You know, the whole chosen people thing exists in all religions. I can't even count how many mornings Jehovah's Witnesses have come knocking on my door trying to "save" me. And what were the crusades if not a mission to spread the word of ONE religion claiming to be the chosen one that knows all and can save your soul. Sorry, but this is definatly not exclusive to judaism. Also, in regard to the original post, saying that it's a fact that most jews are zionists (I forget how you acctually put it, but that's the jist) is ridiculous. I'm jewish, and I belive that the Palestinians deserve thier own state, or at the very least equal rights, and that what's going on now is unnaceptable. Every single jew I know (and I know alot) except one believes the same as I do. So don't make idiotic statements that you can't back up with concrete facts.
It's easily possible to be a zionist AND believe in palestinian state and equal rights for israeli arabs. Being a Zionist does not preclude all moral and sensible thought, you know? Unless you start believing uninformed propaganda about yourself, you should know that. I believe in the state of Israel as a homeland for the jews. It was established, like it or not. Its behaviour and some of the things it has done SINCE its creation is a different story but it exists now, get over it, accept it. HOWEVER, while believing in the state of Israel, I ALSO think that there should DEFINITELY be an autonomous palestinian state and that this should come about as soon as possible. While Israel has a huge burden on its shoulders in the creation of this palestinian state, it will only be able to do so much (once it starts actually doing something). Change has to come from within. Once the general palestinian public realise that suicide bombings are never going to change the stance of a country which has the largest standing army in the world, approval for and acceptance of suicide bombings will go down and perhaps whoever the leader of the palestinians happens to be then (cos it sure ain't arafat) and whoever the leader of the israelis happens to be (please god let it not be Sharon or Peres) can sit down at a table and work this shit out. The one stickler is Jerusalem. Thats why Camp David fell through. Barak offered land to the Palestinians that isn't even occupied territory and is in fact part of Israel Proper but refused to let the holy places (the old city and all that is in it) be part of the palestinian state... so the talks fell apart. I have a feeling that the only way it is going to work is either an "international zone" in jerusalem OR that Jerusalem becomes a city in two states... and both states have sovreignty over it and work together... either way, the fate of Israel and the Palestinians is inextricably entwined.
Ehh? Ok. I'll reread it for perspective. In reference to Israel: (I think) I know. Home. A home to call your own that someone cannot take from you because they feel differently than you do about the way life should be lived. I don't have one either. They are the underdogs. Not an atheist. Pissed off, definitely. Of course. Of course not, God is the one who deliberately provokes your anger. You can no more remain calm when God provokes you than you can remain angry when God makes you laugh. lol..
In Judaism there are priests. They are called kohanim. There are still priests today but without a Temple they have a much smaller role in the Jewish community. This is a hereditary role passed from the father. I could not become a priest if I wanted to. The kohen or the levite, which is also passed from the father, are not considered better than the average Jew. The same applies for Jews among the rest of the world. The kohanim have extra laws to follow, just as do the Jewish people among the other nations. The biggest difference is that Judaism is not exclusively hereditary whereas the priesthood is. I think I was just suggesting originally that you were familiar with the political situation there and had an opinion about what was going on. The importance of Israel is different for different people. For me it is a matter of supporting the existing state because of the overwhelming number of Jews there and because that is where our holy sites are. The source of my connection to the land is probably very much about how Jewish the culture is, even the language. It would be nice to practice one of the major Jewish festivals and have the whole country celebrating with me -- that's figurative as the whole country isn't actually Jewish, but where I live Succot, an important harvest festival, isn't as big as it could be and is also smaller because the harvests aren't the same here. They are portrayed that way. Have you ever seen a map of the Middle East? This page has a number of maps: http://www.middleeastfacts.com/maps.html Compared to Israel they are the underdog. Compare Israel to the Middle East and it becomes clear they are not the only one. I respect your position about God being in control of everything that happens including our conditioned reactions -- did I get your position correct -- but have you ever thought that perhaps when God is making you angry, it is really a challenge to examine your anger and find what else might lie behind it, and what can come from it? Sure, from your position I would imagine this would still be viewed as God's actions, but have you ever tried challenging the way you feel or trying to understand what led up to you feeling that way? Dauer
Wierd. I wonder what the genetic difference is and if they have special abilities they do not reveal? I generally think public fights are annoying and would happily kill anyone involved (I don't care if they are Jewish or Arab). However, there is a product here in the u.s. called Jerry Springer... some people like the drama. So sometimes I get emotionally involved and other times I have no opinion. I really don't think the size of the country matters. Israel kicked ass back in 1967 (?). Yup. All of the countries in the middle east are military underdogs to Israel. I really don't see any of them having a chance to destroy Israel, or forming a coalition that could do it, even without the help of the United States and Britain. yes Well, of course my view is that your response was preordained to mold me in whatever way it does.... so... I am angry because of my life. Everything should have been gravy (good), considering the background I have. My father is a biophysicist, his brother is a multimillionaire engineer, my grandfather worked at los alamos developing the nuclear bomb... On my mothers side of the family, My grandmother was one of the first females to pass the bar in (Indiana?? I think), grandfather was an engineer, all of my aunts are rich and successful, my cousins are doing well (the one is an executive at some multinational at the age of 31), my mother was a