No Soul Left to Sell - A Rabbi Speaks About America

Beliefnet ^ | June 2004 | Rabbi Shmuley Boteach

[sawmill trash]

Who among us has a soul left to sell anyway?


I did, but I gave it to Jesus.

[MissAmericanPie]

TV is not American life, fact is, most of us have our noses so close to the grind stone, trying to hold onto our standard of living, roof over our heads, food on the table, a few toys, while "rising the boats of the whole planet", that we fall asleep before we see very many "reality programs".

[hinckley buzzard]

He's also the bigot who trashed Christians on every cable talk show fo weeks regarding The Passion. He was absolutely convinced that inside every Christian there's a Nazi struggling to get out.

Dumb f*ck. If Boteach is a "rabbi" then American Jewry has a problem of its own.

[avenir]

I apologize for my harsh judgement in accusing you of a "disgusting, cowardly attitude". I am trying to be careful when I hit the POST button, since my motives are not always right in posting. I wasn't fair to you.

I agree with some of your points, yet do not believe we can cherrypick our wars. Once committed to battle our troops need our support. All wars include risk of death. We will always have wars, some of which are noble, some not.

[sinkspur]

Sir, maybe it's only your misunderstanding, but our boys are being USED (read: killed) for pitifully inappropriate reasons, nation-building.

You don't get the war on terror, Piers.

You really don't.

And, unless your children are as selfish as you are, when they reach majority, YOU don't get to tell them whether they will serve in the military.

[Piers-the-Ploughman]

Of course I don't get to tell them what they will do.

Let me rephrase that: "I am pointing out to them the folly of this war and have stressed to them them the pope's opposition to this war (as opposed to Afghan war) because of its probable failure to meet Catholic just war criteria."
I do think they are listening; if they want to sign up, it's not like I will disinherit them or even be upset---sure it's their decision. I'd rather have them help me in my old age than get maimed/killed trying build a nation for Muslims. I'd rather help them with their children then have them help rebuild a Muslim hostile Iraq. Much closer to home, how's our Haiti project coming?

I don't see how the Iraqi war ends terror. What about the billion muslims in India, iran, Indonesia etc? Will we invade them too? North Korea--now there's a rogue state. Why haven't we invaded them? A policy of aggressive containment for Iraq is much more preferable. Afghanistan is different, Osama is/was there and that was major al-Qaeda headquarters.

The whole thing keys on WMD. Bush's intelligence was either wrong or they moved them elsewhere, something intelligence should've counted on anyway.

No, I don't understand a "war on terror". This mideast problem is obviously a variation of the Hatfield-McCoy feud ; fools rush in where angels fear to tread. And honestly, if I don't think this war, the way it is currently prosecuted will work to achieve its ends, do I have to say I do to be patriotic?
I would support strategic and tactical bombing and authorized assasination. No one who reads me should think for a second that I believe Islam is a "peaceful" religion-a true crock; I wonder if GWB supporters believe that silliness when GWB says it. I'd expel all foreign nationals from those countries, especially all the "student" visas.

[sinkspur]

Since you admit you don't understand the war on terror, it's natural you would think it wouldn't meet the just war criteria.

It is a war on terror, not a war on Muslims, which you would seem to prefer.

[Piers-the-Ploughman]

YOU WROTE:It is a war on terror, not a war on Muslims, which you would seem to prefer.

1. I don't war for anybody. I want Muslims to leave us alone and let us have our culture and land just as they have theirs. I'd rather not depend on them for anything, given their hostile aggressive culture.
2. For this war, all terrorists have been muslim. I do not want a total war on mid-East Muslims in general, which would be the only way to eliminate terrorism, because such a war falls far short of Catholic just war doctrine.

[Zionist Conspirator]

Rabbi Shmuley Boteach is a renegade Lubavitch rabbi who has in the past offended traditional Jewish sensibilities with his book on Kosher Sex and who won fame as "Michael Jackson's rabbi." He also has in the past gone to great lengths to stress the vast differences between Judaism and chr*stianity while co-authoring a book with a new age guru celebrating the commonality of Judaism and "new age"-ism. He's also a bit of a publicity hound.

I don't want to reject his words when they are helpful and on target, but he really needs to get back to authentic Orthodox Judaism before anything else.

Evangelical Christians and religious Catholics, whom I so admire, exhibit a profound attachment to G-d and country that is rousing and inspiring. But an attachment to G-d must breed a distinct humility. Being in touch with one’s soul must lead us to experience the soul of the other and acknowledge the divine worth of every human being. So homosexuality can be opposed. But homophobia has no place in religious life.

Ick. See what I mean? And by the way, since when is it a "sin" to be afraid of something???

The Jews taught the world of the existence of G-d and alerted the earth’s inhabitants to the existence of a fragment of the divine that lurks within each and every person. And that community held steadfastly to G-d through torture and persecution for more than two-thousand years. So why did so many decide to let go when they finally experienced emancipation? Why are the Jewish community centers—with their swimming pools, bowling alleys, and gyms—filled on Sundays while the synagogues remain unfilled on Saturdays?

For some reason Jewish history is always limited to the "two thousand years of persecution." The thousand years before that--when Jews were the original "crusaders," pagan-killers, and heretic-haters, has been banished to an Orwellian memory hole. Read the Book of Joshua, y'all (and Ezra and Nehemiah too).

I applaud Rabbi Boteach for taking the steps he has made so far, but he isn't home yet. May G-d guide him.

[dennisw]

I'll give you credibility when you sell your cars and ride a bicycle to work. When you and your wife go out shopping on your bicycles. Until then your are full of it. Full of selfish libertarian nonsense.

[Piers-the-Ploughman]

you wrote:
I'll give you credibility when you sell your cars and ride a bicycle to work. When you and your wife go out shopping on your bicycles. Until then your are full of it. Full of selfish libertarian nonsense.

Huh? Bicycles only? I am not an "environmentalist" at least by media standards. Selfish? I want you and yours to live in peace also.

dennisw, I want osama and his aides captured and executed. Because of the presence of al-Qaeda headquarters, Afghan invasion is clearly justified.

I am skeptical how the Iraqi war as currently prosecuted will achieve its desired end. "Road to hell paved with good intentions." Don't want to waste precious american lives on a boondoggle.

[hocndoc]

I know that I have a soul, and it's not for sale, since I was bought by the blood of Jesus Christ.

The rabbi shouldn't scold.