Posted on 08/10/2003 6:35:51 PM PDT by CMClay
Dr. Laura Schlessinger, one of the nation's most popular radio talk-show hosts and the most successful on-air counselor, is no longer practicing the rituals of Judaism – a religion she converted to a decade ago in her 40s.
''Almost 10 years ago, I talked on the air about becoming a convert to Judaism,'' she told her listeners last week. ''I was open on the air at that time about that evolution. Well, I would say within the last year I have had a de-evolution.''
Where is she now spiritually?
''Nowhere exactly,'' she chuckled. ''Suspended animation. I still see myself as a Jew. But the spiritual journey in that direction – as hard-core as I was at it – just didn't fulfill something in me that I needed.''
Schlessinger grew up in New York, the child of a Jewish father and a Catholic mother. She was a life-long atheist, who, in her 40s, began exploring and practicing Judaism.
''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 percent 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.
(Excerpt) Read more at worldnetdaily.com ...
Hence the multibag barf alert. It's just the thing, though, when you're not too sure of that turkey you had for supper.
Oh, well, let me point you here for an analeptic:
http://www.jewishworldreview.com/ is antidotal for secular, liberal Judaism
Coming from Miss Compassion herself, that's pretty funny!
Let me put it another way. I have a friend -- well actually not a friend, she cuts my hair -- who is an evangelical Christian. Single mom with a sixteen-year-old daughter.
Every time I get my hair cut, I get to hear about how the current church she's going to doesn't meet her needs. The church where she got saved, and taught the Bible verse by verse was ultimately too cold-hearted. The next church grew to be so big that the pastor didn't remember her name. The next one didn't have a single moms group to suit her. This current one doesn't have a single adults group she can be part of. Every six weeks ago, it's a different complaint, and every year or so, it's a new church.
Guess what? My needs aren't met in my church, and I've been there for almost ten years. And that's what I responded to in the Dr. Laura article. Maybe she (Dr. Laura) is referring to something entirely different. But it sounds the same.
The sad fact of the matter is that acting on a commitment of faith -- Christian, Jew, or anything else -- does not mean her life is going to improve in any tangible way. If she adopted the Jewish faith expecting some kind of payoff, she's going to be sadly disappointed. And it looks like that is exactly what happened.
I can't say I'm a fan of Dr. Laura. Her message is good, but her in-your-face confrontational style gets old quick. I haven't listened to her in years. But when I did, it seemed the type of callers she got didn't have the intestinal fortitude to make the most basic decisions about their lives. Maybe that kind of thing works on national radio. I only know I used to listen to her often on KFI radio at night when she was local, and she had a completely different -- and if you ask me, more effective -- approach to her program.
But I concur with your sentiment. Sometimes what we think we need (I really need a winning lottery ticket, for example) is not what God sees as a need; they are actually wants, and God knows this. Since His almighty plan far exceeds the limitations of our short lives on earth, it's best to leave it up to Him.
Perhaps that it what she's doing...moving in God's plan for her continued spiritual growth. I've seen some amazing transformations come from tragedy or a genuine search for a connection with God.
Sorry, it's late and I'm rambling. Didn't mean to offend, just speculate. Have a good night.
I'm delighted Dr. Laura seems to be seeking a better understanding of Jesus Christ. It's a logical progression of faith I wish for all Jews.
With all due respect, that is quite untrue. Ritual *without your heart in it* is dead and empty. But how many people get married without ritual? How many go to Church without ritual? Or give birthday parties? Ritual can bring us closer to Christ as long as we don't just "go through the motions" but participate in it wholeheartedly.
Does anyone doubt that Christ participated wholeheartedly in the Passover liturgy at the Last Supper?
Then you probably have problem with THIS one, too....
Stopping rituals is nothing at all unjewish, for there is a difference between believing rituals and believing G_d.
As for her "change", it mostly is due to the great Christian services she received and the life of servicing in general as opposed to rituals servicing a specific cause. We can only do so much in the little time we have.
'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 percent 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.
Stopping rituals is nothing at all unjewish, for there is a difference between believing rituals and believing G_d.
As for her change, it mostly is due to the great Christian services she received and the life of servicing in general as opposed to rituals servicing a specific cause. We can only do so much in the little time we have.
Judaism is a static structure while Christianity is a more dynamic structure. Evil seeks to destroy the former structure by destructuring life and imposing its own structures, while Christianity sees an opportunity in evil's destructuring life to make friends and brothers of the faith on the road, a life of servicing and service exchange.
The battle is essentialy at two levels, on the structure static level are Jews demonstrating their static sociological structure against the pagans and self-idolatre whose science is not applicable to man and sociology,
and on the dynamic level where there is no structure, only pure faith value of the service of the individual and not his or her material means .
The experiment of G_d is no more opposed to the experiment of the Devil, but the bearing of fruits is opposed to the bearing of thorns, where sanction and reward is most immediate and visible, in determining duels at other times.
I guess when they enacted the dietary laws, pork was a reliable path to meet your maker!
Let's bare fruit. Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, faithfulness, goodness and self control. If there are parts of us that aren't of those things, lets get rid of those parts.
We have alot to show/give this world.
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