years.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

.In general, Orthodox and Conservative congregations adhere most closely to tradition, and Reform and Reconstructionist synagogues are more likely to incorporate translations and contemporary writings in their services.^ I'm actually happy to see by the reaction to these posts that most atheists are not like the one's that I refer to, but more like me.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ You sound more like a theist than most theists I know.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ I will argue that the issues of applied ethics that arise in Yorb culture (traditional and contemporary) are by far more complex than anything ventured by most contemporary African philosophers.

Religion 28 January 2010 0:44 UTC www.zulunation.com [Source type: Original source]

.Also, in most Conservative synagogues, and all Reform and Reconstructionist congregations, women participate in prayer services on an equal basis with men, including roles traditionally filled only by men, such as reading from the Torah.^ Since the mathematical community does not know how this all happened they can only speculate on such topics.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ The only thing that stands in my way is reality, such in ideas as evolution, so that all my know the pleasure of pleasing me such ideas must not be allowed.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ God has always put equal value on both men and women, He just gave each of us different functions, roles and abilities.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

.In addition, many Reform temples use musical accompaniment such as organs and mixed choirs.^ If I had my druthers, those using 9/11 for partisan gain would (a) knock it the hell off (b) rescind all such gains IMMEDIATELY. Media reform now!

Daily Kos: UPDATE It's the Jews 15 January 2010 11:43 UTC www.dailykos.com [Source type: Original source]

Jewish holidays

Main article: Jewish holiday

.Jewish holidays are special days in the Jewish calendar, which celebrate moments in Jewish history, as well as central themes in the relationship between God and the world, such as creation, revelation, and redemption.^ God created a perfect world.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Without acts of love or compassion we would not survive one day in this world you claim was created by God.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities - His eternal power and divine nature - have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse."

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

Shabbat

Main article: Shabbat

Two braided Shabbat challahs placed under an embroidered challah cover at the start of the Shabbat meal.

.Shabbat, the weekly day of rest lasting from shortly before sundown on Friday night to shortly after sundown Saturday night, commemorates God's day of rest after six days of creation.^ On the sixth day God created man, on the seventh He rested.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ It also says that everything was created in six days.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ The days are literal days and His creation lasted for a period of six days.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^[48] .It plays a pivotal role in Jewish practice and is governed by a large corpus of religious law.^ The debate about Christian America is whether the government has the right to establish a religion or laws that promote religious beliefs (such as the 10 commandments or prayer in schools.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ LJ: "In particular we ought to have laws against corrupt and religiously inclined governments that torture their own people.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ It is quite obvious to any reader of the Qur'an that Muhammad had not a clue of the role in God's plan for salvation that the Jewish Messiah (Jesus) was to play.

True History of Islam, Mohammed and the Koran 28 January 2010 0:00 UTC bibleprobe.com [Source type: Original source]

.At sundown on Friday, the woman of the house welcomes the Shabbat by lighting two or more candles and reciting a blessing.^ Just like it is possible for a woman to love two or more men at once.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Muhammad decided to take the more beautiful of the two, Mariyah, for himself, lodging her in a nearby house.

True History of Islam, Mohammed and the Koran 28 January 2010 0:00 UTC bibleprobe.com [Source type: Original source]

The evening meal begins with the Kiddush, a blessing recited aloud over a cup of wine, and the Mohtzi, a blessing recited over the bread. It is customary to have challah, two braided loaves of bread, on the table. During Shabbat Jews are forbidden to engage in any activity that falls under 39 categories of melakhah, translated literally as "work". .In fact the activities banned on the Sabbath are not "work" in the usual sense: They include such actions as lighting a fire, writing, using money and carrying in the public domain.^ The difference is that, when their works are killed, they will have managed to have drawn all colors of Light (or Intelligence) into the event horizon of the black-hole.

Religion 28 January 2010 0:44 UTC www.zulunation.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Although such beasts are unfit for work, they are fit for killing.

Medieval Sourcebook: Saint John Chrysostom: Eight Homilies Against the Jews 28 January 2010 0:10 UTC www.fordham.edu [Source type: Original source]

^ Sometimes they worked together and the El was simply added to the end of Ru, such as in Meru-el, also known as Merul.

Religion 28 January 2010 0:44 UTC www.zulunation.com [Source type: Original source]

The prohibition of lighting a fire has been extended in the modern era to driving a car, which involves burning fuel, and using electricity.

Three pilgrimage festivals

Main article: Shalosh regalim

Sukkahs in Jerusalem.

.Jewish holy days (haggim), celebrate landmark events in Jewish history, such as the Exodus from Egypt and the giving of the Torah, and sometimes mark the change of seasons and transitions in the agricultural cycle.^ It would have been suicide for the very early Christian converts to celebrate their holy days with observances that did not coincide with celebrations that already existed.

Religion 28 January 2010 0:44 UTC www.zulunation.com [Source type: Original source]

^ A tradition of celebrating a gene line, such as the Jewish line in the Old Testament, can hardly fail to be divisive and draw flak from the neighbors.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ The book includes new commentaries that consider advances in archaeology, history and linguistics - several of which question the historical veracity of biblical events including the Exodus.

Religion 28 January 2010 0:44 UTC www.zulunation.com [Source type: Original source]

The three major festivals, Sukkot, Passover and Shavuot, are called "regalim" (derived from the Hebrew word "regel", or foot). .On the three regalim, it was customary for the Israelites to make pilgrimages to Jerusalem to offer sacrifices in the Temple.^ The Jews did return from Babylon, they did recover their city, they did rebuild their temple, and they did offer sacrifices.

Medieval Sourcebook: Saint John Chrysostom: Eight Homilies Against the Jews 28 January 2010 0:10 UTC www.fordham.edu [Source type: Original source]

^ This makes it clear that in this instance God did not simply reject sacrifices, but that he rejected them because those who offered them were adulterers and thieves and plotted against theirs brothers.

Medieval Sourcebook: Saint John Chrysostom: Eight Homilies Against the Jews 28 January 2010 0:10 UTC www.fordham.edu [Source type: Original source]

^ And, again, the three boys who were captives in Babylon said; "At this time we have no prince or prophet nor place to offer sacrifice in your sight and find mercy."

Medieval Sourcebook: Saint John Chrysostom: Eight Homilies Against the Jews 28 January 2010 0:10 UTC www.fordham.edu [Source type: Original source]

Passover (Pesach) is a week-long holiday beginning on the evening of the 14th day of Nisan (the first month in the Hebrew calendar), that commemorates the Exodus from Egypt.
^ We agree on a clock and a calendar, and a set of means to use them to determine the year, month, day, hour and so on.
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
^ Most of you will probably be reminded of Dorothy’s longing for somewhere over the rainbow, even so, I’m sure you’ll still find it pleasant even if it is only day-dreaming: .
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
Outside Israel, Passover is celebrated for eight days. In ancient times, it coincided with the barley harvest. It is the only holiday that centers on home-service, the Seder. Leavened products (chametz) are removed from the house prior to the holiday, and are not consumed throughout the week. Homes are thoroughly cleaned to ensure no bread or bread by-products remain, and a symbolic burning of the last vestiges of chametz is conducted on the morning of the Seder. Matzo is eaten instead of bread.
Shavuot ("Pentecost" or "Feast of Weeks") celebrates the revelation of the Torah to the Israelites on Mount Sinai. Also known as the Festival of Bikurim, or first fruits, it coincided in biblical times with the wheat harvest. .Shavuot customs include all-night study marathons known as Tikkun Leil Shavuot, eating dairy foods (cheesecake and blintzes are special favorites), reading the Book of Ruth, decorating homes and synagogues with greenery, and wearing white clothing, symbolizing purity.
Sukkot ("Tabernacles" or "The Festival of Booths") commemorates the Israelites' forty years of wandering through the desert on their way to the Promised Land.
^ But I think people want to go through these rituals, ceremonies and symbolic ways of expressing their love because it is something that makes them feel good.
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
^ These are facts that more than likely give you adequate information about the decisions you make in your life----spanning what kind of clothes you wear, what food you choose to eat and what time you want your daughter home from a date.
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
^ Of Dennet all I said is that I read his book "Breaking the Spell" and found it to be about 300 pages tooooo long.....
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
It is celebrated through the construction of temporary booths called sukkot (sing. sukkah) that represent the temporary shelters of the Israelites during their wandering. It coincides with the fruit harvest, and marks the end of the agricultural cycle. .Jews around the world eat in sukkot for seven days and nights.
^ Moses was there with the LORD forty days and forty nights without eating bread or drinking water.
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
^ When he was on the cross, he split the rocks, darkened the earth, turned aside the rays of the sun, and made night out of day over the whole world.
Medieval Sourcebook: Saint John Chrysostom: Eight Homilies Against the Jews 28 January 2010 0:10 UTC www.fordham.edu [Source type: Original source]
^ Today is the longest day in this part of the world (21 Dec), and I suppose it is the longest night in your part of the world.
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
.Sukkot concludes with Shemini Atzeret, where Jews begin to pray for rain and Simchat Torah, "Rejoicing of the Torah", a holiday which marks reaching the end of the Torah reading cycle and beginning all over again.
^ If we all agree fundamentally that there's no beginning and no end to existence, then how can you ultimately pin down a point in time?"
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
^ If we all agree fundamentally that there's no beginning and no end to existence, then how can you ultimately pin down a point in time?
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
^ But of course all this takes millions of years and we only have the fossils of the beginning and the end stages and nothing in between.
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
The occasion is celebrated with singing and dancing with the Torah scrolls.

High Holy Days

Main article: High Holidays

Jews praying in a synagogue on Yom Kippur, from an 1878 painting by Maurycy Gottlieb

.The High Holidays (Yamim Noraim or "Days of Awe") revolve around judgment and forgiveness.^ In the same way, those whom you saved in this life will stand around you on the day of judgment.

Medieval Sourcebook: Saint John Chrysostom: Eight Homilies Against the Jews 28 January 2010 0:10 UTC www.fordham.edu [Source type: Original source]

Rosh Hashanah, (also Yom Ha-Zikkaron or "Day of Remembrance", and Yom Teruah, or "Day of the Sounding of the Shofar"). .Rosh Hashanah is the Jewish New Year (literally, "head of the year"), although it falls on the first day of the seventh month of the Hebrew calendar, Tishri.
^ The earth would have no constant orbit that we could figure out days or months or years from.
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
^ A year is recorded by the time it takes the earth to rotate around the sun, a month by the moons rotation around the earth, a day by the full rotation of the earth upon its axis.
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
^ We agree on a clock and a calendar, and a set of means to use them to determine the year, month, day, hour and so on.
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
.Rosh Hashanah marks the beginning of the 10-day period of atonement leading up to Yom Kippur, during which Jews are commanded to search their souls and make amends for sins committed, intentionally or not, throughout the year.
^ He committed incest, he has sinned; he does not want to give up his licentious ways; he is puffed up and boastful and has made his wound incurable.
Medieval Sourcebook: Saint John Chrysostom: Eight Homilies Against the Jews 28 January 2010 0:10 UTC www.fordham.edu [Source type: Original source]
^ (Mark 10:6; Matthew 19:4) Is the Bible lying when it says that sin entered the world through one man, and in this way death came to all men?
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
^ The Jews were not permitted to fast during the days of the feast of unleavened bread.
Medieval Sourcebook: Saint John Chrysostom: Eight Homilies Against the Jews 28 January 2010 0:10 UTC www.fordham.edu [Source type: Original source]
.Holiday customs include blowing the shofar, or ram's horn, in the synagogue, eating apples and honey, and saying blessings over a variety of symbolic foods, such as pomegranates.
Yom Kippur, ("Day of Atonement") is the most solemn day of the Jewish year.
^ And why couldn’t we come intae season for just a few weeks instead of being made randy every blessed day of the year!
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
^ "And why couldn’t we come intae season for just a few weeks instead of being made randy every blessed day of the year!
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
.It is a day of communal fasting and praying for forgiveness for one's sins.
^ Soja: “Keeping the Sabbath day holy: Using one day in the week tae rest, pray and be with the family, keeps the family sense of community” .
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
^ Keeping the Sabbath day holy: Using one day in the week to rest, pray and be with the family, keeps the family and sense of community; .
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
.Observant Jews spend the entire day in the synagogue, sometimes with a short break in the afternoon, reciting prayers from a special holiday prayerbook called a "Mahzor". Many non-religious Jews make a point of attending synagogue services and fasting on Yom Kippur.
^ Despite his fundamentalist upbringing, he spent many years trying to explain that experience from a scientific point of view rather than label it a religious experience.
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
^ There is nothing wrong with calling oneself a non-astrologer, if lawmakers were making laws in the name of astrology, the way Bush and the Supreme Court are maaking laws in the name of "god".
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
^ Lets just face the facts here, whether you call it killing or murder, for Jew or non-Jew the bible's message is clear killing and murder are just fine with god...........
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On the eve of Yom Kippur, before candles are lit, a prefast meal, the "seuda mafseket", is eaten. Synagogue services on the eve of Yom Kippur begin with the Kol Nidre prayer. It is customary to wear white on Yom Kippur, especially for Kol Nidre, and leather shoes are not worn. .The following day, prayers are held from morning to evening.
^ Even if this was the case, we could not, by following in their footsteps, put our finger on the very day on which He was crucified and fulfilled the Pasch.
Medieval Sourcebook: Saint John Chrysostom: Eight Homilies Against the Jews 28 January 2010 0:10 UTC www.fordham.edu [Source type: Original source]
The final prayer service, called "Ne'ilah", ends with a long blast of the shofar.

