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I was reading this post in the Judaism forum that a fundamentalist had written. Yes, there are such things as Jewish fundamentalists. They're a rare breed in America which is full of Jews like Jon Stewart and Woody Allen but they make up more than 10% of Jews in Israel:
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reading books of idolatry is [forbidden].
Judaism doesn't allow us to entertain ideas by jews who disagree with judaism.
And it made me think of the phenomena of clerics banning a book and the ignorant masses forming an angry mob against the heretic, without ever having read the book themselves! It's what happened with the Satanic Verses in Islam, where people died because of supposed blasphemy based on hearsay and rumor. "Oh, you can't read that book, it mocks the Prophet". "How?" "I don't know where, but I know it does so it's evil"
My question is: if clerics are banning books or ideas, doesn't that mean that the clerics, who are supposedly righteous and pious people to emulate, have read the books and ideas themselves?
My question is: if clerics are banning books or ideas, doesn't that mean that the clerics, who are supposedly righteous and pious people to emulate, have read the books and ideas themselves?
They're scholars who use reasoning, at least within their religion's laws of hermeneutics, and should know better.
And if the clerics are banning books and ideas based on trusted reviewers, shouldn't the reviewers be excommunicated for reading heresy?
I hate it when I hear mainstream Christians say "stay away from the Mormons / Unitarian Universalists, it's a cult", and when you ask them why they think that, they don't know, other than falsehoods that circulate in their own community.
reading books of idolatry is [forbidden].
Judaism doesn't allow us to entertain ideas by Jews who disagree with Judaism.
Hey, that was me. The fundamentalist. Was that supposed to be an insult?
Newsflash #1: Judaism CLEARLY forbids idolatry in all its forms, including thought. There's no gray area.
If you want to talk about christian clerics, and Islamists issuing fatwas, do so with pleasure. But this has no connection to the Torah forbidding idolatry.
My question is: if clerics are banning books or ideas, doesn't that mean that the clerics, who are supposedly righteous and pious people to emulate, have read the books and ideas themselves?
Other religions outside of Judaism, do not have it written in B/W as Judaism does. So someone within their religions in authority does read and check these books out and states if they are allowed or not.
Judaism is no different when things fall into a grey area when its not directly understood from the Torah. This is a reason why we have the Talmud, a series of books containing arguments.
Hey, that was me. The fundamentalist. Was that supposed to be an insult?
I definitely read that to be an insult, calling you a fundamentalist. I think the OP is trying to say the Torah and the people who guard it are out of touch with reality. And during the 9 days. Shame shame.
I definitely read that to be an insult, calling you a fundamentalist. I think the OP is trying to say the Torah and the people who guard it are out of touch with reality. And during the 9 days. Shame shame.
I definitely read that to be an insult, calling you a fundamentalist. I think the OP is trying to say the Torah and the people who guard it are out of touch with reality.
There are many modern Orthodox people and rabbis who guard the Torah and who are in touch with reality. They are perfectly comfortable with learning about other people's beliefs because they're secure enough in their own. People who think their way and their sect are the only ways, e.g. by representing their particular belief system as the only valid form of their own religion, and closing their minds to any viewpoint other than the one they believe in are the fundamentalists.
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And during the 9 days. Shame shame.
I think that not listening to Jews who have different beliefs is more sinat chinam than anything.
There are many modern Orthodox people and rabbis who guard the Torah and who are in touch with reality.
Hashem and Torah are reality. Everything else is smokescreens and illusions.
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I think that not listening to Jews who have different beliefs is more sinat chinam than anything.
The only belief Jews should have are Torah beliefs. Anything else is heretical.
No. That's not Sinas Chinam. Sinas Chinam is calling the population of G-d fearing Jews, who incidentally are those who carry the torch from Mt. Sinai, fundamentalists just because...
Sinas Chinam means baseless hatred--baseless according to Torah guidelines. Torah guidelines call for exclusion of ideas that run antithetical to Judaism, even if they're stated by Rabbis with long beards.
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