Posted on 12/28/2011 2:46:34 AM PST by KantianBurke
BEIT SHEMESH, Israel — The latest battleground in Israel’s struggle over religious extremism covers little more than a square mile of this Jewish city situated between Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, and it has the unexpected public face of a blond, bespectacled second-grade girl.
She is Naama Margolese, 8, the daughter of American immigrants who are observant modern Orthodox Jews. An Israeli weekend television program told the story of how Naama had become terrified of walking to her elementary school here after ultra-Orthodox men spit on her, insulted her and called her a prostitute because her modest dress did not adhere exactly to their more rigorous dress code.
The country was outraged. Naama’s picture has appeared on the front pages of all the major Israeli newspapers. While Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu insisted Sunday that “Israel is a democratic, Western, liberal state” and pledged that “the public sphere in Israel will be open and safe for all,” there have been days of confrontation at focal points of friction here.
Ultra-Orthodox men and boys from the most stringent sects have hurled rocks and eggs at the police and journalists, shouting “Nazis” at the security forces and assailing female reporters with epithets like “shikse,” a derogatory Yiddish term for a non-Jewish woman or girl, and “whore.”
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
Religious zeal is a good thing but only if it is for the True Faith.
Sometimes, animals disguised as humans ask to be taken out. These freaks are literally begging to be machine-gunned into lawn fertiliser. It's the same disease that afflicts the bulk of the subscribers to that human cancer called Islam.
Which is what? Mormonism? Catholicism? Amish?
Sounds like Fred Phelps and the Westboro Baptists have a sister chapter within the ultra-orthodox Jewish community. Question: “How can we make our religion look really, really bad to the rest of the world?”
Last word inaccurate.
Catholicism, but my previous point stands on its own. Zeal for the the truth is inherently good while zeal for falsehood is not. The problem is falsehood, not generic zeal as you indicated.
“Catholicism”
Says you. There are a group of folks known as Baptists who might disagree with that assessment.
“has been spat on and otherwise insulted”
Yes animals , just like muslims who behead or stone girls to death. /s
The Westboro Baptists say mean things but do not physically attack children. Apparently, this movement is much larger than the Westboro Baptists and is growing rapidly.
You evade my original point, which was to dispute your position on zealotry. Would the zealous Baptists disagree with me on that?
The point is that zealotry, when used to attack kids, is wrong. To say such exuberance is fine and dandy provided one worships the “right” creed is nonsensical.
I am sure that they are case convinced as you are that theirs is the “True Faith”.
I’d like to see either of you prove it.
What’s wrong is a religious belief that promotes attacking girls who fail to carry out the orders of guru-rabbis. If this belief were held non-zealously, it would still be wrong. Religious error is the problem, not zeal.
case= just. Darned auto-correct strikes again. I wish when it “corrects” me, it would at least be correct, LOL.
There’s a distinct difference between ‘zeal’ and ‘fanaticism’, whatever your religious or political persuasion. Even in support of the ‘Truth’ (itself an inherently subjective term) if your ‘zeal’ extends to assaulting everyone who doesn’t share your precise beliefs, you’re either following a false ‘Truth’ or you’ve left its path.
If you’re defining the behaviour of these animals as ‘zeal’, generic or otherwise, then this IS the problem, just as much as or more than ‘falsehood’. It’s not whether their beliefs are or aren’t ‘true’ that’s the issue here. It’s how they’re choosing to express them, and who (in this case an 8 year old girl) they’re choosing to express them to.
As a fellow Catholic, I passionately disagree, for example, with abortion. I may personally be in no doubt that my beliefs here equate to the ‘Truth.’ However, if I then elect to express such opinions by screaming insults and threats at some young girl who I believe has had, or may be considering having, an abortion, I’m not only failing to further my opinions effectively. I’ve left the path of ‘Truth’ and am misrepresenting and contradicting it.
That can certainly be done and has been done, but the issue at hand is zealotry.
You seem to be arguing for lukewarmness, no matter what the religion. That defies the (zealous) words of Jesus, passed on by John:
“So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth.” Revelation 3:16
So says every believer
Very well spoken (presented)..
As a fellow Catholic, I passionately disagree, for example, with abortion. I may personally be in no doubt that my beliefs here equate to the ‘Truth.’ However, if I then elect to express such opinions by screaming insults and threats at some young girl who I believe has had, or may be considering having, an abortion, I’m not only failing to further my opinions effectively. I’ve left the path of ‘Truth’ and am misrepresenting and contradicting it.
Leaving the path of truth is always wrong, regardless of the zeal with which it is done. Again, error is the problem, not zeal.
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