Other holidays

Main article: Hanukkah

Hanukkah (Hebrew: חֲנֻכָּה‎, "dedication") also known as the Festival of Lights, is an eight day Jewish holiday that starts on the 25th day of Kislev (Hebrew calendar). .The festival is observed in Jewish homes by the kindling of lights on each of the festival's eight nights, one on the first night, two on the second night and so on.^ I think the third option is the only one open to us; the first will lead to disaster, the second will not stand long in the courts.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ One was the number of original unity, and two the number of the first division.

The Kundalini Kriyass of Kriya Yoga!! Energy Enhancement Meditation Course Level 1 14 January 2010 9:19 UTC www.energyenhancement.org [Source type: General]

^ We both feel it as white light flowing from one to the other in an incredibly intense way which lasts for two hours.

The Kundalini Kriyass of Kriya Yoga!! Energy Enhancement Meditation Course Level 1 14 January 2010 9:19 UTC www.energyenhancement.org [Source type: General]

.The holiday was called Hanukkah (meaning "dedication") because it marks the re-dedication of the Temple after its desecration by Antiochus IV Epiphanes.^ I agree that because I call your worldview delusional it does not mean that I do not count you as a highly intelligent, loving, functional human being with dignity and worth.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

.Spiritually, Hanukkah commemorates the "Miracle of the Oil". According to the Talmud, at the re-dedication of the Temple in Jerusalem following the victory of the Maccabees over the Seleucid Empire, there was only enough consecrated oil to fuel the eternal flame in the Temple for one day.^ I contend that there is only one.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ There is only One who does.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ There is only one true faith.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

.Miraculously, the oil burned for eight days - which was the length of time it took to press, prepare and consecrate new oil.^ Non fiction books with "no new ideas" seldom stay on the best sellers list for any length of time."

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Like I said, non fiction books with nothing new to say seldom stay on the best sellers list for any length of time.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Non fiction books with "no new ideas" seldom stay on the best sellers list for any length of time.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

.Hanukkah is not mentioned in the Bible and was never considered a major holiday in Judaism, but it has become much more visible and widely celebrated in modern times, mainly because it falls around the same time as Christmas and has national Jewish overtones that have been emphasized since the establishment of the State of Israel.^ When we can do this then any thought we have becomes so much more powerful.

The Kundalini Kriyass of Kriya Yoga!! Energy Enhancement Meditation Course Level 1 14 January 2010 9:19 UTC www.energyenhancement.org [Source type: General]

^ Those people who go out and get remarried fall into the same divorce statistics as the one's doing it for the first time.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Since Christmas marks the birth of light (Jesus) at the darkest time of the year, symbolically, here's wishing you all a Merry Christmas (or a Merry Festive Season or Holiday or Whatever) and a Happy New Year 2008!

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

Main article: Purim

Purim street scene in Jerusalem.

.Purim (Hebrew:

פורים (help·info) Pûrîm "lots") is a joyous Jewish holiday that commemorates the deliverance of the Persian Jews from the plot of the evil Haman, who sought to exterminate them, as recorded in the biblical Book of Esther.^ There will be trouble for every human being who does evil: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

It is characterized by public recitation of the Book of Esther, mutual gifts of food and drink, charity to the poor, and a celebratory meal (Esther 9:22). .Other customs include drinking wine, eating special pastries called hamantashen, dressing up in masks and costumes, and organizing carnivals and parties.^ Atheism is not a religion, nor an organized party, according to Socrates if they were, then they wouldn’t have been called atheists.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ It is very easy to assume (incorrectly) words on a blog and very easy to call others' view "narrow" when they don't line up with yours.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ As Susan Jacoby and others have hinted at in recent forums, "Eat, drink and be merry for tomorrow you die."

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

Purim is celebrated annually on the 14th of the Hebrew month of Adar, which occurs in February or March of the Gregorian calendar.

Main article: Tisha B'Av

Tisha B'Av (Hebrew: תשעה באב‎ or ט׳ באב, "the Ninth of Av,") is a holiday of mourning and fasting commemorating the destruction of the First and Second Temples and the expulsion of the Jews from Spain.

Main articles: Yom Hashoah and Yom Ha'atzmaut

Holocaust Rememberance Day and Israeli Independence Day, respectively, commemorating events of the 1940s. Those are not traditional holidays, but they help Jews commemorate recent events.

Torah readings

Main article: Torah reading

.The core of festival and Shabbat prayer services is the public reading of the Torah, along with connected readings from the other books of the Tanakh, called Haftarah.^ I have not read any of his other books, which is apparently where the good stuff must be and what made him notable.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Shannon Murphy - have you read the other books?

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Thank you Sam Harris for writing that book, needless to say that I immediately order your other book which I am reading at this moment.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

.Over the course of a year, the whole Torah is read, with the cycle starting over in the autumn, on Simchat Torah.^ I do not want to prolong this discussion by going into them and start a whole new cycle.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

Synagogues and religious buildings

Main article: Synagogue

Interior of the Esnoga synagogue in Amsterdam

Synagogues are Jewish houses of prayer and study. .They usually contain separate rooms for prayer (the main sanctuary), smaller rooms for study, and often an area for community or educational use.^ I'm aware of studies that show how much more aggressive they make communication compared with face to face, or verbal.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ They are useful in that they allow us to communicate with each other about our world, but they do not seem, yet anyway, to reveal the ultimate mode of reality of anything.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ The succession of organisms has been determined by the study of their remains imbedded in the rocks, and the relative ages of the rocks are determined by the remains of organisms they contain."

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

.There is no set blueprint for synagogues and the architectural shapes and interior designs of synagogues vary greatly.^ No, I'm not proposing there is a designer.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ "Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are IN CHRIST JESUS, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ No one holds jurisdiction over a complete set of truths and we all understand there is gray intermingled in even the most black and white situation.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

The Reform movement mostly refer to their synagogues as temples. Some traditional features of a synagogue are:

The ark (called aron ha-kodesh by Ashkenazim and hekhal by Sephardim) where the Torah scrolls are kept (the ark is often closed with an ornate curtain (parochet) outside or inside the ark doors);
The elevated reader's platform (called bimah by Ashkenazim and tebah by Sephardim), where the Torah is read (and services are conducted in Sephardi synagogues);
The eternal light (ner tamid), a continually-lit lamp or lantern used as a reminder of the constantly lit menorah of the Temple in Jerusalem
The pulpit, or amud (Hebrew, a lecturn facing the Ark where the hazzan or prayer leader stands while praying.

In addition to synagogues, other buildings of significance in Judaism include yeshivas, or institutions of Jewish learning, and mikvahs, which are ritual baths.

Dietary laws: Kashrut

Main article: Kashrut

The Jewish dietary laws are known as kashrut. Food prepared in accordance with them is termed kosher, and food that is not kosher is also known as treifah or treif. People who observe these laws are colloquially said to be "keeping kosher".^[49]

Many of the laws apply to animal-based foods. For example, in order to be considered kosher, mammals must have split hooves and chew their cud. .The pig is arguably the most well-known example of a non-kosher animal.^ Well OK. If a hypothetical proposition is too much for you then try this on for size, just one of many examples and definitely non-hypothetical!

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^[50] Although it has split hooves, it does not chew its cud.^[51] For seafood to be kosher, the animal must have fins and scales. Certain types of seafood, such as shellfish, crustaceans, and eels, are therefore considered non-kosher. Concerning birds, a list of non-kosher species is given in the Torah. .The exact translations of many of the species have not survived, and some non-kosher birds' identities are no longer certain.^ Today, we can morally change our behavior towards people because we no longer see them as possessed by the Devil, or as witches or savages from a different species altogether.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Does this mean that you are no longer certain?

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ If you are 100% certain you no longer hold to the position that nothing can be known for certain.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

However, traditions exist about the kashrut status of a few birds. For example, both chickens and turkeys are permitted in most communities. .Other types of animals, such as amphibians, reptiles, and most insects, are prohibited altogether.^ They were lead to believe that there were favorable races and inferior races that were just above those of other evolved animals such as apes.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ I.E. I feel compassion for others, that could not happen on it's own, it had to be given to me by a god, and god would not have given me such a gift if I were not the most special creature in all of creation!

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^[49]

In addition to the requirement that the species be considered kosher, meat and poultry (but not fish) must come from a healthy animal slaughtered in a process known as shechitah. Without the proper slaughtering practices even an otherwise kosher animal will be rendered treif. The slaughtering process is intended to be quick and relatively painless to the animal. .Forbidden parts of animals include the blood, some fats, and the area in and around the sciatic nerve.^ Some of the laws of societies around the world are based on the Biblical code of ethics in part but when man makes his own rules anything is possible.” .

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Some of the laws of societies around the world are based on the Biblical code of ethics in part but when man makes his own rules anything is possible.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^[49]

Rabbinic Judaism forbids the consumption of meat and dairy products together. .The waiting period between eating meat and eating dairy varies by the order in which they are consumed and by community, and can extend for up to six hours.^ Seeking a defence, the entomologists scoured the world; finally they turned up an insect, which exclusively feeds on cactus, and would eat nothing else.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

.Based on the Biblical injunction against cooking a kid in its mother's milk, this rule is mostly derived from the Oral Torah, the Talmud and Rabbinic law.^ Some of the laws of societies around the world are based on the Biblical code of ethics in part but when man makes his own rules anything is possible.” .

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Some of the laws of societies around the world are based on the Biblical code of ethics in part but when man makes his own rules anything is possible.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^[49] .Chicken and other kosher birds are considered the same as meat under the laws of kashrut, but the prohibition is Rabbinic, not Biblical.^ The claims are the same, just one has a name for the non-physical world laws and the other says it's what science hasn't found yet.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^[52]

.The use of dishes, serving utensils, and ovens may make food treif that would otherwise be kosher.^ Harris' new proposal would surely make it easier to get the interlocutor to use rationale, rather than attacks to make their point.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Sam's interest in meditation is personal and it makes sense he would use his own personal experiences to make his point.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Even talking to oneself out loud may occasionally serve a useful function.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

.Utensils that have been used to prepare non-kosher food, or dishes that have held meat and are now used for dairy products, render the food treif under certain conditions.^ But if people want to practice certain (non harmful) acts ----say meditation or those examples I used above, or even celibacy--then I don't see what is "poisonous" about that.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^[49]

.Furthermore, Orthodox Judaism forbids the consumption of processed grape products made by non-Jews, based on ancient pagan practices of using wine in rituals.^ But if people want to practice certain (non harmful) acts ----say meditation or those examples I used above, or even celibacy--then I don't see what is "poisonous" about that.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ I've just made one more choice then you, based on the same reasoning as you used for believing there are no god or god(s).......

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^[49] Conservative Judaism, a branch that maintains a more modernist interpretation of halakha, has challenged this.^[53]

.The Torah does not give specific reasons for most of the laws of kashrut.^ Although I can share most of the reasons Sam gives fornot labelling ourselves as 'atheists' I still see some more strategic reasons to do so.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Hard scientists have come to understand the world and its inter workings better than most others and this understanding gives them reason not to believe in God.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Does the context give any reason for turning an historical narrative into an allegory or figurative speech or visa versa?

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^[49] .However, a number of explanations have been offered, including maintaining ritual purity, teaching impulse control, encouraging obedience to God, improving health, reducing cruelty to animals and preserving the distinctness of the Jewish community.^ Hence, animals are under man's control, although ultimately everything is under God's sovereignty, and only He can bring back to life what is dead.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ That purity in heart is in the Son and we who believe are included in Him, but God also changes the minds of the regenerate in the desire to do His will, to do what is right, to stand for what is right, what is good.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Man is always and has always been man, since he was first made, distinct from the animals God has made.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^[54] .The various categories of dietary laws may have developed for different reasons, and some may exist for multiple reasons.^ But as satisfying as it is, I do have some concern remaining, over its efficacy, which is really the only reason of developing an atheist communication I'm personally interested in.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Do you consider that intelligent life may have existed on other planets for hundreds of millions, if not, billions of years, before our planet developed life?

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ I think we can spend eternity disputing the numbers and we will find some variance between different surveys completed over the last few years.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

.For example, people are forbidden from consuming the blood of birds and mammals because, according to the Torah, this is where animal souls are contained.^ Animals don’t sin, don’t need salvation, and do not (according to your God) have a soul.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ YOU: "For example, many people today, because of moral or ethical reasons do not eat animals or eat only animals who have been raised 'humanely".

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ For example, many people today, because of moral or ethical reasons do not eat animals or eat only animals who have been raised 'humanely".

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^[55] .In contrast, the Torah forbids Israelites from eating non-kosher species because "they are unclean."^ Because they didn't eat from the tree of knowledge like we did :) And yet they still get cancer.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ I said that NON MONOGAMOUS couples can have sex with others and still be "true" to each other because they are being honest.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^[56] The Kabbalah describes sparks of holiness that are released by the act of eating kosher foods, but are too tightly bound in non-kosher foods to be released by eating.^[57]

.Survival concerns supersede all the laws of kashrut, as they do for most halakhot.^ "When Moses went and told the people all the LORD's words and LAWS, they responded with one voice, "Everything the LORD has said we will do."

