dave@utcsrgv.UUCP (Dave Sherman) (11/08/83)
This really doesn't belong in net.motss, so I'm copying it to net.religion. Followups should stay in net.religion. Jon Solomon (bbncca!jsol) states: >>>I was brought up Jewish, our religion taught that it was more >>>important to interpret the bible in today's terms than to read into >>>it literally. Some parts of it are obsolete, for example, the reason >>>Jewish people kept kosher was the cooking and eating utensils were >>>made out of wood. Milk and meat have their parasite germs which when >>>mixed together and ingested in the stomach cause sickness. Separating >>>milk and meat was an effective way to prevent the sickness, so the >>>laws of the kashrut (keeping kosher) were founded. They were means of >>>survival. Now that we have metal, ceramic, and china for utensils, we >>>don't need to keep kosher. We still do, as a matter of tradition, but >>>we DONT NEED TO and that's what I consider important. Sorry, that is NOT *not* *not* what Judaism teaches. That may be what someone taught you, but it is NOT Judaism. It is a rationalization away of observance of the religion by finding reasons, not longer valid, for people in the past having observed the laws. Judaism teaches very clearly that the reason for keeping kosher has absolutely nothing to do with health. Health may be a convenient and useful byproduct, but it is in no way the basis for the observance. The bottom line on why we observe the laws ("mitzvos") is that they are there. Judaism is very much a religion of action. Unlike some religions, where one can be "saved" by proclaiming one's faith, the essence of living Jewishly is to observe the religious requirements. There are many. That is part of the test of our free will. If you want to say you're not observant, fine. Every Jew has the right to choose not to do mitzvos. But don't say that the religion no longer requires it. The religion hasn't changed. Dave Sherman -- {allegra,cornell,decvax,ihnp4,linus,utzoo}!utcsrgv!dave
debray@sbcs.UUCP (Saumya Debray) (12/03/83)
Dave Sherman (utcsrgv!dave) says:
"The bottom line on why we observe the [religious] laws ... is
that they are there."
Yes, but it seems to me that any thinking human would want to know what the
raison d'etre for these laws are.
Let's face it - many (possibly all: but let's not bring my personal biases
to bear) of the laws (of any of the major religions) were formulated under
social and cultural environments very, very different from the ones we live
in today. The people who wrote those laws down didn't dream of heart
transplants, brain surgery, recombinant DNA research, Neutron bombs, ...
and they couldn't, therefore, possibly have considered the philosophical and
religious implications of these developments. It seems, then, that we could
either choose not to think of certain issues because the Bible/Gita/Koran
doesn't deal with them ("Cloning? Oh, the scriptures have nothing to say
about it, so let's not think about it!"), or we could re-examine our
religious laws and reevaluate them in today's context, and if something
should be found irrelevant because society has changed, change those laws to
make religion relevant to our times.
I don't think laws should exist because they "ARE there", I think laws
should exist because they "NEED TO BE there".
--
Saumya Debray
SUNY at Stony Brook
{philabs, ogcvax}!sbcs!debraybch@unc.UUCP (12/05/83)
Religion is a matter of the heart, not the mind. The most obvious reason for observing religious laws and traditions is that in doing so, one bonds oneself to one's forbears who observed the same laws and traditions. It is a matter of belief and identity and sacrifice for that belief and identity. I am sure that even those of us who are not Jews or Catholics practice small familial rituals that we were brought up to observe in our families, particularly in this time of seasonal observance. My wife's family continues to hang up stockings on Christmas eve, a ritual in which I happily participate, even though we wind up filling them ourselves. (Everyone *knows* there is no Santa Claus. Right? Well, maybe....) I have gone to mass (fortunately years ago before folks decided it needed to be relevant and in English), sat Seder, and like most of us -- observed Thanksgiving. Each of these things puts us in touch with something larger, and probably more important, than our practical rational selves. -- Byron Howes UNC - Chapel Hill decvax!duke!mcnc!unc!bch
speaker@umcp-cs.UUCP (12/07/83)
Religion is a matter of the heart, not the mind. The most obvious reason for observing religious laws and traditions is that in doing so, one bonds oneself to one's forbears who observed the same laws and traditions. I agreee with this, however... I think everyone is barking up the wrong tree when they try to explain why certain laws need to be followed. The laws, when handed down were not open to interpretation and no "why"s are given. They simply are to be followed. Thus when you ask, "why do I follow this law" you'll find no "why" accompanying the law. This opens the Pandora's box of speculation. Those who question will do so and, not finding any satisfactory reason why they should follow the law, will give it up. I guess one can be faced with quite an empass when he finally asks, "Why"... and receives no answers. You can't debate with God... only yourselfs. -- - Bessie the Hellcow speaker@umcp-cs speaker.umcp-cs@CSnet-Relay