| Archive for bridgebuilder.myfreeforum.org bridgebuilding effort, cross culture, cross faith, not bridge construction |
| Radiate_Truth |
Are Jews a Nation or a Religion?Are Jews a Nation or a Religion?Judaism can be thought of as being simultaneously a religion, a nationality and a culture. Throughout the middle ages and into the 20th century, most of the European world agreed that Jews constituted a distinct nation. This concept of nation does not require that a nation have either a territory nor a government, but rather, it identifies, as a nation any distinct group of people with a common language and culture. Only in the 19th century did it become common to assume that each nation should have its own distinct government; this is the political philosophy of nationalism. In fact, Jews had a remarkable degree of self-government until the 19th century. So long as Jews lived in their ghettos, they were allowed to collect their own taxes, run their own courts, and otherwise behave as citizens of a landless and distinctly second-class Jewish nation. Of course, Judaism is a religion, and it is this religion that forms the central element of the Jewish culture that binds Jews together as a nation. It is the religion that defines foods as being kosher and non-kosher, and this underlies Jewish cuisine. It is the religion that sets the calendar of Jewish feast and fast days, and it is the religion that has preserved the Hebrew language. If Judaism an ethnicity? In short, not any more. Although Judaism arose out of a single ethnicity in the Middle East, there have always been conversions into and out of the religion. Thus, there are those who may have been ethnically part of the original group who are no longer part of Judaism, and those of other ethnic groups who have converted into Judaism. If you are referring to a nation in the sense of race, Judaism is not a nation. People are free to convert into Judaism; once converted, they are considered the same as if they were born Jewish. This is not true for a race. SOURCE |
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| Harris Brio |
Re: Are Jews a Nation or a Religion?
This is not true for Judaism either. If your mother was not Jewish you cannot be buried in a Jewish cemetary... |
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| Radiate_Truth |
Re: Are Jews a Nation or a Religion?
The 6 million Jews that died during the Holocaust... There ashes still line the German streets... Think they will ever be buried in a Jewish cementary??? |
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| Harris Brio |
Re: Are Jews a Nation or a Religion?
Very poetic... Still does clear the fact that if one does not have a Jewish mother they cannot be buried in a Jewish cemetary... |
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| Radiate_Truth |
Re: Are Jews a Nation or a Religion?
When you die, you can't take it with you... So, what difference does it make??? |
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| Harris Brio |
Re: Are Jews a Nation or a Religion?
I don't know. I prefer to be buried in an unmarked grave. In your backyard... |
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| obmar |
So if a man
marries a Jew the man cannot be buried next to her wife? |
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| Radiate_Truth |
Re: Are Jews a Nation or a Religion?
Harris, I don't have a yard... At least the yard doesn't belong to me. Me, I'd perfer cremation... Throw my ashes in the wind. Don't want my spirit locked up in no container, box or jar. |
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| Radiate_Truth |
There is a way around everything if one tries hard enough. A woman and her husband went on vacation to Jerusalem. While they were there, the husband passed away. The undertaker told the wife "You can have him shipped home for $5,000, or you can bury him here, in the Holy Land, for $150." The lady thought about it and told him he would just have him shipped home. The undertaker asked, "Why would you spend $5,000 to ship your husband home, when it would be wonderful to be buried in the holy land and you would spend only $150?" The lady replied, "Long ago a man died here, was buried here, and three days later he rose from the dead. I just can't take that chance." |
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| Harris Brio |
No not according to Jewish law. Rachel seems to think having a way around something means it is sanctioned by the religious law. It is just that a way around something... |
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| Harris Brio |
Re: Are Jews a Nation or a Religion?
Cremation is archaic. If you believe you don't want your spirit locked up, then why set your spirit on fire... Why pollute the Earth with ones ashes, it would more logical to be buried then some hundreds of thousands years later your great grandchildren can set up an oil drilling platform upon the cemetary and extract all those wonderful resources... Give the gift that continues giving... Oil... |
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| Radiate_Truth |
Re: Are Jews a Nation or a Religion?
The worms crawl in, the worms crawl out... In your stomach and out your mouth. |
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| Radiate_Truth |
You got a point their, Harris. Do they actually ask for proof of that??? |
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| obmar |
Does it matter where we are buried.
What matters is what we did when we were here. |
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| Radiate_Truth |
Your right, Obmar...
Doesn't make one bit of difference unless you can take it with you. |
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| obmar |
They say three things that matters there.
1. mprayers of your children for you 2. knowledge you help disseminate and that others make use or benefit from 3. your good deeds that reach and benefit others |
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