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ I now come to that part of Christian morals where they differ most sharply from all other morals.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ They just wouldn't be all hung up on a concept that doesn't exists for most people.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^[58]^[59]

Laws of ritual purity

Main article: Tumah

.The Tanakh describes circumstances in which a person who is tahor or ritually pure may become tamei or ritually impure.^ These are some of the many foundational questions that, without an absolute standard, you cannot make sense of at all, because all it is is pure personal preference, pure subjective opinion and who cares what you or I believe in such circumstances?

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ While I cannot speak for them, I can state what is self-evident to me--a person who lacks your faith faithfully and consistently: The mysteries of the universe may never be known.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ How could He who delights only in that which is pure and lovely, loathe and hate not that which is impure and vile?

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

Some of these circumstances are contact with human corpses or graves, seminal flux, vaginal flux, menstruation, and contact with people who have become impure from any of these.^[60]^[61]

.From a Rabbinic Jewish perspective, modern Jews are in a very high state of ritual impurity because removing any impurity conferred by the dead (tum'at meit) required the Holy Temple in Jerusalem, now no longer standing, and a ritual involving a sacrificed red heifer.^ You are now no longer perfect.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ You are now no longer perfect" .

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ We, as creatures have inherited that nature of Adam, and we no longer have the ability to obey God perfectly, which a perfect obedience God requires of His creatures.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

.Karaite Judaism maintains that in the absence of a Temple, ordinary washing should be substituted for the red heifer ritual—Karaites believe this was the practice before the Temple was built.^ Before you criticize my worldview, find out where your standard comes from and why it should be believed.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Before you criticize my worldview, find out where your standard comes from and why it should be believed."

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Unfortunately, I have few answers- non-believers should be open to ceremony, to ritual, to community, to cultural bonding in ways that build meaning while respecting truth.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^[62]^[63] For this reason, many of the laws of avoiding tum'at meit are no longer considered relevant in Rabbinic Judaism, but are still followed by observant Karaite Jews. .However, even in Rabbinic Judaism, Kohanim, members of the hereditary caste that served as priests in the time of the Temple, are still mostly restricted from entering grave sites and touching dead bodies.^ Even when cooped up with homicidal maniacs and rapists, most people still prefer the company of others to spending any significant amount of time alone in a box.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ However, even if it is hyperbolic, it is still representative of the high enthusiasm that Sam has, that I believe is utopian.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^[64]^[65]

Family purity

Main article: Niddah

An important subcategory of the ritual purity laws relates to the segregation of menstruating women. These laws are also known as niddah, literally "separation", or family purity. .Vital aspects of halakha for traditionally observant Jews, they are not usually followed by Jews in liberal denominations.^ They began that way, but liberal reconstructionism and deconstructionism turned the tables for later ideas and the consequences that followed.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^[66]

Especially in Orthodox Judaism, the Biblical laws are augmented by Rabbinical injunctions. .For example, the Torah mandates that a woman in her normal menstrual period must abstain from sexual intercourse for seven days.^ Men boast of their sexual conquests But a woman must chaste appear So the bored wife Flirts with taste.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

A woman whose menstruation is prolonged must continue to abstain for seven more days after bleeding has stopped.^[60] .The Rabbis conflated ordinary niddah with this extended menstrual period, known in the Torah as zavah, and mandated that a woman may not have sexual intercourse with her husband from the time she begins her menstrual flow until seven days after it ends.^ I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Meditate in solitude for an extended period of time.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ From an evolutionary perspective, since I am going to die regardless, without any moral consequences, I will do whatever it takes to survive until I know that my time is at end.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

In addition, Rabbinical law forbids the husband from touching or sharing a bed with his wife during this period. Afterwards, purification can occur in a ritual bath called a mikveh.^[66]

Traditional Ethiopian Jews keep menstruating women in separate huts and, along with Karaite Jews, do not allow menstruating women into their temples because of a temple's special sanctity. .Emigration to Israel and the influence of other Jewish denominations have led to Ethopian Jews adopting more normative Jewish practices.^ For me, it is my belief in the divinity of Jesus that makes it more attractive than other religions, in addition to His teachings and the exemplary life Jesus led.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ You are instructed to learn about other views and consider them, and "junk" them if they don't make sense, or adopt them if they make more sense than the "Buddhist" view.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^[67]^[68]

Life-cycle events

.Life-cycle events, or rites of passage, occur throughout a Jew's life that serve to strengthen Jewish identity and bind him/her to the entire community.^ You: "He has given my life meaning and purpose, the ultimate purpose of knowing and serving Him to the capacity that He has enabled me."

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ He has given my life meaning and purpose, the ultimate purpose of knowing and serving Him to the capacity that He has enabled me.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

Brit milah - Welcoming male babies into the covenant through the rite of circumcision on their eighth day of life.
^ Perhaps the universe itself is life, or innately filled with life that has no problem squeezing through the Big Bang and into this universal form from the last.
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
The baby boy is also given his Hebrew name in the ceremony. .A naming ceremony intended as a parallel ritual for girls, named zeved habat, enjoys limited popularity.
Bar mitzvah and Bat mitzvah - This passage from childhood to adulthood takes place when a female Jew is twelve and a male Jew is thirteen years old among Orthodox and some Conservative congregations.
^ That takes thirteen years of practice while the dumb husband waits at home.
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
^ When Friedman asked one Sunni militant why he was doing this, he said that he had recently watched a member of al-Qaeda decapitate an 8-year-old girl.
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
^ Some females were so aggressive in their pursuit of the male that he actually had physically to attack them to rebuff their advances.
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
In the Reform movement, both girls and boys have their bat/bar mitzvah at age thirteen. .This is often commemorated by having the new adults, male only in the Orthodox tradition, lead the congregation in prayer and publicly read a "portion" of the Torah.
Marriage - Marriage is an extremely important lifecycle event.
^ Then it will be simple to convince people to stop having babies just for the sake of having babies because that is the only tradition that they know.
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
^ I am only making suggestions that there seems to be some indication of a positive relationship between marriage and children and (yes adults) and it MAY be beneficial.
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
^ Having said that, yes, I think sexual fidelity is important to a happy marriage, or at least to my marriage.
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
A wedding takes place under a chupah, or wedding canopy, which symbolizes a happy house. .At the end of the ceremony, the groom breaks a glass with his foot, symbolizing the continuous mourning for the destruction of the Temple, and the scattering of the Jewish people.
Death and Mourning - Judaism has a multi-staged mourning practice.
^ Judaism as a religion is the work of several holy people over several centuries anyway, so why shouldn't the trend continue?
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
The first stage is called the shiva (literally "seven", observed for one week) during which it is traditional to sit at home and be comforted by friends and family, the second is the shloshim (observed for one month) and for those who have lost one of their parents, there is a third stage, avelut yud bet chodesh, which is observed for eleven months.

Community leadership

Classical priesthood

The role of the priesthood in Judaism has significantly diminished since the destruction of the Second Temple in 70 CE, when priests attended to the Temple and sacrifices. .The priesthood is an inherited position, and although priests no longer have any but ceremonial duties, they are still honored in many Jewish communities.^ Since Adam’s sin, our wills are no longer free and unbiased; they have a propensity to do that which is evil in God’s sight and in that action man was no longer able to do that which is perfect.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ If you are 100% certain you no longer hold to the position that nothing can be known for certain.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ And what else is left for me to say when some of you are still sick although there are so many physicians to effect a cure?

Medieval Sourcebook: Saint John Chrysostom: Eight Homilies Against the Jews 28 January 2010 0:10 UTC www.fordham.edu [Source type: Original source]

Many Orthodox Jewish communities believe that they will be needed again for a future Third Temple and need to remain in readiness for future duty.

Kohen (priest) - patrilineal descendant of Aaron, brother of Moses. In the Temple, the kohanim were charged with performing the sacrifices. .Today, a Kohen is the first one called up at the reading of the Torah, performs the Priestly Blessing, as well as complying with other unique laws and ceremonies, including the ceremony of redemption of the first-born.
Levi (Levite) - Patrilineal descendant of Levi the son of Jacob.
^ If he chooses to break those laws, just like in any other society, there are consequences (And without Christ in the long run, eternal ones)."
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
^ Well Gad, first you have to show me how you are using your reasoning in determining where morals come from, how something can and has come from nothing, and all the other arguments I have presented against your worldview before you call mine childish.
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
^ ME: "Well Gad, first you have to show me how you are using your reasoning in determining where morals come from, how something can and has come from nothing, and all the other arguments I have presented against your world-view before you call mine childish.
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
In the Temple in Jerusalem, the levites sang Psalms, performed construction, maintenance, janitorial, and guard duties, assisted the priests, and sometimes interpreted the law and Temple ritual to the public. Today, a Levite is called up second to the reading of the Torah.

Prayer leaders

.From the time of the Mishnah and Talmud to the present, Judaism has required specialists or authorities for the practice of very few rituals or ceremonies.^ Practical solutions that require education, sound policy and problem-solving (and a few bucks thrown into the kitty).

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Unfortunately, I have few answers- non-believers should be open to ceremony, to ritual, to community, to cultural bonding in ways that build meaning while respecting truth.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

A Jew can fulfill most requirements for prayer by himself. .Some activities—reading the Torah and haftarah (a supplementary portion from the Prophets or Writings), the prayer for mourners, the blessings for bridegroom and bride, the complete grace after meals—require a minyan, the presence of ten adults (Orthodox Jews and some Conservative Jews require ten adult men; some Conservative Jews and Reform Jews include women in the minyan).^ Mature women are like aged wine and some men eventually figure it out.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ They have the prophets but not believe them; they read the sacred writings but reject their witness-and this is a mark of men guilty of the greatest outrage.

Medieval Sourcebook: Saint John Chrysostom: Eight Homilies Against the Jews 28 January 2010 0:10 UTC www.fordham.edu [Source type: Original source]

^ By God's grace, we made the prophets our warriors against the Jews and routed them.

Medieval Sourcebook: Saint John Chrysostom: Eight Homilies Against the Jews 28 January 2010 0:10 UTC www.fordham.edu [Source type: Original source]

The most common professional clergy in a synagogue are:

Rabbi of a congregation - Jewish scholar who is charged with answering the legal questions of a congregation.
^ Take away all of the religion, and a theist is just one who answers the big unanswered questions.
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
^ YOU: "Theists are the ones who made-up answers to all of these questions because they have a fear of living with these questions unanswered.
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
^ All you are doing is ensuring that it will definitely not be you, who discovers some new idea about these questions that we currently do not have conclusive answers for.
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
This role requires ordination by the congregation's preferred authority (i.e. from a respected Orthodox rabbi or, if the congregation is Conservative or Reform, from academic seminaries). .A congregation does not necessarily require a rabbi.
^ Love and sex together does not necessarily require monogamy or marriage.
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
Some congregations have a rabbi but also allow members of the congregation to act as shatz or baal kriyah (see below).
- Hassidic Rebbe - rabbi who is the head of a Hasidic dynasty.
Hazzan (note: the "h" denotes voiceless pharyngeal fricative) (cantor) - a trained vocalist who acts as shatz. .Chosen for a good voice, knowledge of traditional tunes, understanding of the meaning of the prayers and sincerity in reciting them.
^ PH. When I refer to the word "all" I mean every possible scrap of knowledge that is possible in understanding anything.
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
^ When I refer to the word "all" I mean every possible scrap of knowledge that is possible in understanding anything.
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
^ And their understanding of what that means will vary based on their level of scientific knowledge.
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
A congregation does not need to have a dedicated hazzan.

Jewish prayer services do involve two specified roles, which are sometimes, but not always, filled by a rabbi and/or hazzan in many congregations. In other congregations these roles are filled on an ad-hoc basis by members of the congregation who lead portions of services on a rotating basis:

Shaliach tzibur or Shatz (leader—literally "agent" or "representative"—of the congregation) leads those assembled in prayer, and sometimes prays on behalf of the community. When a shatz recites a prayer on behalf of the congregation, he is not acting as an intermediary but rather as a facilitator. The entire congregation participates in the recital of such prayers by saying amen at their conclusion; it is with this act that the shatz's prayer becomes the prayer of the congregation. Any adult capable of reciting the prayers clearly may act as shatz. .In Orthodox congregations and some Conservative congregations, only men can be prayer leaders, but the Conservative and Reform movements now allow women to serve in this function.
The Baal kriyah or baal koreh (master of the reading) reads the weekly Torah portion.
^ George Orwell said that for the thinking man there are only three choices: there is the Catholic Church, or some sort of political movement,...
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
^ Iowans have little exposure to secular or reform/conservative Jews; they've only ever heard of Lubavitchers and other Orthodox jews who are indeed mysterious and out of the mainstream.
Daily Kos: UPDATE It's the Jews 15 January 2010 11:43 UTC www.dailykos.com [Source type: Original source]
^ God has always put equal value on both men and women, He just gave each of us different functions, roles and abilities.
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
The requirements for being the baal kriyah are the same as those for the shatz. These roles are not mutually exclusive. .The same person is often qualified to fill more than one role, and often does.
^ It sometimes happened that in one and the same house one person would believe, and another would not; then the father would want to lead his own son to deny his faith.
Medieval Sourcebook: Saint John Chrysostom: Eight Homilies Against the Jews 28 January 2010 0:10 UTC www.fordham.edu [Source type: Original source]
^ Does he not love you more than any father?
Medieval Sourcebook: Saint John Chrysostom: Eight Homilies Against the Jews 28 January 2010 0:10 UTC www.fordham.edu [Source type: Original source]
^ For the good shepherd does more than drive away the wolves; he also is most diligent in caring for his sheep who are sick.
Medieval Sourcebook: Saint John Chrysostom: Eight Homilies Against the Jews 28 January 2010 0:10 UTC www.fordham.edu [Source type: Original source]
Often there are several people capable of filling these roles and different services (or parts of services) will be led by each.

