Posted on 06/05/2010 3:57:14 PM PDT by US Navy Vet
The Jews consider themselves part of the intelligentsia, and the intelligentsia happens to congratulate themselves for having achieved the allegedly momentous insight that capitalism and altruism are ultimately incompatible (duh). Yet they’re still too damn ignorant to realize, or too damn stubborn to acknowledge, that altruism is definitely NOT the only moral code possible, nor that it is, in fact, the bloodiest and most regressive one of all, even the one Hitler used as part of the excuse to murder Jews. This stunted thinking has resulted in their committing the intellectual atrocity of rejecting the capitalism and freedom instead of the altruism and coercion.” — see http://freedomkeys.com/paradox.htm — from http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/2130563/posts?page=31#31
Morris should consider Occam’s Razor. American Jews have just confused the Mosaic Law’s demand for a just society with the commie call for “Social Justice”.
Why post a picture of a bag lady?
Good post. Jews ion AMeric forgot what Rep. Crockett knew abotu government giving charity to any one or any group - “Not yours to give.”
eyedigress inexplicably thinks she has a bit of a honker.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HZPmXzxv6iE
They all look the same to me.
It's the attitude that changes them.
Nice hair! : - )
Big Schnoz.
LOL!
Honk!
LOL!
You are so close, but you trivialize the fervor that Jews feel for justice and peace in our time, in our lives for Jews and for all.
You are so right about the idealism that this inspires. But, each of these idealistic movements based on "fixing" Judaism, has had its limitations and the variations that are based on the rejection of God (Socialism and Communism) provide the ground that grows evil as those who would be above morality impose their will in the name of the faceless masses.
The Kaddish Prayer for remembering the Dead, said at Jewish every service
Glorified and sanctified be God's great name throughout the world which He has created according to His will.
May He establish His kingdom in your lifetime and during your days, and within the life of the entire House of Israel, speedily and soon; and say, Amen.
May His great name be blessed forever and to all eternity. Blessed and praised, glorified and exalted, extolled and honored, adored and lauded be the name of the Holy One, blessed be He, beyond all the blessings and hymns, praises and consolations that are ever spoken in the world; and say, Amen.
May there be abundant peace from heaven, and life, for us and for all Israel; and say, Amen.
He who creates peace in His celestial heights, may He create peace for us and for all Israel; and say, Amen.
One needs look no farther, to see no messiah "complex", or to trivialize Jews for not looking to an afterlife, because they commit their souls back to God. Judaism, is the ultimate radical religion in that it recognizes the evil that man is capable of and yet demands that with God's help we can find our way to peace and justice, and let that work start today. Let that time of peace come in our lifetime.
Let us meet in comfort and joy "Next year in Jerusalem".
The radicalism of Judaism comes from the fact that it is a religion of slaves, not masters. Just as the United States is deeply based on these same radical thoughts. The founders poured their hopes and minds into crafting the foundations for a "New Jerusalem" that city on the hill. And they created a system of Law and the idea of the Law being the highest authority on Earth as God was the true source of Man's rights and dignity. This vision was of Leaders who are "Servants" rather than "Masters." Who do not rule by might or by power but by the consent of the people for whom they represent. And, this time of service was to be limited so that this power always passed to new hands, new ideas and did not become a right of a privileged few, as has been the normal path of all societies before, to tyranny and oppression and sorrow.
The word "Liberal" has come to mean opposite of what "liberal" of the Founding vision meant and Jews in their cores have both tendencies to "liberal" (the value of individual dignity) thought and the value and importance of community as well.
This mirrors the conflict that Judaism inspires between celebrating the worth of the individual and the limits of that worth must respect so that a community can exist as well. The worth of the individual comes from the immediacy of the ability of each human to respond to God's call directly, not through an intermediary. Yet, all people of sensitivity and experience with human nature understand that the ego can be its own false God and lead men to horrors while they claim divine inspiration and sanction for these behaviors because they do not bound their actions by the needs of their community.
The American Founders also took from Christianity, the cynical position that men are basically evil, and that this evil nature must be limited and controlled as an ongoing process. A fact that Judaism, also shares but does not cast as the result of original sin but yet acknowledges in the form of Lashon Harar, the evil inclination that is the first to show in humans and is not controlled until one finds the natural inclination toward good, Lashon Ha Tov, via study and prayer and learning to live within an ethical community.
But, it is this Christian acceptance of original sin that will not go away and the Jewish rejection of this as an ultimate state for mankind that leads to opposing world views. The Pessimism of Christians for mankind in this life but with hope for redemption and peace in the next life and the Optimism of Jews that peace and justice are available today if we would let go of evil today has come to animate the heart of this Great American experiment.
