Posted on 04/02/2010 8:00:41 AM PDT by Zionist Conspirator
My rabbi explained: One way to gain insight into what the mass of humanity believes and feels is to study its billboard and magazine advertising. Advertising themes which are recycled again and again are those themes which experience has proven successful, messages which strike responsive chords in the hearts of millions of people. And if we consider the tens of millions of dollars spent on advertising religion, one central theme stands out: "Turn to G-d—it will make you feel better."
"The family that prays together, stays together"; "Something good is going to happen to you"; Catholic schools— schools with a heart"; "Back to the Bible"—with a background picture of smiling parents, smiling children and a (smiling) family dog. Leaving aside questions of whether those slogans contain kernels of truth, the core of the message, its fundamental theme, is: "Got problems? Want to be happier? Try G-d." Just like an ad for aspirin or a stomach antacid.
The Creator as painkiller or smile producer—that sells. But the idea of serving G-d, that I am here to make Him happy rather than the other way around, that idea is foreign to our culture. "The wicked stand upon their gods." They may well believe in a god, they may even be very "religious"; but their god is beneath them, there to serve them, to answer their prayers and to add a touch of sentiment to joyous and solemn occasions.
(Excerpt) Read more at jewishworldreview.com ...
Ping!
That’s a terrific article.
Thank you.
This article is proof that G-d has not abandoned His chosen people, the Jews. I look forward to the day when rabbis like this wonderful man won’t need to teach each man his brother saying “d`oo eth-YHWH (know the L-rd)” for they shall all know Him. In that day, the seed of Abraham shall indeed be the conduit for G-d’s blessing upon the nations that bless Israel.. and there shall be curses upon those nations that curse Israel.
Good stuff thanks for posting. Some great insights throughout. So take this as a respectful statement.
The end of the article: “With G-d’s aid, we can overcome, and we can make it to the Promised Land where that covenant of circumcision took place. The righteous have G-d above them, and with G-d above there is always hope. “
As a Christian I see the “we can overcome” as an extension of Pharoahs willful placing of himself equal to God and attempt to bargain with God. That’s the problem Christ solved. There is no way “we can overcome” . . . it is Christ alone, God alone that overcomes. Christ’s sacrifice, his blood, saves us. No action that we or any other man takes provides salvation, but God’s action alone. It is a hard lesson.
There’s an awful lot going on in the that story of the lighthouse and the basket of tight-woven reeds. The good Rabbi gives light to a another facet of that gem. Another also out today is the publication of a book detailing the 850 year story of anti-semitism in Britain, see Town Hall online magazine.
The Upper Crust refined mocking of Jews established in English Culture has many parallels to the attitudes in greater Goshen and along the Nile some three millennia plus ago, imo.
Not directly mentioned in the Holy Text is the great sexual licentiousness that prevailed in the land then, which is also parallel to modern English-dominant culture norms of the last fifty years.
Thanks for posting.
We have our own Pharaoh Fantasy in our President.
Obozo is a modern day Pharoah with whom God is going to display His power on. His signing of the HC bill is akin to the decree of Ramses II against the 1st born of Israel. We all know how that ended.
Glad we agree. GOD will not be MOCKED, and he does not promise us easy times, but HE does promise that HE will help us and see us to victory, IF we turn our face and hearts back to HIM.
A perspective not shared by Orthodox Jews.
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