Many congregations, especially larger ones, also rely on a:

Gabbai (sexton) - Calls people up to the Torah, appoints the shatz for each prayer session if there is no standard shatz, and makes certain that the synagogue is kept clean and supplied.

The three preceding positions are usually voluntary and considered an honor. .Since the Enlightenment large synagogues have often adopted the practice of hiring rabbis and hazzans to act as shatz and baal kriyah, and this is still typically the case in many Conservative and Reform congregations.^ This is a better website and I used it many time in my Christadelphian debates, still, since I see the divinity of Jesus as proof that bible is false so I side with the Christadelphian argument.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

However, in most Orthodox synagogues these positions are filled by laypeople on a rotating or ad-hoc basis. .Although most congregations hire one or more Rabbis, the use of a professional hazzan is generally declining in American congregations, and the use of professionals for other offices is rarer still.^ I'm actually happy to see by the reaction to these posts that most atheists are not like the one's that I refer to, but more like me.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Alternative medicine is a generic term used to describe any other approach that employs principles and methods that are different from those of orthodox medicine.

Religion 28 January 2010 0:44 UTC www.zulunation.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Gad said: "As for meditation Vs drugs, six of one half dozen of the other, both are nothing more then attempts to avoid talking to ones self..........

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

Specialized religious roles

Dayan (judge) - An ordained rabbi with special legal training who belongs to a beth din (rabbinical court). .In Israel, religious courts handle marriage and divorce cases, conversion and financial disputes in the Jewish community.
Mohel (circumciser) - An expert in the laws of circumcision who has received training from a previously qualified mohel and performs the brit milah (circumcision).
Shochet (ritual slaughterer) - In order for meat to be kosher, it must be slaughtered by a shochet who is an expert in the laws of kashrut and has been trained by another shochet.
Sofer (scribe) - Torah scrolls, tefillin (phylacteries), mezuzot (scrolls put on doorposts), and gittin (bills of divorce) must be written by a sofer who is an expert in Hebrew calligraphy and has undergone rigorous training in the laws of writing sacred texts.
Rosh yeshiva - A Torah scholar who runs a yeshiva.
Mashgiach of a yeshiva - Supervises the emotional and spiritual welfare of students in a yeshiva, and gives lectures on mussar (Jewish ethics).
Mashgiach - Supervises manufacturers of kosher food, importers, caterers and restaurants to ensure that the food is kosher.
^ Along with any text, there must be a right interpretation of the Scriptures in order to get the Author's meaning."
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
^ There are volumes written about these ideas, and I do not claim to be an expert as I also stated previously.
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
^ I will argue that marriage is delusional when religious beliefs enter into the picture stating that women submit to their hubs and they must "obey" them and all that crap.
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
Must be an expert in the laws of kashrut and trained by a rabbi, if not a rabbi himself.

History

Main article: Jewish history

Origins

Main article: Origins of Judaism

Further information: Ancient Semitic religion

Scenes from the Book of Esther decorate the Dura-Europos synagogue dating from 244 CE

.At its core, the Tanakh is an account of the Israelites' relationship with God from their earliest history until the building of the Second Temple (c.^ Until the Lord returns our best is going to be second best because we are sinners, we sin and fall short of God's glory (and standards).

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ None of your historical accounts of the written word, the number of manuscripts written and preserved through history indicates an authentic God.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

535 BCE). Abraham is hailed as the first Hebrew and the father of the Jewish people. .As a reward for his act of faith in one God, he was promised that Isaac, his second son, would inherit the Land of Israel (then called Canaan).^ Believing in God is an act of faith.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Without acts of love or compassion we would not survive one day in this world you claim was created by God.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ And logically, you do not know everything, so unless God reveals Himself to you, you are the one with the blind faith, never knowing anything for certain.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

.Later, Jacob and his children were enslaved in Egypt, and God commanded Moses to lead the Exodus from Egypt.^ Both had broken His commands, yet God chose (before the foundation of the world) to have mercy and compassion on Jacob and hold Esau accountable for his rebellion.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

At Mount Sinai they received the Torah - the five books of Moses. .These books, together with Nevi'im and Ketuvim are known as Torah Shebikhtav as opposed to the Oral Torah, which refers to the Mishna and the Talmud.^ The Scriptures Jesus referred to would be the 39 books of the Old Testament, for at various times throughout His ministry He refers to these different books as Scripture.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

.Eventually, God led them to the land of Israel where the tabernacle was planted in the city of Shiloh for over 300 years to rally the nation against attacking enemies.^ These nations practiced cruelty and immorality against the immoral people God brought them against.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Israel is a prime example of a nation that kept doing what was right in their own eyes, although they had the revelation of God as their guide.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

.As time went on, the spiritual level of the nation declined to the point that God allowed the Philistines to capture the tabernacle.^ And I don't need any "authority" (someone else's approval or your God) to make this conclusion; I am not discounting your evidence because up to this point in time there has simply been no evidence to discount.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Yes, slavery taught the Israelites a lesson in humility when foreign nations were allowed to capture and subject them to slavery.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ I find it ironic that you criticize God for allowing evil, all the time talking of "fair" and "innocent" and all moral qualities that an atheist has no fixed standard for.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

.The people of Israel then told Samuel the prophet that they needed to be governed by a permanent king, and Samuel appointed Saul to be their King.^ I think most people from the Judeo-Christian tradition posit, even if they're not aware of it, some permanent aspect of that "soul" that goes on, that is unchanging somehow.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ What did all the people do for 3000 years before they were told what happened and what the rules were........

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ People have told me in the past that they do not want to chat with me any longer and I have respected their wishes, unless/until they started up the conversation again.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

.When the people pressured Saul into going against a command conveyed to him by Samuel, God told Samuel to appoint David in his stead.^ Those people who go out and get remarried fall into the same divorce statistics as the one's doing it for the first time.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Obedience to God's commandments based on love for Him and love for all human beings is what real religion is about.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ And Saul arose from the earth; and when his eyes were opened, he saw no man: but they led him by the hand, and brought him into Damascus.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

The Western Wall in Jerusalem is a remnant of the wall encircling the Second Temple. The Temple Mount is the holiest site in Judaism.

.Once King David was established, he told the prophet Nathan that he would like to build a permanent temple, and as a reward for his actions, God promised David that he would allow his son, Solomon, to build first permanent temple and the throne would never depart from his children.^ Hey Bernie if you had two children, and a psycho was pointing a gun at your heads and told you to pick one child to live, or he would shoot them both, what would you do?” .

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ While I have no doubt that the Amish are mistreating their children, by not educating them adequately, they are not likely to hijack aircraft and fly them into buildings.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ If the experience can not be achieved without "believing it" first, then I would be very suspicious of the person who told you about such things.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

.Rabbinic tradition holds that the details and interpretation of the law, which are called the Oral Torah or oral law, were originally an unwritten tradition based upon what God told Moses on Mount Sinai.^ It is based on the laws of God."

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ It is based on the laws of God.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ There is a proper interpretation of God's laws.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

.However, as the persecutions of the Jews increased and the details were in danger of being forgotten, these oral laws were recorded by Rabbi Judah haNasi (Judah the Prince) in the Mishnah, redacted circa 200 CE. The Talmud was a compilation of both the Mishnah and the Gemara, rabbinic commentaries redacted over the next three centuries.^ The synthesis he achieved was so impressive that it spawned three developments that dominated the next century of German and world history.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Both of these useless mutations (actually one is just a part of the other) are being naturally selected out, not in.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ These historically-ignorant Christians do not understand the land was ceded to Jews after WW2 to protect them from future persecution (as the Catholic Church and Hitler almost succeeded in doing).

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

The Gemara originated in two major centers of Jewish scholarship, Palestine and Babylonia. Correspondingly, two bodies of analysis developed, and two works of Talmud were created. The older compilation is called the Jerusalem Talmud. It was compiled sometime during the fourth century in Israel. The Babylonian Talmud was compiled from discussions in the houses of study by the scholars Ravina I, Ravina II, and Rav Ashi by 500 C.E., although it continued to be edited later.

.Some critical scholars oppose the view that the sacred texts, including the Hebrew Bible, were divinely inspired.^ "Since there exists only one known example of a planet with advanced life forms, some critics view the Drake equation as unreliable.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

.Many of these scholars accept the general principles of the documentary hypothesis and suggest that the Torah consists of inconsistent texts edited together in a way that calls attention to divergent accounts.^ I was only drawing to your attention the fact that debates with anti-theists/atheists has never ever been brought to a conclusion although debates have been carried on by many religious scholars for many centuries.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ "They also studied so-called Homo habilis, a group which many evolutionists argue should really be lumped together with the australopithecines such as ‘Lucy’.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ "In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days He has spoken to us by His Son..."

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^[69]^[70]^[71] .Many suggest that during the First Temple period, the people of Israel believed that each nation had its own god, but that their god was superior to other gods.^ Many people believe that we do not need saving.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Many people believe in universal salvation.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ We are not people who don't believe in god.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^[72]^[73] Some suggest that strict monotheism developed during the Babylonian Exile, perhaps in reaction to Zoroastrian dualism.^[74] .In this view, it was only by the Hellenic period that most Jews came to believe that their god was the only god, and that the notion of a clearly bounded Jewish nation identical with the Jewish religion formed.^ Whoever believes in Him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son."

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ As for how do you force someone to believe in God, you can’t, only God can?

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Only because you believe it is coming from God .

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^[75]

.John Day argues that the origins of biblical Yahweh, El, Asherah, and Ba'al, may be rooted in earlier Canaanite religion, which was centered on a pantheon of gods much like the Greek Pantheon.^ The awareness of God as a mysterious personal entity behind the veil of worldly appearances, like the man behind the shower curtain in Psycho, has natural roots that anthropologists can explain.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ The God of monotheism, pantheism or panentheism, or the supreme deity of henotheistic religions, may be conceived of in various degrees of abstraction:.......

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ We want you to join our group under this name if you do not believe in god and think that religion is harmless like us.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^[76]

Antiquity

Main articles: Ancient Israel and Judah, Babylonian captivity, Hellenistic Judaism, Hasmonean Kingdom, Iudaea Province, and Bar Kokhba revolt

The United Monarchy was established under Saul and continued under King David and Solomon with its capital in Jerusalem. After Solomon's reign the nation split into two kingdoms, the Kingdom of Israel (in the north) and the Kingdom of Judah (in the south). .The Kingdom of Israel was conquered by the Assyrian ruler Sargon II in the late 8th century BCE with many people from the capital Samaria being taken captive to Media and the Habor valley.^ That's a technique taught in many of the corporate education classes I have taken on managing and influencing people.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ This is independant of how many people follow being celibate Lets start there before we get to the cookies and soy milk part.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Archaeology and secular history confirms many of the events, peoples, places the Bible speaks of as being of an accurate description.” .

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

.The Kingdom of Judah continued as an independent state until it was conquered by a Babylonian army in the early 6th century BCE, destroying the First Temple that was at the center of ancient Jewish worship.^ Just as that first Greek sailor did 28 centuries ago when he said: "atheos" to the temple prostitutes, we can be free from theistic businesses.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ So until you have some better evidence of this claim, I will continue to state that I am being completely honest, when I am being completely honest.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

The Judean elite were exiled to Babylonia and this is regarded as the first Jewish Diaspora. .Later many of them returned to their homeland after the subsequent conquest of Babylonia by the Persians seventy years later, a period known as the Babylonian Captivity.^ Many will recall the Indian Guru from Poona, Rajneesh (later known as Osho) and his sexually liberating spirituality.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

A new Second Temple was constructed, and old religious practices were resumed.

.During the early years of the Second Temple, the highest religious authority was a council known as the Great Assembly, led by Ezra of the Book of Ezra.^ The celebrated Jaina poet Somadeva wrote the Yaastilakachampu during the reign of this great Rshraka monarch in the aka era year 881.

CHAPTER - VI 14 January 2010 7:18 UTC www.jainworld.org [Source type: Original source]

^ Other reiterations of Sathya Sai Babas claim to be the reincarnation of Shirdi Sai Baba, and his claims of Divinity [9] made during the early years of his Mission, are recorded in the volumes of Sathya Sai Speaks.

The Kundalini Kriyass of Kriya Yoga!! Energy Enhancement Meditation Course Level 1 14 January 2010 9:19 UTC www.energyenhancement.org [Source type: General]

^ Example: There are at least 12 known intermediate fossil stages since hominids branched off from great apes 6 million years ago.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

.Among other accomplishments of the Great Assembly, the last books of the Bible were written at this time and the canon sealed.^ For the last time the bible is not proof of it self!