Communism and Socialism are the false Gods of the godless and many people including many Jews have fallen away from faith and respect for God. In the world where Man is all and only the mechanism's of "nature" are at play, the so called Rationalist position. Then, the source of power comes from the appetites of men, from their evil nature and ultimately their own "Will to Power." Ultimately it says, there are folks who are the natural masters to whom all others are but slaves and servants.
The teachings of Jewish and Christian thought provide men with the courage they need to resist those who would make them slaves, and caution against the worship of false Gods provide the lure that draws the weak heart into evil deeds. As they say, all of the rest is commentary.
There is much in what you wrote I would disagree with. Not vehemently, as my efforts are not to belittle Jews, but to justify what I said.
“...but you trivialize the fervor that Jews feel for justice and peace in our time, in our lives for Jews and for all.”
This has to be qualified. To start with, there are two sets of behaviors for Jews, which are glaringly obvious. One is the behavior of Jews that live in the diaspora. Even the author pointed out that this behavior is further subdivided and distinct between the Ashkenazi and Sephardi, and further subdivided between the sects and factions within each.
But the major difference is between all of these Jews, and Jews within Israel. It is a personality and philosophical change based on geography, and it is striking. The “lavish liberalism” Jews in the rest of the world seek to impart to others does back flips once it is in Israel. And back again, once it leaves Israel.
Yet to examine this attraction to “justice” outside of Israel also raises the paradox of “whose justice?” Justice as defined by what?
As just an odd example, Bernie Madoff, as philanthropist, gave to any number of left wing organizations. But his favorites were those that tried to fight any punishment at all for juvenile offenders.
This is noteworthy, because in Jewish traditions there is a standard that once juveniles reach their majority, they should be forgiven their childhood transgressions. This is not offensive to most non-Jews. However, Madoff’s rather odd extrapolation of this, that juveniles should never be punished at all, is not an expression of justice, but of anarchy and evil.
I would also take exception to the idea that the American founding fathers imagined mankind as evil. Only a tiny enclave, whose background denotes from Calvanism felt so. Otherwise, they were of a mind that mankind is not good or evil as a whole, just “weak”, and subject to error.
This is a very important point, as those who imagine mankind to be good, likewise envision government as a proponent of good, so the more government, the merrier, to the point of totalitarianism. On the other hand, those that envision mankind as evil, tend to authoritarianism, of watchers watching watchers watch, and a strictness to the law.
Only in the middle ground, assuming that man can be good or evil, but is mostly weak and subject to error, do we find freedom. In such a case, before laws are made they must be sorely tested, and face a natural selection that only favors the consensus, its sharp edges honed off.
Politicians are looked at with distrust, not adored, but likewise not despised, if they are ethical. Most importantly, their power is derived not from God or heaven, but by the people. Weak people.
In the 1800's a new "enlightened" form of Judaism arose. Reform Judaism. The majority of these new immigrants embraced this new form of Judaism, in part, IMHO, to avoid being persecuted by their hosts. Reform Judaism does not require the strict observance of the Mitzvot (commandments), so they started like their hosts, to eat pork and shellfish, not observe the sabbath and began intermarriage.
All the while, still stressing social justice. So, like any liberal religion, the government became the the new arbiter of justice, not G-d. Look at the World Council of Churches. Same thing. Anytime G-d is pushed out the vacuum is replaced by man-humanism. When G-d is replaced by government, freedom is replaced by tyranny. The Jew does have a powerful mind which can be used for great good or great evil. The Jewish soul needs the guidance of Torah and the obedience to HaShem to bring about true tikkun olam, repair of the world.
That is why they vote democrat. Previous persecution, liberalized religion, to "fit in" and not be so "different" and thereby replacing G-d with government to bring about "social justice".
The other issue I’d like to see explored is just what kind of ridicule conservative Jews have do deal with from their co-religionists, much like conservative Blacks?
If you are going to be socially persecuted for your conservative beliefs [and backing a bunch of goys!!], maybe you just keep your head down and mouth shut- especially if you are self-employed and don’t want business to fall off due to your political beliefs.
Furthermore, it seems to me that some of the most vocal Jews can pretty much exempt themselves from the onerous regulations they and their progressive friends would like to foist on the rest of us.
In some cases, they might greatly benefit from said regulation.
It seems to me that the time is ripe for those who support the Constitution and individual liberty to speak up, be they Jewish, Black, Hispanic, or any combination thereof. Sorry folks, white, Euro-descendant Gentiles need more help! Thankfully, this concept seems to be gaining traction.
Justice is not that difficult. Though for some people, obviously it is. The Jewish judge is cautioned not to favor the poor man over the rich because of his needs, nor the rich man over the poor because of his influence. But, Judaism teaches that providing for the poor and unfortunate is an obligation. Each man must have the expectation that when they come for justice, it will have been dispensed in accordance with the law, and not in accordance with the status of those who seek the law.
