[Laura Schlessinger] Dr. Laura Renounces Jewish Orthodoxy

religionnewsblog.com ^ | 08/13/2003 | LISA KEYS

[honeygrl]

ROFLMAO!!

[Catspaw]

This is what she said:

Schlessinger began her program last Tuesday by noting that, prior to each broadcast, she spends an hour reading faxes from fans and listeners. "By and large the faxes from Christians have been very loving, very supportive," she said. "From my own religion, I have either gotten nothing, which is 99% of it, or two of the nastiest letters I have gotten in a long time. I guess that's my point — I don't get much back. Not much warmth coming back."

Your interpretation of what she said is different from mine. Unless you're psychic, she's talking about faxes and letters from her fans, saying "[b]y and large the faxes from Christians have been very loving, very supportive" but faxes from members of her own religion are described this way" "I have either gotten nothing, which is 99% of it, or two of the nastiest letters I have gotten in a long time. I guess that's my point — I don't get much back. Not much warmth coming back."

[honeygrl]

I perfectly understood what the person was saying. If you can't figure it out, you are the one with the problem. A typo is not some mortal sin.

[Capriole]

I had a couple Canadians, but I traded them for a bass guitar and a scanner. They make good pets -- just keep 'em out of the sun and don't let 'em get drunk.

Pets!? Pets!? I wasn't thinking of keeping them for pets! Pets are a lot of trouble--you have to feed them, exercise them, take them to the vet, groom them, etc. ad infinitum. Dogs and horses are enough in that department, thanks. No, I was thinking of keeping the Canadians as slaves, for goodness' sake. How do they work out as field hands and house slaves? Any good?

[Destro]

Your just pissed cause I put the Catholics to the hammer sometimes. Ever publish an apologia on the fraud that is the Donation of Constantine?

[farmer18th]

And religion is about one's relationship with God, not about one's relationship with one's fanbase.

Certainly, but the way we see God, most oft, is by observing His followers. She appears to have seen more of God--his mercy, judgment, and grace--through her Christian audience than through her Jewish audience.

Maybe Dr. Laura's Jewish listeners were more disturbed by her hypocrisy. Since Jews tend to be live and let live, perhaps her moralistic tone, which turned out to be a facade, grated on them.

Anyone whose life becomes public property is going to have some measure of his/her hypocrisy exposed. Hypocrisy is with us. It doesn't follow, however, that unrestricted "live and let live" is a logical response to hypocrisy. Serial monogamy and children left behind without parents would be wrong even if it were a message expounded by an adulterer. If any sizeable portion of her Jewish audience were arguing against God's law, her response was understandable.

[veronica]

Anyone whose life becomes public property is going to have some measure of his/her hypocrisy exposed.

Only if one sets oneself up as a paragon of virtue, which Dr. Laura did, all the while making exceptions for herself regarding rules she imperiously dictated to others. Her religious conversion to Judaism was obviously shallow and made for the wrong reasons, *as will the next one be*, as she searches for something that will bring her the EGO gratification she appears to so desperately require.

[SerpentDove]

Perhaps you missed this:

"I felt that I was putting out a tremendous amount toward that mission, that end, and not feeling return, not feeling connected, not feeling that inspired. Trust me, I've talked to rabbis, I've read, I've prayed, I've agonized and I came to this place anyway (emphasis mine)..."

Quite a difference from your assumption that she just read a few emails, that and her faith was so shallow, she changed it based on the emails alone. You are making quite an accusation with such flimsy evidence as a tiny snippet from an article.

Do you really think that is fair? I don't.

[AlbionGirl]

I have never understood how Christians can find Judasim to be anything but the Father of their own religion. And Christian anti-semitism is cognitive dissonance in the extreme.

I pretty much share your take on Dr. Laura. She really did preach a good game, but I'm shocked at the words she chose to defend her disavowal of Judasim. FEELINGS? I mean, really.