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ To accomplish great achievements, during this time in history, men and women were gathered together by spiritual concept, or a declaration of the Word of God.

Religion 28 January 2010 0:44 UTC www.zulunation.com [Source type: Original source]

^ The Bible has been scrutinized and critiqued possibly more than any other book in history.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

.Hellenistic Judaism spreads to Ptolemaic Egypt from the 3rd century BC, and becomes a notable religio licita throughout the Roman Empire, until its decline in the 3rd century parallel to the rise of Gnosticism and Early Christianity.^ The evidence is incredibly solid that Jesus of Nazareth did exist, that the books we call the Bible were remarkably preserved and that extraordinary events promoted the rise and spread of Christianity.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ There are also some 86,000 quotations from the early church fathers and several thousand Lectionaries (church-service books containing Scripture quotations used in the early centuries of Christianity).

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

.After a Jewish revolt against Roman rule in 66 CE, the Romans all but destroyed Jerusalem.^ All the Roman or Jewish authorities would have to do to squash the belief in Christianity is to produce the dead body of the Savior and Christianity would be dead in the water shortly after it began to spread.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

Following a second revolt, Jews were not allowed to enter the city of Jerusalem and most Jewish worship was forbidden by Rome. .Following the destruction of Jerusalem and the expulsion of the Jews, Jewish worship stopped being centrally organized around the Temple, prayer took the place of sacrifice, and worship was rebuilt around rabbis who acted as teachers and leaders of individual communities (see Jewish diaspora).^ "More allegations that no one was around to see or knows exactly what happened, except for God who made it all and understands it completely.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ If the standards change between societies or individuals or eras, then which standard is the acceptable standard, which standard is the one that is not contradictory to other standards, which standard can be logical, since as human beings we are able to communicate and that takes logic.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ For this reason it can never, by the same sacrifices repeated endlessly year after year, make perfect those who draw near to worship.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

Historical Jewish groupings (to 1700)

.Around the first century CE there were several small Jewish sects: the Pharisees, Sadducees, Zealots, Essenes, and Christians.^ There are also some 86,000 quotations from the early church fathers and several thousand Lectionaries (church-service books containing Scripture quotations used in the early centuries of Christianity).

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

After the destruction of the Second Temple in 70 CE, these sects vanished. .Christianity survived, but by breaking with Judaism and becoming a separate religion; the Pharisees survived but in the form of Rabbinic Judaism (today, known simply as "Judaism").^ (Christianity, Judaism, Islam) Religion is a problem in our society.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ But claiming that religion, in the form of Christianity through God, is the origin of moral behavior is similar to claiming public high schools are the creators of knowledge, information and wisdom.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Not to mention that atheism is in danger of becoming simply another religion when it comports itself as a movement.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

The Sadducees rejected the divine inspiration of the Prophets and the Writings, relying only on the Torah as divinely inspired. .Consequently, a number of other core tenets of the Pharisees' belief system (which became the basis for modern Judaism), were also dismissed by the Sadducees.^ But in reality, Communism became an extreme dogmatic belief system (not unlike religion in certain circumstances) that was based on irrational beliefs about the well-being of humans.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ It is, at its core, a system of applying brutal honesty to your view of reality, of letting go of your preconceptions of the very core of our way of seeing things (self, other, things).

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Religions modulate our morality in different ways, as the AG trinity shows even before we move on to Hindu and other belief systems.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

(The Samaritans practiced a similar religion, which is traditionally considered separate from Judaism.)

Like the Sadducees who relied only on the Torah, some Jews in the 8th and 9th centuries rejected the authority and divine inspiration of the oral law as recorded in the Mishnah (and developed by later rabbis in the two Talmuds), relying instead only upon the Tanakh. These included the Isunians, the Yudganites, the Malikites, and others. .They soon developed oral traditions of their own, which differed from the rabbinic traditions, and eventually formed the Karaite sect.^ By thus bonding themselves deliberately and emotionally into this tradition, they are transcending their personal selves and developing affective bonds to the generations, which is to say to the species.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

Karaites exist in small numbers today, mostly living in Israel. Rabbinical and Karaite Jews each hold that the others are Jews, but that the other faith is erroneous.

Over time Jews developed into distinct ethnic groups—amongst others, the Ashkenazi Jews (of central and Eastern Europe), the Sephardi Jews (of Spain, Portugal, and North Africa), the Beta Israel of Ethiopia and the Yemenite Jews, from the southern tip of the Arabian Peninsula. .This split is cultural, and is not based on any doctrinal dispute, although the distance did result in minor differences in practice and prayers.^ Although their raids did not result in the extension of the Rshraka empire to the Ganga valley, they brought rich plunder, and added to the fame of the Rshtrakas.

CHAPTER - VI 14 January 2010 7:18 UTC www.jainworld.org [Source type: Original source]

Persecutions

Main articles: Persecution of Jews, Antisemitism, and History of antisemitism

Antisemitism arose during the Middle Ages, in the form of persecutions, pogroms, forced conversion, expulsions, social restrictions and ghettoization.

This was different in quality to any repressions of Jews in ancient times. .Ancient repression was politically motivated and Jews were treated no differently than any other ethnic group would have been.^ But that is religion, no different than any other religion, fundamentally.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ I would wager no one on this blog is a “sheep” and I will bet dollars for doughnuts most of us would agree more with what Sam Harris represents than less.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ He has no ability to tell anyone why they are wrong other than at the point of a gun or by bullying the weaker “animal” in any manner that gets the job done.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

.With the rise of the Churches, attacks on Jews became motivated instead by theological considerations specifically deriving from Christian views about Jews and Judaism.^ I am talking about a hypothetical theocracy under Christian rule instead of the type of constitutional democracies we see in western societies.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Then we can all still go to church, and preach about love thy neighbor, and have bake sales and we can all call ourselves Christians and not believe in anything supernatural.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ These historically-ignorant Christians do not understand the land was ceded to Jews after WW2 to protect them from future persecution (as the Catholic Church and Hitler almost succeeded in doing).

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^[77]

Hasidism

Main article: Hasidic Judaism

Hasidic Judaism was founded by Yisroel ben Eliezer (1700–1760), also known as the Ba'al Shem Tov (or Besht). .It originated in a time of persecution of the Jewish people, when European Jews had turned inward to Talmud study; many felt that most expressions of Jewish life had become too "academic", and that they no longer had any emphasis on spirituality or joy.^ Life will no longer be supported.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ The origins of life are not a one time occurrence.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Today, we can morally change our behavior towards people because we no longer see them as possessed by the Devil, or as witches or savages from a different species altogether.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

.His disciples attracted many followers; they themselves established numerous Hasidic sects across Europe.^ I have come across many priests, and it was, in the beginning, a great shock to me that they are people who know nothing about religion; they are the people who know nothing of prayer; they are the people who have never meditated.

The Kundalini Kriyass of Kriya Yoga!! Energy Enhancement Meditation Course Level 1 14 January 2010 9:19 UTC www.energyenhancement.org [Source type: General]

^ LJ: “If you mean that absolute authority requires a person to follow all of God’s laws (there are so many and they are so contrary),” .

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Vijay Nagara kingdom was established in 1346 A.D. Though kings of this kingdom were Champions of Brahmanical religion, they followed the policy of religious toleration.

CHAPTER - VI 14 January 2010 7:18 UTC www.jainworld.org [Source type: Original source]

.Hasidic Judaism eventually became the way of life for many Jews in Europe.^ Ironically, there were so many Jews in Germany because Germany had been so welcoming to them compared with the rest of Europe.

Daily Kos: UPDATE It's the Jews 15 January 2010 11:43 UTC www.dailykos.com [Source type: Original source]

.Waves of Jewish immigration in the 1880s carried it to the United States.^ I don't know if the United States had the same kind of immigration patterns as Canada.

Daily Kos: UPDATE It's the Jews 15 January 2010 11:43 UTC www.dailykos.com [Source type: Original source]

.Early on, there was a serious schism between Hasidic and non-Hasidic Jews.^ The early constitutional framers, similar in perspective as Witherspoon, were convinced that there was an intrinsic connection between morality and good government.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile - the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on Him, for, "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved."

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Between a living cell and the most highly ordered non-biological system, such as a crystal or a snowflake, there is a chasm as vast and absolute as it is possible to conceive....

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

European Jews who rejected the Hasidic movement were dubbed by the Hasidim as Misnagdim, (lit. "opponents"). .Some of the reasons for the rejection of Hasidic Judaism were the overwhelming exuberance of Hasidic worship, its untraditional ascriptions of infallibility and alleged miracle-working to their leaders, and the concern that it might become a messianic sect.^ But as satisfying as it is, I do have some concern remaining, over its efficacy, which is really the only reason of developing an atheist communication I'm personally interested in.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ That is why I am passionate in voicing my concerns about some of the ways that they are choosing to represent the cause of reason.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ In a mind detached from cookies and soymilk I might entertain the idea of having some after work.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

.Since then differences between the Hasidim and their opponents have slowly diminished and both groups are now considered part of Haredi Judaism.^ "Both the kind of matter and the particular matter is different between me and, for example, a meteorite."

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Should this group consider part of it's mission to hold a position against the interest in, and experimentation with, things like non-religious non-supernatural meditation?

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Should this group consider part of its mission to hold a position against the interest in, and experimentation with, things like non-religious non-supernatural meditation?"

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

The Enlightenment and Reform Judaism

Main articles: Haskalah and Reform Judaism

.In the late 18th century CE, Europe was swept by a group of intellectual, social and political movements known as the Enlightenment.^ You, my dear atheist, have bought into the Enlightenment of the 18th century, which is opposed to anything supernatural.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ I would like to eventually separate myself from these people as a political and social movement.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

.The Enlightenment led to reductions in the European laws that prohibited Jews to interact with the wider secular world, thus allowing Jews access to secular education and experience.^ Thus Jews became non-citizens with no rights under the law.

Daily Kos: UPDATE It's the Jews 15 January 2010 11:43 UTC www.dailykos.com [Source type: Original source]

^ But I argue that most of the world is not quite like you, who is obviously educated, well-informed, financially well-off and secular in your views.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

A parallel Jewish movement, Haskalah or the "Jewish Enlightenment", began, especially in Central Europe, in response to both the Enlightenment and these new freedoms. .It placed an emphasis on integration with secular society and a pursuit of non-religious knowledge such as reason.^ It is not the religious individuals (exluding the mentally ill) unassociated with any church or other religious movement who pose a problem for society, especially secular society; it is the churches etc.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ That it is useless in secular society, because it can not be completely separated from it's religious origin?

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Reason can be flawed, and to have such an unbending faith in reason can be just as misguided as an unbending faith in religious bad thinking.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

.The thrust and counter-thrust between supporters of Haskalah and more traditional Jewish concepts eventually led to the formation of a number of different branches of Judaism: Haskalah supporters founded Reform Judaism and Liberal Judaism, while traditionalists founded what is called Orthodox Judaism, and Jews seeking a balance between the two sides founded Masorti and Conservative Judaism.^ The differences between the two are enormous as to their validity.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Big difference between the two.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Number 1 is calling a rose by a different name.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

.A number of smaller groups came into being as well.^ All things came into being ...

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ I will drop this label as Sam suggests for fear of being lumped into a group with Claudia.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Why should I have reason to believe that something that has a beginning had no cause or that something that wasn't came into being.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

Spectrum of observance

.Judaism has spread to all corners of the world.^ The major religions of the world, such as Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, and Hinduism are all imperialistic and seek to spread their views and ethics and power as wide as possible.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

Seen here is a synagogue in downtown Mumbai.

.Countries such as the United States, Israel, Canada, United Kingdom, Argentina and South Africa contain large Jewish populations.^ And that is exactly what the United States, Germany, France, Austria, Japan, England, Italy, Poland, Czechoslovakia, and other Western countries' armed forces, did.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Keep in mind that in both Canada and the United States, living on a commune is legal.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

.Jewish religious practice varies widely through all levels of observance.^ "Conceptions of God can vary widely, despite the use of the same term for them all.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

.According to the 2001 edition of the National Jewish Population Survey, in the United States' Jewish community—the world's second largest—4.3 million Jews out of 5.1 million had some sort of connection to the religion.^ People who took LSD claimed to go into some sort of enlightened state, but that sort of activity is now generally regarded as a false experience.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Paul B. So ya think there might be some liberal religions out there for us Atheists?

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ When I pull something out of the maybe pile I sort it into some other another pile, even if it is only the "maybe yes" or "maybe no" pile.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

.Of that population of connected Jews, 80% participated in some sort of Jewish religious observance, but only 48% belonged to a synagogue.^ George Orwell said that for the thinking man there are only three choices: there is the Catholic Church, or some sort of political movement,...