social worker that helped children. Me? I am a convicted felon, dropped out of high school, went to college for 1.5 years, couldn't take the pressure so quit, haven't worked in over a year because I hate the idea of doing menial labor, haven't had a good job since I was paid 6.38 an hour (base pay) to consult at a computer lab (got fired for hacking, probably cuz I had to brag to a coworker), was on probation for breaking into houses when I was 14 or 15. And you know what? I still cannot resist the urge to rebel against the system. I simply cannot do it. It sucks. Every time I start to feel like things could start working, I get that old itch, this sensation of dissatisfaction and hatred that has motivated all of my 'evil' actions throughout my life. I was born bad and I am the black sheep of my family. I avoid them because I do not want to be around them- they are all shining beacons of virtue, while I am a vile repellant beacon of despair. You know the worst thing? I wouldn't want to walk a day in anyone elses shoes, cuz I think their lives are probably as bad as mine, they just look better from where I am at. They say those whose light is darkness do not like the light because it exposes their flaws. This is true. I am a living example of what God can do to those that God hates. Do I remember doing anything to deserve this? Could I have possibly done anything that preceded God's will to make me into what I am? No. You know what God does to me? Teases me about being God's enemy. Makes me sorta happy knowing that I am not getting tortured physically (at the moment), although never having anything work out for you really sucks and that never goes away. I have so many hopes and dreams that have never been fulfilled. In fact, I can't remember any time that one of my dreams has been fulfilled in the way I wanted it to be. My life has been a gruesome parody of my hopes and dreams. Ahh well, I guess I can't win at life as long as God is my enemy. As far as I know, if God is your enemy, it is a permanent thing. At least I get to see all the psychological tortures God has set aside for me, and none of those who God love's will. I got something you don't... woooT!!! Except in this case, the grass is brown, rotten, and stinky on my side, and when I look at what you got, I know that the instant it was given to me it would rot into a caricature of what it is in your hands. When I examine my anger, and look at my life and wonder why God has made my life the way it is, I figure that God needs to torture some people because God can and people can't lift a finger against God. I mean, I can even understand it a little bit. Maybe God needs to hurt people to feel good. God lives eternally, and only forces people to live for about 80-90 years, less if they kill other people (military, terrorists, etc.) in a way that makes other people miserable. So God gets to torture people for kicks, but in the end is hopefully merciful and they get to die and stay away from God for eternity. I mean, if you are completely honest about the way God treats you, you probably want nothing to do with God. Peace and Love for all but God...
No, nothing that cool. It's hereditary just like kingship is hereditary. But it does mean that today scientists can find the genetic link between the priests of today. Israel's about the size of Vancouver Island. Make of it what you will. http://www.iris.org.il/sizemaps/vancouv.htm Are you sure about that? Your life sounds tough. But are you admitting that you choose to act the way you do because of the short-term satisfaction? How do you know God doesn't feel loss every time that you don't push beyond the limits you've set for yourself? How do you know that you are being mistreated by God and not led through a series of tests to help you grow beyond your initial limitations? And how do you know that nothing came before this life that you are meant to graduate from in this one? Dreams don't happen because we've dreamt them. They happen because we sweat for them, working for them until we've made them a reality. Unless I am mistaken and you are dreaming about a hamburger. Those come pretty easily. You're the one who decided God is your enemy. I supposed it is this understanding of God that has been serving you best in the short-term. I've had some bad stuff happen in my life. I don't blame God. I thank God for making me who I am and giving me the opportunity to face the world with my life experiences. Dauer
No. Satisfaction governs my actions. I would feel faithless if I did not take what was offered to me, unless I knew that I would not like it (on a short term basis). If God is caring for me, why would I believe there to be negative long term consequences to my actions? I should just look as far as I can see- do what is right at the time and let God take care of the parts I do not know. Sitting in judgement against something (anything) that brings you happiness in the now is wrong, because it shows a lack of faith in God to take care of the long term consequences (which God always does). I don't know. The thing is, I don't really believe that God feels loss or sorrow because God knows everything is Kosher, and that sometimes one of God's little ones is gonna get upset and act like everything is bad even though it is Good. Yeah. Some of my initial limitations were me not speaking out against the things that I dislike, like not having money and success in a world were I am surrounded by it on all sides. However, I don't yell at people for the way things are, I yell at God, and tell people about it. I don't. Well. Now I am. Yeah. It seems to work out pretty well. It is pretty fun. Maybe I get a little emotional every once in a while and lie about how bad things are.
Hmm.. from my personal experience, I met a lot of Israeli travelers while in India. They have a tendancy to call Indians monkeys, n-word, schwarzer, arabs etc and treat Indians like shit in their own country. It's no wonder they are the most unpopular tourist group in the country. It's very common to have "No Israeli" signs in service related areas cuz they are simply that bad. Why do Israeli even bother to go to India? Cuz its cheap and fits their budget. They can get away with being total assholes in a developing country. Don't think it helps either that people like spielburg make racist associations to Indians eating monkey brains in his movie.
oh yeah, and I've met Sephradic/Yeminte jews who left Israeli cuz they say they're discriminated against and white jews call them oriental jews which is a racist insult to these people, among other things they make fun of their names and encouraged them to get more "white" jewish names. Then of course there is that scandal during the 1940's-1950's where poor yeminte children were taken away by force from their parents and given to childless holocaust survivers. Go figure.