Nobody can count the number of hapless callers who began their on-air plea for help w/her, lamenting that they weren't feeling good about such and such, only to be lambasted by her telling them that she wasn't interested in their feelings, as feelings were transitory, and not substantive enough to base a decision on.

And while I don't want to too harshly judger her on the occurrence w/her mother, it is shocking that she could have remained deceased for so long without anyone in the family knowing about it. She has counseled even children who were abused, and whose Mothers enabled the abuse to continue by their living in denial, to make sure that their parents had the basics that were necessary for life. Talk about not passing the smell test!

I remember her saying once that the Torah taught that just because something was true, that was not license to verbalize it. Yet she seemed to take such relish in calling women SLUT! And that's what it was that was always so off-putting about her, she seemed to so enjoy meting out the lashes. That's what made her on-air personality so objectionable to me, and to many others I would guess.

[veronica]

Excellent post. My sentiments exactly, but expressed better than my posts were perhaps. :)

[Chantal]

People who calls her program already know she will come down on them. If you married a man who left his wife for
you and you wanted sympathy from her when he did the same thing to you then you out of luck. Notice cheating husbands never call, it' s always the victims. Lying, cheating men know better.

[muir_redwoods]

Not to put too fine a point on it, and certainly not necessarily to contradict you, but the Romans killed Christ. They used Syrian mercenaries to drive the nails. The Jewish authorities were perhaps not blameless but the killing was done to satisfy a Roman sentence that the Jews of the time were prohibited from imposing.

Any historical guilt, as irrational as that concept is, must be born by the heirs to the Roman empire or the Syrian mercenaries if anybody must.

[wardaddy]

I never knew she was a a half jewish (non-Jew) who underwent a conversion.

I would have sworn she was dyed in the wool Jewish.

A bit shrill but more right than wrong.

[Malsua]

>>I am not a fan of Dr. Laura's radio show and would rather get root canal than listen to her. <<

LOL. I posted something similar and got volumes of hatemail on FR cuz of it. ROFL.

[farmer18th]

Only if one sets oneself up as a paragon of virtue,

Between you and I and the gatepost, Dr. Laura does come across as imperious and a bit impetuous in her on air presence. But... she runs an ADVICE talk show. Ever listen to Rush? Tom Leykis? (Gag) Larry King? All of these folks have a kill button in front of them and they give themselves the last word on everything. That's the nature of the format. Dr. Laura deals with terribly confused and befogged callers who usually need a rhetorical slap in the face. Her advice, nevertheless--and I imagine her personal life--have moved in a consistent direction--towards objectivity, God's law, and political conservatism. She's right most of the time--and that galls the licentious left. That's a good thing.

[farmer18th]

Theoretical religion is not the exclusive provence of religious leaders, farmer18th. I study the theoretical basis of religion on my own, and if I decide a point in a certain way, no "leader" is going to change my mind based upon his authority to proclaim the truth. He'd better be able to show me why his understanding is better than mine.

My sentiments exactly. I was merely indicating that applied theology is what occurs during the week, and that, however eloquent the theoretical theologians may be, they can't make a herd of sickly sheep look healthy. "By ther fruits you shall know them." (Divorcing Baptists take note..)

[nmh]

"Born to a Jewish father and an Italian Catholic mother"

She's actually NOT Jewish. To be Jewish her mother must be Jewish. Her mother is Catholic.

[Destro]

Well in reality your wrong on a technicality. Jewish is a religion not an ethnicity. The term when translated is Hebrew. Your mother needs to be Hebrew to be considered a Hebrew. In the English language Jewish has become a catch all for Hebrew.

[wardaddy]

I think in reality, Jewish has become an "identity" as much as anything. Most Jews I know are agnostic but practice the history on holidays.

The religion is Judaism.

[Destro]

Exactly--The religion is Judaism but not an ethnicity. Not even the Old Testament or the Torah claims that you are a Jew by birth because you have to attain that through ritual circumsion, studies and other ritual rites like Bar'Mitzvah. What has gotten mistranslated over time in English is that you need to have your mother be "Hebrew" to be "Hebrew" ypurself.

Or something like that.