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ The attributes that are spoken of as belonging to God only, and in some passages referring to the Father, are also spoken of as belonging to Jesus.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ When I pull something out of the maybe pile I sort it into some other another pile, even if it is only the "maybe yes" or "maybe no" pile.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

.Birth rates for American Jews have dropped from 2.0 to 1.7. ^[78] (Replacement rate is 2.1.) Intermarriage rates range from 40-50% in the US, and only about a third of children of intermarried couples are raised as Jews.^ Of 40 or so friends that I can think of off hand, none of them believe in god, but only about 2 of them refer to themselves as atheists.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ My idea is for Gov to educate and provide knowledge to people about successful ways to raise healthy and well-adjusted children.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ I think the third option is the only one open to us; the first will lead to disaster, the second will not stand long in the courts.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

Due to intermarriage and low birth rates, the Jewish population in the US shrank from 5.5 million in 1990 to 5.1 million in 2001. This is indicative of the general population trends among the Jewish community in the Diaspora, but a focus on total population obscures growth trends in some denominations and communities, such as Haredi Judaism. .The Baal teshuva movement is a movement of Jews who have "returned" to religion or become more observant.^ Not to mention that atheism is in danger of becoming simply another religion when it comports itself as a movement.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Now, it is not often that I find myself in a room full of people who are more or less guaranteed to agree with me on the subject of religion.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ "The more one studies palaeontology, the more certain one becomes that evolution is based on faith alone; exactly the same sort of faith which it is necessary to have when one encounters the great mysteries of religion."

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

Judaism and other religions

Christianity and Judaism

Main article: Christianity and Judaism

.Historians and theologians regularly review the changing relationship between some Christian groups and the Jewish people; the article on Christian-Jewish reconciliation studies one recent issue.^ You are the one, as an atheist, who is saying 'it is so because I say it is so' or 'it is so because the majority says it is so', and the majority is never wrong, regardless of how many times they change their mind on a certain issue.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ This standing at his side implies an intimate relationship between Paul and the Lord, one that could only happen to someone who shared the presence of the Lord, whether that be by vision, as so often happened in the OT or physically as some of the passages suggest.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

Islam and Judaism

Main article: Islam and Judaism

Islam and Judaism have a complex relationship. .Traditionally Jews living in Muslim lands, known as dhimmis, were allowed to practice their religion and to administer their internal affairs, but subject to certain conditions.^ Reports of this kind coming out of the Muslim communities living in the West should worry us, before anything else about religion worries us.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ I never said that they shouldn't, any more than you are saying that people shouldn't be allowed to practice religion.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ He wrote a book(s) (that he makes his living from), stating his opinion on certain subjects.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^[79] They had to pay the jizya (a per capita tax imposed on free adult non-Muslim males) to the Muslim government.^[79] .Dhimmis had an inferior status under Islamic rule.^ This film is a documentary containing interviews with Christians as well as exclusive footage showing how dangerous their situation is under Islamic rule.

The Sword of Islam ... War Against Israel and the West! 28 January 2010 0:00 UTC www.masada2000.org [Source type: Original source]

^ Although they may keep their original faith, their status becomes dhimmi (a "protected," yet inferior non-Muslim status).

The Sword of Islam ... War Against Israel and the West! 28 January 2010 0:00 UTC www.masada2000.org [Source type: Original source]

^ It is a protection tax levied on non-Muslims living under Islamic regimes, confirming their legal status.

Islam 28 January 2010 0:00 UTC www.fatheralexander.org [Source type: Original source]

.They had several social and legal disabilities such as prohibitions against bearing arms or giving testimony in courts in cases involving Muslims.^ California’s high-profile federal lawsuit against Proposition 8, which begins in court on January 11, appears to be about creating a federal case for same sex marriage.

Alltop - Top Religion News 28 January 2010 0:44 UTC religion.alltop.com [Source type: General]

^ In any case, hordes of alchemists and magicians streamed into the Han courts where they attempted to refine crass material substances and make men immortal.

Spirituality Information - World Religions - Taoism 14 January 2010 9:19 UTC www.majikalwishes.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Learn from other sources such as pastors, books, and other Christians; but always check what they say against what the Bible teaches and always side with what is written there.

Christianity@Everything2.com 19 January 2010 8:49 UTC www.everything2.com [Source type: Original source]

^[80] Many of the disabilities were highly symbolic. .The most degrading one was the requirement of distinctive clothing, not found in the Qur'an or hadith but invented in early medieval Baghdad; its enforcement was highly erratic.^ This article, by Sam Harris, fits this experience exactly and I found it one of the most moving and rewarding I have read for a very long time.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ If you take Hitler's Germany, it was one of the most highly advanced, literate societies, if not the most of its day.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Dennett also writes in Freedom Evolves that "Human freedom, is not an illusion; it is an objective phenomenon, distinct from all other biological conditions and found in only one species, us."

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^[81] .Jews rarely faced martyrdom or exile, or forced compulsion to change their religion, and they were mostly free in their choice of residence and profession.^ It is religion who says that they would rather kill and be killed then change from the myths of the past to the any new order of the future!!!!!

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ YOU: "It is religion who says that they would rather kill and be killed then change from the myths of the past to the any new order of the future!!!!!"

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Because when one subscribes to any one religion, they are forced to accept, and find rational explanations for, some of the most irrational, nay abominable, words ever written by humans.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^[82] Indeed, the period 712-1066 under the Ummayads and the Abbasids has been called the Golden age of Jewish culture in Spain. The notable examples of massacre of Jews include the killing or forcibly conversion of them by the rulers of the Almohad dynasty in Al-Andalus in the 12th century.^[83] Notable examples of the cases where the choice of residence was taken away from them includes confining Jews to walled quarters (mellahs) in Morocco beginning from the 15th century and especially since the early 19th century.^[84] .There were some forced conversions in the 12th century under the Almohad dynasty of North Africa and al-Andalus as well as in Persia.^ It is a sense of well-being that life can offer me some positives and I am going to jump at those opportunities when they are there for me.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Well I would argue there is some value in the Bible.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ YOU said: "Well, then you could say, “Unless you have some evidence there isn’t why don’t you believe in God?” .

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^[85]

Standard antisemitic themes have become commonplace in the propaganda of Arab Islamic movements such as Hizbullah and Hamas, in the pronouncements of various agencies of the Islamic Republic of Iran, and even in the newspapers and other publications of Refah Partisi.^[86]

Syncretic movements incorporating Judaism

.There are some organizations that combine elements of Judaism with those of other religions.^ Is there some other kind of Atheist?

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ There has to be some organizing principle.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ If he chooses to break those laws, just like in any other society, there are consequences (And without Christ in the long run, eternal ones)."

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

.The most well-known of these is the Messianic Judaism, a Christian movement which was developed as a better attempt at evangelizing Jews.^ For better or for worse I think this clarifies my position (stand) in the midst of all these atheist nuances, as well as anything.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ These articles only take a few minutes to read and are better put together than I can, but express the Christian view of man.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ From Jews beget christians and muslims beget catholics, protestants,evangelicals,babtists beget mormons,etc(i left out bunches).

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

.Its members include ethnic Jews, but mostly gentiles (non-Jews), historically sponsored and funded almost exclusively by Christian Evangelical organizations, who promote the belief that Jews have to accept Jesus as the Messiah and God.^ There will be trouble for every human being who does evil: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Evangelical Christians who believe so strongly in the sanctity of life that they blow up abortion clinics and kill doctors?

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Lets just face the facts here, whether you call it killing or murder, for Jew or non-Jew the bible's message is clear killing and murder are just fine with god...........

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

.These groups typically combine Christian theology and Christology with varying degrees of Jewish customs and religious practices.^ Both these men are pathetic examples of a typical Christian.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ "Both these men are pathetic examples of a typical Christian.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Unfortunately, many more billions of people who live under repressive governments or tribes that practice these pious (religious) beliefs do not have these freedoms.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

.The most controversial of these groups is the American Jews for Jesus which actively proselytizes ethnic Jews through numerous missionary campaigns in major American cities.^ Sam says that are the most controversial to the majority of people, are the things I find to be entirely correct.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

.Other examples of syncretism include Judeo-Paganists, a loosely-organized set of Jews who incorporate pagan or Wiccan beliefs with some Jewish religious practices, like Messianic Judaism; Jewish Buddhists, another loosely-organized group that incorporates elements of Asian spirituality in their faith; and some Renewal Jews who borrow freely and openly from Buddhism, Sufism, Native American religion, and other faiths.^ Some people like myself have the belief in a Deity but are non religious.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ This is not a faith or belief in any religion or god.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Most monks, of any religion, whether christianity or buddhism, actually live perpetually with other monks.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

.The Kabbalah Centre, which employs teachers from multiple religions, is a New Age movement that claims to popularize the kabbalah, the Jewish esoteric tradition.^ The AG suite of religions has become inextricably tangled in politics, which is our main reason for wanting to dump it and take up a new relationship with our genes.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Only religion, people say, drives humans to behave inhumanly, such that the only possible benefit is for the dominion of the AG tradition itself.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ The AG religions are perhaps the purest expression in human cultural tradition of gene-driven behavior.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