As just an odd example, Bernie Madoff, as philanthropist, gave to any number of left wing organizations. But his favorites were those that tried to fight any punishment at all for juvenile offenders.
This is noteworthy, because in Jewish traditions there is a standard that once juveniles reach their majority, they should be forgiven their childhood transgressions. This is not offensive to most non-Jews. However, Madoff’s rather odd extrapolation of this, that juveniles should never be punished at all, is not an expression of justice, but of anarchy and evil.
So Bernie Madoff is supposed to be the representative for someone who understands Justice? Gees. Lets quote Mao or Pol Pot and go after those people as examples of flaws of Eastern Philosophy.
I would also take exception to the idea that the American founding fathers imagined mankind as evil. Only a tiny enclave, whose background denotes from Calvanism felt so. Otherwise, they were of a mind that mankind is not good or evil as a whole, just “weak”, and subject to error.
This is a nuance. Whether, you see this as man being subject to the evil inclination or original sin, the founders decided to design deeply in our system checks and balances so that no man, and no group might enjoy unchecked power and thus the power to do unchecked evil.
This is a very important point, as those who imagine mankind to be good, likewise envision government as a proponent of good, so the more government, the merrier, to the point of totalitarianism. On the other hand, those that envision mankind as evil, tend to authoritarianism, of watchers watching watchers watch, and a strictness to the law.
If I implied that the Framers felt that all men were evil and bent on evil deeds, then this would be wide of the mark. For, out of faith and learning and the practice of compassion the inclination for good is born. The Jewish approach believes that this inclination can contain and control the impulse to evil and that a man can live a moral life within the bounds of law and respectful of the needs of his community while still enjoying the fruits of this life.
Our founding fathers, saw the possibilities for men to pursue good ends and personal happiness through the framework they provided so one would have to acknowledge their optimism as well as their cynicism about the possibilities and nature of men.
Only in the middle ground, assuming that man can be good or evil, but is mostly weak and subject to error, do we find freedom. In such a case, before laws are made they must be sorely tested, and face a natural selection that only favors the consensus, its sharp edges honed off.
Politicians are looked at with distrust, not adored, but likewise not despised, if they are ethical. Most importantly, their power is derived not from God or heaven, but by the people. Weak people.
Mmmmm...not too bad.
I am Ashkenazic, my family coming out of the old country is evenly split between those who are communist in inclination and those who completely rejected such ideas. My grandfather was very religious and so was his mother. She left Poland and her husband because he was not. I am here because she decided to be with her brother the Rabbi in England and then they moved to New York and then to Pittsburgh. Grandpa didn't join an Orthodox congregation but instead a Conservative one. Yet the same family that accepted and helped Great Grandma and my Grandfather, were very active in forming the Trade Unions in New York and there was almost no common ground between these two branches. Ashkenazi, Sehpardi these classifications are not sufficient to understand who is influenced by Socialist thought. Instead, look to Faith in God.
Judaism is deeply guided by the demand and concept of Tzedaka. The unconditional obligation to give to the poor and dispossessed. This is a spiritual exercise that teaches that all of life's bounty is from the hands of God and thus is not our own and we cannot contain it but are obligated to share it with those who are less fortunate. But, even though this obligation exists it requires voluntary action and choice by the individual. Taxes are not Tzedaka, because they are involuntary though many Jews approach taxes as Tzedaka because they can choose to set the rates. Yet as these rates apply to those who do not choose this path, it becomes involuntary on those who must also bear the burden of the Tax. It is not tzedaka to take from others to provide a benefit that we are compelled by conscience to provide ourselves. It is merely taxation. Similar, perhaps, but not the same.
Communism and Socialism are products of this same question written large. Communism and Socialism are false analogs of Judaism's teachings idealized and promulgated as the way to achieve Biblical ends now and in this lifetime. But, instead, we see that in practice, the economics and the political philosophy of both of these systems fail miserably because they suppose that Man rather than God is the source of all bounty. They suppose that a few men can guide all rather than allowing the invisible hand God, the teachings of the Bible and work of men pursuing their own dreams to guide those dreams and actions into a path of justice and righteousness.
The Russian government introduced reforms in the 1850's that forced Jews to attend public schools and participate in the Russian community at large. This was essentially part of a secret plan to "Christianize" these Jews but even more so to divide this community which was so devoted and peaceful that they would die rather than "play the game." The problem is that when these Jews began to compete for the few jobs available, the rest of the population became resentful and this was most especially felt in the case of Railway workers and it was this conflict that led to the rash of Pogroms of the late 1800's.
