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God's commandments are ...

Started by kowalskil, August 19, 2014, 09:38:56 PM

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kowalskil

Who is the author of Mitzvah [commandments]? asked Rabbi Herman E Schaalman, in (1). According to some people, he wrote, "the authority of the 'commandment' resides in the people;" they claim that mitzvot are the customs created by our sages. Such an answer would be sufficient, he continues, if "Jews were like any other people." Why is it so? In which way are Jews different? Unfortunately, this question is not answered by the Rabbi, to my satisfaction. He refers to the Hebrew language, with which I am not familiar.

But I do know how Spinoza, a 17th century Jewish theologian (2), would answer this question. Spinoza wrote: "By God's direction I mean the fixed and unchanging order of Nature ... so it is the same thing whether we say that all things happen according to Nature's laws or that they are regulated by God's decree and direction." Spinoza would say that people are part of nature, and that desirable ways of behavior, described by sages, were also described by God. Many theological contradictions would disappear if Spinoza's defintion of God were universally accepted. Do you agree?

Ludwik Kowalski (see Wikipedia)

References

1) "Gates of Mitzvah: A Guide to the Jewish Life Cycle;" edited by Simeon J. Maslin, Central Conference of American Rabbis, New York, 1979
2) Steven Nadler, "Judging Spinoza," The New York Times, Opinion Pages, May 25 2014.
Also in http://opinionator blogs.nytimes.com/2014/05/25/judging-spinoza/


*mod* Fixed it.

-PickelledEggs

Ludwik Kowalski (see Wikipedia) is the author of a FREE ON-LINE  autobiography, entitled "Diary of a Former Communist: Thoughts, Feelings, Reality."

http://csam.montclair.edu/~kowalski/life/intro.html

It is based on a diary kept between 1946 and 2004 (in the USSR, Poland, France and the USA).

The more people know about proletarian dictatorship the less likely will we experience is. Please share the link with those who might be interested, especially with young people. Thank you.

Minimalist

Is this a fill in the blank question?

I go with Man made
The Christian church, in its attitude toward science, shows the mind of a more or less enlightened man of the Thirteenth Century. It no longer believes that the earth is flat, but it is still convinced that prayer can cure after medicine fails.

-- H. L. Mencken

Gawdzilla Sama

Quote from: kowalskil on August 19, 2014, 09:38:56 PM
My apologies, I accidentally wiped out your entire post. If you repost, I will eliminate the previous, again, my apologies -aitm
You can find it in dozens of forums around the internet. :(
We 'new atheists' have a reputation for being militant, but make no mistake  we didn't start this war. If you want to place blame put it on the the religious zealots who have been poisoning the minds of the  young for a long long time."
PZ Myers

aitm

Quote from: Gawdzilla Sama on August 19, 2014, 10:08:16 PM
You can find it in dozens of forums around the internet. :(
I am feeling less embarrassed...
A humans desire to live is exceeded only by their willingness to die for another. Even god cannot equal this magnificent sacrifice. No god has the right to judge them.-first tenant of the Panotheust

Gawdzilla Sama

Quote from: aitm on August 19, 2014, 10:15:05 PM
I am feeling less embarrassed...
He's just looking for Heaven Points.
We 'new atheists' have a reputation for being militant, but make no mistake  we didn't start this war. If you want to place blame put it on the the religious zealots who have been poisoning the minds of the  young for a long long time."
PZ Myers

Moralnihilist

Science doesn't give a damn about religions, because "damns" are not measurable units and therefore have no place in research. As soon as it's possible to detect damns, we'll quantize perdition and number all the levels of hell. Until then, science doesn't care.

SGOS

Great philosophers pondering the imponderable.  This going be like the Deepak Chopra thread that Pickled eggs just started.

Green Bottle

Philosophy is just bullshit wi big words...... :pidu:
God doesnt exist, but if he did id tell him to ''Fuck Off''

doorknob