References

^ Methods and Categories: Judaism and Gospel
^ AskOxford: Judaism
^ ^a ^b Judaism 101: The Patriarchs and the Origins of Judaism
^ Torah.org: What is the oral Torah?
^ Karaite Jewish University
^ Society for Humanistic Judaism
^ BBC - Religion & Ethics - Judaism
^ JudaismPDF (52.1 KB)
^ ^a ^b The 3 Monotheistic Religions - Essays - Noel12
^ Judaism page, Ontario Consultants on Religious Tolerance
^ Jewish Contributions to Civilization: An Estimate (book)
^ See, for example, Deborah Dash Moore, American Jewish Identity Politics, University of Michigan Press, 2008, p. 303; Ewa Morawska, Insecure Prosperity: Small-Town Jews in Industrial America, 1890-1940, Princeton University Press, 1999. p. 217; Peter Y. Medding, Values, interests and identity: Jews and politics in a changing world, Volume 11 of Studies in contemporary Jewry, Oxford University Press, 1995, p. 64; Ezra Mendelsohn, People of the city: Jews and the urban challenge, Volume 15 of Studies in contemporary Jewry, Oxford University Press, 1999, p. 55; Louis Sandy Maisel, Ira N. Forman, Donald Altschiller, Charles Walker Bassett, Jews in American politics: essays, Rowman & Littlefield, 2004, p. 158; Seymour Martin Lipset, American Exceptionalism: A Double-Edged Sword, W. W. Norton & Company, 1997, p. 169.
^ Percent of world Jewry living in Israel climbed to 41% in 2007 - Haaretz - Israel News
^ Jewish Population By Region
^ ReligionFacts - Jewish Denominations
^ ReligionFacts - Reform Judaism
^ What is Reform Judaism?
^ Britannica Online Encyclopedia: Bet Din
^ ^a ^b Judaism 101: Rabbis, Priests and Other Religious Functionaries
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Daniel Septimus. "The Thirteen Principles of Faith". MyJewishLearning.com. http://www.myjewishlearning.com/beliefs/Theology/Thinkers_and_Thought/Doctrine_and_Dogma/The_Middle_Ages/Principles_of_Faith.shtml.
^ The Books of Melachim (Kings) and Book of Yeshaiahu (Isaiah) in the Tanakh contain a few of the many Biblical accounts of Israelite kings and segments of ancient Israel's population worshipping other gods. For example: King Solomon's "wives turned away his heart after other gods...[and he] did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD, and went not fully after the LORD" (elaborated in 1 Melachim 11:4-10); King Ahab "went and served Baal, and worshipped him...And Ahab made the Asherah [a pagan place of worship]; and Ahab did yet more to provoke the LORD, the God of Israel, than all the kings of Israel that were before him" (1 Melachim 16:31-33); the prophet Isaiah condemns the people who "prepare a table for [the idol] Fortune, and that offer mingled wine in full measure unto [the idol] Destiny" (Yeshaiahu 65:11-12). Translation: JPS (Jewish Publication Society) edition of the Tanakh, from 1917, available at Mechon Mamre.
^ Judaism 101: What Do Jews Believe?
^ Description of Judaism, Ontario Consultants on Religious Tolerance
^ Rietti, Rabbi Jonathan. "How Do You Know the Exodus Really Happened?". Archived from the original on 2004-09-18. http://web.archive.org/web/20040918062910/http://jewishinspiration.com/tape.php?tape_id=41. The word "emunah" has been translated incorrectly by the King James Bible as merely "belief" or "faith", when in actuality, it means conviction, which is a much more emphatic knowledge of God based on experience.
^ ReligionFacts - Jewish Sacred Texts
^ M. San 10:1. Translation available here.
^ Judaism 101: Movements of Judaism
^ Rabbi S. of Montpelier, Yad Rama, Y. Alfacher, Rosh Amanah.
^ "Maimonides’ 13 Foundations of Judaism". Mesora. http://www.mesora.org/13principles.html. "However if he rejects one of these fundamentals he leaves the nation and is a denier of the fundamentals and is called a heretic, a denier, etc."
^ Rabbi Mordechai Blumenfeld. "Maimonides, 13 Principles of Faith". Aish HaTorah. http://www.aish.com/sp/ph/48923722.html. "According to the Rambam, their acceptance defines the minimum requirement necessary for one to relate to the Almighty and His Torah as a member of the People of Israel"
^ Ronald L. Eisenberg (2004). The JPS guide to Jewish traditions. Jewish Publication Society. p. 509. ISBN 0827607601. http://books.google.co.il/books?id=_qGHi_9K154C&pg=RA13-PA509&lpg=RA13-PA509&dq=Maimonides'+thirteen+principles+of+faith&source=bl&ots=TJOnG20ODX&sig=wojSBmSHzGwOIQsqzs3tf5M-1bY&hl=en&ei=IE_jSZTULIaGsAa98qzfCA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=4. "The concept of "dogma" is ... not a basic idea in Judaism."
^ Dogma in Medieval Jewish Thought, Menachem Kellner.
^ Hebrew4Christians: The Thirteen Principles of the Jewish Faith
^ "What Do Jews Believe?". Mechon Mamre. http://www.mechon-mamre.org/jewfaq/beliefs.htm. "The closest that anyone has ever come to creating a widely-accepted list of Jewish beliefs is Maimonides' thirteen principles of faith."
^ The JPS guide to Jewish traditions, page 510, "The one that eventually secured almost universal acceptance was the Thirteen Priciples of faith"
^ "Judaism 101: A Glossary of Basic Jewish Terms and Concepts". Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations in America. April 12, 2006. http://www.ou.org/about/judaism/tanakh.htm.
^ The Oxford English Dictionary.
^ Boyarin, Daniel (October 14, 1994). "Introduction". A radical Jew: Paul and the politics of identity. Berkeley, California: University of California Press. pp. 13–38. ISBN [[Special:BookSources/0-520-08592-2 LCCN 93-36269|0-520-08592-2 LCCN 93-36269]]. http://content.cdlib.org/xtf/view?docId=ft7w10086w&chunk.id=introduction&toc.depth=1&toc.id=introduction&brand=ucpress. Retrieved 2006-06-15. "Paul was motivated by a Hellenistic desire for the One, which among other things produced an ideal of a universal human essence, beyond difference and hierarchy. This universal humanity, however, was predicated (and still is) on the dualism of the flesh and the spirit, such that while the body is particular, marked through practice as Jew or Greek, and through anatomy as male or female, the spirit is universal. Paul did not, however, reject the body—as did, for instance, the gnostics—but rather promoted a system whereby the body had its place, albeit subordinated to the spirit. Paul's anthropological dualism was matched by a hermeneutical dualism as well. Just as the human being is divided into a fleshy and a spiritual component, so also is language itself. It is composed of outer, material signs and inner, spiritual significations. When this is applied to the religious system that Paul inherited, the physical, fleshy signs of the Torah, of historical Judaism, are re-interpreted as symbols of that which Paul takes to be universal requirements and possibilities for humanity."
^ Boyarin, Daniel (October 14, 1994). "Answering the Mail". A radical Jew: Paul and the politics of identity. Berkeley, California: University of California Press. pp. 244. ISBN [[Special:BookSources/0-520-08592-2 LCCN 93-36269|0-520-08592-2 LCCN 93-36269]]. http://content.cdlib.org/xtf/view?docId=ft7w10086w&chunk.id=ch10&toc.depth=1&toc.id=ch10&brand=ucpress. Retrieved 2006-06-15. "Jewishness disrupts the very categories of identity, because it is not national, not genealogical, not religious, but all of these, in dialectical tension with one another."
^ Weiner, Rebecca (2007). "Who is a Jew?". Jewish Virtual Library. http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Judaism/whojew1.html. Retrieved 2007-10-06.
^ Reform's Position On...What is unacceptable practice?
^ Heschel, Susannah (1998) Abraham Geiger and the Jewish Jesus. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. p. 157. ISBN 0226329593
^ "Law of Return 5710-1950". Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs. 2007. http://www.mfa.gov.il/MFA/MFAArchive/1950_1959/Law%20of%20Return%205710-1950. Retrieved 2007-10-22.
^ Mark Twain ("Concerning The Jews", Harper's Magazine, 1899, The Complete Essays of Mark Twain, Doubleday [1963] pg. 249
^ Robert Gordis. "Torah MiSinai:Conservative Views". A Modern Approach to a Living Halachah. Masorti World. Archived from the original on 2007-07-13. http://web.archive.org/web/20070713183805/http://masortiworld.org/faq/theology-+beliefs/torah-misinai.html. "The Torah is an emanation of God... This conception does not mean, for us, that the process of revalation consisted of dictation by God."
^ "Conservative Judaism". Jewlicious. http://www.jewlicious.com/2005/06/conservative-judaism/. "We therefore understand this term as a metaphor to mean that the Torah is divine and that it reflects God’s will."
^ "Tefillin", "The Book of Jewish Knowledge", Nathan Ausubel, Crown Publishers, NY, 1964, p.458)
^ "Shabbat". Judaism 101. April 12, 2006. http://www.jewfaq.org/shabbat.htm.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g Judaism 101: Kashrut
^ Chaya Shuchat. "The Kosher Pig?". http://www.meaningfullife.com/torah/parsha/vayikra/shemini/The_Kosher_Pig.php. "It is also the most quintessentially “treif” of animals, with its name being nearly synonymous with non-kosher ... Although far from alone in the litany of non-kosher animals, the pig seems to stand in a class of its own."
^ Tamar Levy, St. Louis, MO – Block Yeshiva High School, Grade 9 | OUkosher.org
^ Shulchan Aruch, Yoreh De'ah, (87:3)
^ Elliot Dorff, "On the Use of All Wines"PDF (2.19 MB), YD 123:1.1985, pp. 11–15.
^ Kashrut Facts
^ Judaism 101: Kashrut: Jewish Dietary Laws
^ Vayyiqra (Leviticus) 11
^ Chabad: Judaism and the Art of Eating
^ Jewish life in WWII England: "there was a...special dispensation...that allowed Jews serving in the armed services to eat "non-kosher" when no Jewish food was available; that deviation from halacha was allowed 'in order to save a human life including your own.'"
^ Y. Lichtenshtein M.A.. "Weekly Pamphlet #805". Bar-Ilan University, Faculty of Jewish Studies, Rabbinical office. http://www.biu.ac.il/JH/Parasha/shmini/lict.html. "...certain prohibitions become allowed without a doubt because of lifethreatening circumstances, like for example eating non-kosher food"
^ ^a ^b Vayyiqra (Leviticus) 15.
^ Bamidbar (Numbers) 19.
^ Vayyiqra (Leviticus) 22:6.
^ Yaron, Y.; Joe Pessah, Avraham Qanai, Yosef El-Gamil (2003). An Introduction to Karaite Judaism: History, Theology, Practice and Culture. Albany, New York: Qirqisani Center. ISBN 978-0970077547.
^ OU.org Torah tidbits
^ Rutta, Matt (30 March 2008). "Shemini/Parah (The smell of burning death)". Rabbinic Rambling. http://mattrutta.blogspot.com/2008/03/dvar-torah-s3-sheminiparah-smell-of.html. Retrieved 2009-05-06.
^ ^a ^b Judaism 101: Kosher Sex
^ Encyclopedia.com: Karaites
^ Wasserfall, Rahel (1999). Women and water: menstruation in Jewish life and law. Brandeis University Press.
^ Yehezkal Kauffman, The Religion of Israel
^ Robert Alter The Art of Biblical Poetry
^ E. A. Speiser Genesis (The Anchor Bible)
^ John Bright A History of Israel
^ Martin Noth The History of Israel
^ Ephraim Urbach The Sages
^ Shaye Cohen The beginnings of Jewishness
^ John Day Yahweh and the Gods and Goddesses of Canaan, page 68.
^ Langmuir, Gavin (1993). History, religion, and antisemitism. University of California Press. ISBN 0520077288.
^ This is My Beloved, This is My Friend: A Rabbinic Letter on Intimate relations, p. 27, Elliot N. Dorff
^ ^a ^b Lewis (1984), pp.10,20
^ Lewis (1987), p. 9, 27
^ Lewis (1999), p.131
^ Lewis (1999), p.131; (1984), pp.8,62
^ Lewis (1984), p. 52; Stillman (1979), p.77
^ Lewis (1984), p. 28
^ Lewis (1984), pp.17,18,94,95; Stillman (1979), p.27
^ Muslim Anti-Semitism by Bernard Lewis (Middle East Quarterly) June 1998

Bibliography

Boyarin, Daniel 1994 A Radical Jew: Paul and the Politics of Identity Berkeley: University of California Press
Ancient Judaism, Max Weber, Free Press, 1967, ISBN 0-02-934130-2
Living Judaism: The Complete Guide to Jewish Belief, Tradition and Practice Wayne Dosick.
Conservative Judaism: The New Century, Neil Gillman, Behrman House.
American Jewish Orthodoxy in Historical Perspective Jeffrey S. Gurock, 1996, Ktav.
Philosophies of Judaism Julius Guttmann, trans.
^ Peter, the historic greatness of Western civilization was to use Greek mathematics and philosophy to balance Jewish religion.
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
^ Sam Harris is now scheduled to debate Rabbi David Wolpe at the American Jewish University in Los Angeles on Nov 7th.
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
^ Why should we care how far the main threads of ancient Hindu tradition can be said to parallel historic threads in Christian belief?
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
by .David Silverman, JPS. 1964
Back to the Sources: Reading the Classic Jewish Texts Ed.
^ It doesn't matter what he is the article "is the sky heaven" is well versed and well researched and backed up by others sources and in part by both the Catholic and Jewish encyclopedias!
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
.Barry W. Holtz, Summit Books
A History of the Jews Paul Johnson, HarperCollins, 1988
A People Divided: Judaism in Contemporary America, Jack Wertheimer.
^ People who fought the front line battles against racism, as you probably did, today are not called "non-racists" in the history books.
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
^ It is true that as a people the Jews kept to themselves and Judaism in its earliest form caters strictly to a particular group of people.
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
Brandeis Univ. .Press, 1997.
Encyclopaedia Judaica, Keter Publishing, CD-ROM edition, 1997
The American Jewish Identity Survey, article by Egon Mayer, Barry Kosmin and Ariela Keysar; a sub-set of The American Religious Identity Survey, City University of New York Graduate Center.
^ Sam Harris is now scheduled to debate Rabbi David Wolpe at the American Jewish University in Los Angeles on Nov 7th.
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
^ Academic Press, New York, p 8 .
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
^ Keynote address at the American Museum of Natural History, New York City, November .
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
.An article on this survey is printed in The New York Jewish Week, November 2, 2001.
Lewis, Bernard (1984).
^ Keynote address at the American Museum of Natural History, New York City, November .
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
The Jews of Islam. .Princeton: Princeton University Press.
^ Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1985.
Bibliography of Classics and Chinese Literature in Translation with Recent Related Histories for Exercise 19 January 2010 18:22 UTC www.princeton.edu [Source type: Academic]
^ Volume 3: Rapsodies on Natural Phenomena, Birds and Animals, Aspirations and Feelings, Sorrowful Laments, Literature, Music, and Passions , Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1996.
Bibliography of Classics and Chinese Literature in Translation with Recent Related Histories for Exercise 19 January 2010 18:22 UTC www.princeton.edu [Source type: Academic]
^ Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1984.
Engaged Buddhism: New and Improved!(?) Made in the U. S. A. of Asian Materials 19 January 2010 8:49 UTC www.buddhistethics.org [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]
ISBN 0-691-00807-8
Lewis, Bernard (1999). .Semites and Anti-Semites: An Inquiry into Conflict and Prejudice.
^ "Eliminate the anti-Semitic ones and I see them breaking down into two categories.
RELIGION Blog | The Dallas Morning News 28 January 2010 0:12 UTC religionblog.dallasnews.com [Source type: General]
^ Inaccessibility to reason is also one of the most typical characteristics of the anti-Semite, who is unable to re-evaluate his opinions and prejudices in the light of factual evidence that refutes them.
Stalin’s Jews 28 January 2010 0:10 UTC majorityrights.com [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]
^ They are using issue of anti-semitism, create an ethnic conflict and try to benefit from it for their own purposes.
The Betrayal of Turkish Jews | Jewcy.com 15 January 2010 11:43 UTC www.jewcy.com [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]
W. W. Norton & Co. ISBN 0-393-31839-7
Stillman, Norman (1979). .The Jews of Arab Lands: A History and Source Book.
^ This process was completed on Muhammad’s deathbed in the form of an injunction ordering the expulsion of Jews (and Christians) from the peninsula: ‘Two faiths will not live together in the land of the Arabs’ .
Islam | Jewcy.com 28 January 2010 0:00 UTC www.jewcy.com [Source type: Original source]
^ Samuel V. Kurinsky, an American archaeologist with extensive knowledge of Jewish history, alleged that Jews from Khazaria settled in Ukraine, Belarus, and Poland in his 1991 book The Glassmakers .
Are Russian Jews Descended from theKhazars? Analyzing the Khazar Theory 28 January 2010 0:10 UTC www.khazaria.com [Source type: Original source]
^ The biblical history for the Persian period is contained in a new source - the books of Ezra and Nehemiah, whose standpoint and period are that of Chronicles, with which they are closely joined.
Jews - LoveToKnow 1911 15 January 2010 11:43 UTC 18.1911encyclopedia.org [Source type: Original source]
Jews - LoveToKnow 1911 28 January 2010 0:10 UTC www.1911encyclopedia.org [Source type: Original source]
.Philadelphia: Jewish Publication Society of America.
^ Philadelphia: Jewish Publication Society, 199962. Heschel, A., Man Is Not Alone .
Jewish Theology 6 February 2010 11:46 UTC www.lightplanet.com [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]
^ Max Leopold Margolis and Alexander Marx, in A History of the Jewish People (Philadelphia, PA: Jewish Publication Society of America, 1947), page 527.
Are Russian Jews Descended from theKhazars? Analyzing the Khazar Theory 28 January 2010 0:10 UTC www.khazaria.com [Source type: Original source]
^ Jewish Publication Society, Philadelphia PA. 1976.
Judaism Reading List: Introduction and General (Pt. I) 28 January 2010 0:12 UTC www.faqs.org [Source type: General]
ISBN 0-8276-0198-0
Day, John. Yahweh and the Gods and Goddesses of Canaan. Chippenham: Sheffield Academic Press, 2000.
Dever, William G. Did God Have a Wife?. Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 2005.
Walsh, J.P.M. The Mighty From Their Thrones. Eugene: Wipf and Stock Publishers, 1987.
Finkelstein, Israel (1996). Ethinicity and Origin of the Iron I Settlers in the Highlands of Canaan: Can the Real Israel Please Stand Up? The Biblical Archaeologist, 59(4).