The Enlightenment (Haskala) movement was started in Germany and was assisted in the Russian Pale by the Russian authorities. But, it was a real movement that was based on the rise of modern philosophy as much as any desire to assimilate. Even deeper, the pressure of the publication of the first works of "higher criticism" that showed the Torah to be from multiple sources rather than as it described itself as coming from the hand of Moses exclusively, was the pressure that brought Jews to question the rubric of traditions and laws that had been accepted from the time of the beginning of the current Rabbinic period.
Your vision of Reform Judaism is wildly unfair and inaccurate. I wish I had the time to rip this apart point by point.
Yes, Reform Jews are very liberal by percentage (75%) but many Orthodox Jews are also very liberal as well.. perhaps 50%. Though the ultra-Orthodox tend to be extremely conservative (25% liberal) they are a very small minority.
That is why they vote democrat. Previous persecution, liberalized religion, to "fit in" and not be so "different" and thereby replacing G-d with government to bring about "social justice".
Though I have problems with the way you got to this point, your point is pretty much right on except for that last bit. The replacing God bit, this does not come from attempting to "fit" in. In fact, non-affiliated, non-religious Jews have been in the lead of those who fight to create a secular culture where Christian thought is not dominant. It is this push, to forestall oppression by Christians remembered from Europe that has Jews in and out of congregations actively fighting to have Government replace worship of God and individual and community good deeds as a means to achieving Social Justice. And this, is animated by the Jew's willingness to see all humans as worthy and equal and deserving of care and compassion.
However, Government is not a good Mama, Papa or even Congregation of support. Government is bureaucratic, often needlessly mean and small minded. Such a poor place to look for humanity, much less compassion.
What you said goes to a long held opinion of mine, which you might find interesting.
A recurring theme in the Tanakh goes to the very heart of monotheism, “the assertion of definition.” Who defines reality, is it God or man?
God is a singularity, unique, incomparable with any thing. Not having the same qualities as any thing. Everything else can have a name, because it can be compared and contrasted with other things. And this is Adam’s first task, to name things. But this creates the illusion that abstractions define reality. Adam’s delusion.
From that point, people are contentious, because they want to give God a name, like everything else, and create abstracts, idols, to represent God. Likewise, people want to establish their own powers of definition, by doing things like building the tower of Babel. Great arrogance.
This reoccurring theme, of arrogant man challenging God, continues unabated, until Moses finally asks God His name. God’s response is the most profoundly complex philosophical statement ever made.
It also put man firmly in the back seat, where man continued to act like a petulant child, until Rene Descartes finally produced mankind’s parody response to God’s statement, with the obvious parallel of “I think, therefore I am.”
Strutting like a peacock, this opened the door to subsequent philosophies, reliant on parallelism. That is, rewriting the Tanakh, but as if man was God, not God.
For example, how different is Jean-Jacques Rousseau’s “State of Nature” from the Garden of Eden? Yet in mankind’s version of the story, man foolishly left nature to become civilized, so should strive to return to nature, and live in a natural state. This is the principle behind much of modern socialist-environmentalism, and is a recurrent theme in writings from Emerson and Thoreau to Dave Foreman of Earth First!
Call it “Biblical parody” if you like, but with man in the dominant role.
Importantly, as part of the rewrite, man can make any changes to the Tanakh he wants, for whatever whimsical reason, or strictly to reassert that man is in charge, not God. I mentioned Emerson because he is a big advocate of corrupting Biblical stories to fit the purpose of the moment.
This establishes a major element of socialism, that its greatest enemy is “history”, or the “recorded word” as compared to the whim of the moment. The Tanakh, as written, is unacceptable, because it asserts that God is in charge. But rewriting it “proves” that man is in charge.
(I know that this philosophy is riddled with holes and errors, but it is still the one socialists adore.)
Many of the other ideas of socialism are direct and corrupted parallels to Biblical thought, and they also feel free to do the same thing to Christian sources as well. But it all boils down to the same arrogance found at Babel.
But, even as this is a very powerful and truthful insight, it is limited. The Tenakh is more like a fractal image that exposes more truth as we are ready to learn it. The crisis of "higher criticism" that has stolen the faith of so many religious professionals is in itself yet another proof of the mind connecting the minds that created this marvelous work. The contradictions and layers and sub-layers are exposed, and each delivers up more meaning. Ultimately, the discovery that destroyed the faith of so many is the discovery that will confirm it in the end.
Ever greater power is being entrusted with men to use for good or ill. Men need to accept this responsibility and use these new gifts wisely. Yet the greatest gift is one of the first, and that is the human mind. Yet, this mind must have faith in God and a higher purpose to function properly. All else fails and turns to ash if this connection is not made. So, even with the narcissistic impulse to glory in the capabilities of the mind, we find that its limits force us to open our hearts to God's saving grace so that we may live.
I wish I could go further but I don't have the time at the moment.
Still, good stuff.
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