External links

General

Judaism 101, an extensive FAQ written by a librarian.
Judaism article from the 1901-1906 Jewish Encyclopedia
Shamash's Judaism resource page

Orthodox/Haredi

Traditional/Conservadox

Union for Traditional Judaism

Conservative

Reform/Progressive

Reconstructionist

Jewish Reconstructionist Federation: Official website

Humanistic

Society for Humanistic Judaism: Official website

Karaite

World Movement for Karaite Judaism

Jewish religious literature and texts

Complete Tanakh (in Hebrew, with vowels).
English Tanakh from the 1917 Jewish Publication Society version.
The Judaica Press Complete Tanach with Rashi in English
Torah.org. (also known as Project Genesis) Contains Torah commentaries and studies of Tanakh, along with Jewish ethics, philosophy, holidays and other classes.
The complete formatted Talmud online. Audio files of lectures for each page from an Orthodox viewpoint are provided in French, English, Yiddish and Hebrew. Reload the page for an image of a page of the Talmud.

.See also Torah database for links to more judaism e-texts.^ As for "US" if you studied more you would see that bases of Judaism was polytheism and that Genesis comes from multiple traditions .

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

Wikimedia Torah study projects

Text study projects at Wikisource. .In many instances, the Hebrew versions of these projects are more fully developed than the English.^ More than one version?

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Not surprisingly, our present day atmosphere has many, many more times the amount of CO2 than it did in past ages.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

^ Yes, there is more than one version of the 10 commandments.

On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]

Mikraot Gedolot (Rabbinic Bible) in Hebrew (sample) and English (sample).
Cantillation at the "Vayavinu Bamikra" Project in Hebrew (lists nearly 200 recordings) and English.
Mishnah in Hebrew (sample) and English (sample).
Shulchan Aruch in Hebrew and English (Hebrew text with English translation).

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Categories: Judaism

Quotes

Up to date as of January 14, 2010

From Wikiquote

Judaism is a religion.

1 Sourced
- 1.1 From "A Book of Jewish Thoughts" ed. J. H. Hertz (Oxford University Press, 1920)
2 See also
3 External links

Sourced

The fundamental principle of the Hebraic commonwealth was that there are great moral laws not dependent on the will of monarch, oligarchy, aristocracy or public assembly.
^ Morality is a good thing --except when taken to fundamental extremes---but it does not prove there is a God.
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
.
- Lyman Abbott, Life and Literature of Ancient Hebrews (1910)

Mankind, East and West, Christian and Muslim, accepted the Jewish conviction that there is only one G-d.
^ I contend that there is only one.
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
^ There is only One who does.
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
^ There is only one true faith.
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
Today it is polytheism that is so difficult to understand, that is so unthinkable.
- T. R. Grover, The Ancient World, p. .186

It is against their own insoluble problem of being human that the dull and base in humanity are in revolt in anti-Semitism.
^ But in reality, Communism became an extreme dogmatic belief system (not unlike religion in certain circumstances) that was based on irrational beliefs about the well-being of humans.
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
^ Dogmatism is irrational when it acts violently against the best interest of human beings.
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
^ Obedience to God's commandments based on love for Him and love for all human beings is what real religion is about.
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
.Judaism, nevertheless, together with Hellenism and Christianity is an inalienable component of our Christian Western civilization, the eternal "call to Sinai" against which humanity again and again rebels.
^ Standing on the shoulders of giants, I see a wider landscape in which this book is one among many that together define our civilization.
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
^ On this planet of ours human culture and civilization are indissolubly bound up with the presence of the Aryan.
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
^ There is no question that our so-called Christian nation, whether explicitly in the name of Christianity or not, has committed the MOST killing among all nations in my lifetime (born in 1957).
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
- Herman Rauschning, The Beast From the Abyss, pp. .155-56

Throughout our history there have been weaker elements who have shirked the sacrifices which Judaism entailed.
^ There is no boasting on our part before God, but thankfulness in His mercy to us who deserve His justice for doing what is wrong in His sight.
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
^ Admittedly, there are people who will never adopt ideologies condoning the collective "goodness" but history has shown that the majority of people do indeed understand and practice "good".
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
^ Could it be that you think that your your stance is the purest form of atheism, and any who claim that there are unanswered questions about our existence, are sub-atheists?
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
.They have been swallowed, long since, in the great majority; only the more stalwart have carried on the traditions of their ancestors, and can now look back with pride upon their superb heritage.
^ To what do they now look?
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
^ Who was right, the majority back then or the majority now?
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
^ When I look at a fossil in the present I have something that existed in the past, but since I was not there, there are only certain truths and facts I can deduce from this artifact.
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
Are we to be numbered with the weak majority, or with the stalwart minority? It is for ourselves to decide. .
- Cecil Roth, A History of the Jews (Oxford University Press, 1961) p.423

Far from having become 1900 years ago a stagnant or dried-up religion, as Christian theology declares, Judaism has ever remained "a river of God full of living waters," which, while running within the river-bed of a single nation, has continued to feed anew the great streams of human civilization.
^ Most monks, of any religion, whether christianity or buddhism, actually live perpetually with other monks.
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
^ One only need to read Genesis 1:1 - 1:10 to see that there was a water universe of chaos preexisting that god created the heaven and earth within.
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
^ "As far as we know, none of the other living creatures are running around wondering why they are here?
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
- Kaufman Kohler, Jewish Encyclopedia (1904)

.Next to God's unity the most essential and characteristic doctrine of Judaism is that concerning God's relation to man.
^ Lenin said "dialectics is the doctrine of the unity of opposites" and most logicians regard it as absurd.
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
^ For the most part religion is man's attempt at knowing God in which he/she invents a god that is suitable to his/her view of life based on earning the favor of that god by what he/she does.
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
^ "For the most part religion is man's attempt at knowing God in which he/she invents a god that is suitable to his/her view of life based on earning the favor of that god by what he/she does."
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
.
Heathenism degraded man by making him kneel before brutes and the works of his hand: Judaism declared man to be made in the image of God, the crown and culmination of God's creation, the appointed ruler of the earth, and vicegerent of God
- Kaufman Kohler, Jewish Encyclopedia (1904)

It was … declared improper to follow the custom of the Jews in the celebration of this holy festival, because, their hands having been stained with crime, the minds of these wretched men are necessarily blinded.
^ God has created man in His image and likeness, with man having the ability to reason and make choices.
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
^ The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of His hands.
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
^ The creation was made, God was not for He made it.
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
… .Let us, then, have nothing in common with the Jews, who are our adversaries.
^ And let us not forget that god created everything and that includes HELL, the greatest negative of all, the gun that he holds at our heads.
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
^ "The one true God is mentioned in places like Genesis 1:26, "Let US make man in our image, in our likeness..."
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
^ We are all atheists, but do we want those who believe in "no reason" without sufficient evidence presenting our case for us?
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
... avoiding all contact with that evil way. … who, after having compassed the death of the .Lord, being out of their minds, are guided not by sound reason, but by an unrestrained passion, wherever their innate madness carries them.
^ Should I not argue or reason with them out of concern for their eternal well-being to show them the error and destructiveness of their ways and point them to the truth?
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
^ It seems reasonable to believe free will---by having the ability to weigh data and information in my mind and make logical and sound judgments and choices--carries some of the weight as well.
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
^ There is a quote from Richard Dawkins that I find illuminating, "There's this thing called being so open-minded your brains drop out."
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
… a people so utterly depraved. … .Therefore, this irregularity must be corrected, in order that we may no more have any thing in common with those parricides and the murderers of our Lord.
^ Since he is a Jew there is no new covenant, therefore he is bound by two things, that god is only for the Jews and the Jews are under the laws of the OT." .
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
^ Like Jesus is lord, God is powerful, there is no reason for our existence, meditation is useless.
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
^ Just because genetically we are similar in make up to a chimpanzee does not mean that we descended from an ape like creature, just that the chimp depends on things in common with us in order to share in our environment.
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
… no single point in common with the perjury of the Jews.
- First Ecumenical Council of Nicaea, in which the Christian Church separates the calculation of the date of Easter from the Jewish Passover. .See The Epistle of the Emperor Constantine, concerning the matters transacted at the Council, addressed to those Bishops who were not present and Life of Constantine Vol.^ Those who have the Son have life.
  On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
  On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
  ^ My concern is that our disagreements are a matter of degree and yet they are very important differences (and I am concerned because you seem not to be able to see those differences, acknowledge those differences and understand those differences).
  On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
  On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
  ^ It may seem that way to you and your peers, and it may have seemed that way to the bishops who signed off on it all those centuries ago, but to me it has a more limited significance.
  On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
  On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
  III Ch. .XVIII by Eusebius.

Most firmly hold and never doubt that not only pagans, but also all Jews, all heretics, and all schismatics who finish this life outside of the Catholic Church, will go into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.
^ We are only going in circles again, so never mind.
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
^ LJ, you remind me of those people who think that if they legalize marijuana, the people will go crazy and start smoking pot all over the place.
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
^ All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and whoever comes to Me I will never drive away…And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that I shall lose none of all that He has given Me.” (John 6:37, 39) .
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
- Saint Fulgentius (467–527), Enchriridion Patristicum

Jews and Saracens of both sexes in every Christian province must be distinguished from the Christian by a difference of dress. .On Passion Sunday and the last three days of Holy Week they may not appear in public.
^ Keeping the Sabbath day holy: Using one day in the week to rest, pray and be with the family, keeps the family and sense of community; .
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
^ Children were often treated as "slaves" by employing them in factories where they worked under the harshest conditions for 12 or more hours per day --7 days a week..."
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
^ Children were often treated as "slaves" by employing them in factories where they worked under the harshest conditions for 12 or more hours per day --7 days a week.
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
- The Canons of the Fourth Lateran Council, 1215, Canon 68; see Judenhut, yellow badge. This is partly so that Christians will not unknowingly have sexual relations with Jews or Muslims.

Jews are not to be given public offices. Anyone instrumental in doing this is to be punished. .A Jewish official is to be denied all intercourse with Christians.
^ All the Roman or Jewish authorities would have to do to squash the belief in Christianity is to produce the dead body of the Savior and Christianity would be dead in the water shortly after it began to spread.
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
^ Some of the people on this forum are still asking questions as to the relevance of Christianity, all the time denying it of course, since they believe their own worldview is true.
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
.
- The Canons of the Fourth Lateran Council, 1215, Canon 69

But the greatest of all the reformers of the depraved religion of his own country, was Jesus of Nazareth.
^ I have made the effort of doing this anew for the central assertions of Jesus of Nazareth, courtesy of Pope Benedict XVI, and concluded that most modern Christians have got it all wrong.
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
^ Religion knows this all to well, that's why they want children as young as they can get so they can drive their own fears and myths into them!
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
^ YOU: "Religion knows this all to well, that's why they want children as young as they can get so they can drive their own fears and myths into them!
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
.
- Thomas Jefferson, Letter to William Short, October 31, 1819. Published in The Works of Thomas Jefferson in Twelve Volumes, Federal Edition, Paul Leicester Ford, ed., New York: G. P. Putnam's Sons, 1904, Vol. 12, pp. 141–142.

His [Jesus'] object was the reformation of some articles in the religion of the Jews, as taught by Moses.
^ I know of Mr Morrison, since for some years I was a member of the New York Academy of Sciences.
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
^ October 31, 2007 12:24 PM Report Offensive Comment .
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
^ Sam isn't just writing an op-ed piece for the New York Times.
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
That sect had presented for the object of their worship, a being of terrific character, cruel, vindictive, capricious and unjust.
- Thomas Jefferson, Letter to William Short, August 4, 1820, on his reason for compiling the Syllabus of an Estimate of the Merit of the Doctrines of Jesus. .Published in Thomas Jefferson: Writings, Merrill D. Peterson, ed., New York: Library of America, 1994, pp. 1435–1440.[1]

[A]ll churches, whether Jewish, Christian or Muslim, are simply human inventions.
^ Sam isn't just writing an op-ed piece for the New York Times.
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
^ The debate about Christian America is whether the government has the right to establish a religion or laws that promote religious beliefs (such as the 10 commandments or prayer in schools.
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
^ I have been inspired by Dennett's writings since 1980 and enjoyed talking with him more recently in New York and Oxford.
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
.They use fear to enslave us.
^ They are useful in that they allow us to communicate with each other about our world, but they do not seem, yet anyway, to reveal the ultimate mode of reality of anything.
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010 8:48 UTC newsweek.washingtonpost.com [Source type: Original source]
On Faith Panelists Blog: The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris 19 January 2010

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