So the Mormon Church is at it again. Some of their members were posthumously baptizing Jewish holocaust victims so that they should be able to enter eternal life–something Mormon’s believe is reserved only for a baptized Mormon. Recently it has been reveled that members of the Mormon Church not only…
Category: Religion
Moral Opposition to Religious Misogyny
Many of us have been watching in horror as a fringe element of haredim in Israel advocate the exclusion of women from all forms of public life. Over the last week we have seen violence erupt with rioting in Beit Shemesh that included throwing stones at police officers, the threatening…
Matisyahu’s Shaven Face Is A Wake-Up Call
By now many people have weighed into what must have been a very private decision for a famous individual. Of course I am talking about Matisyahu’s beard or lack thereof. It is not my position to judge Matisyahu and say that he was either right or wrong. Over the course…
The Evil of Repression of Self Expression
My kids were listening to the news about the recent developments in Libya when my nine year old son asked me why people risk their lives to protest against a dictator who brazenly and wantonly kills his own people. Is it anger? Resentment? Frustration? The answer is all of the…
Stop Making the Golden Calf
Whether it’s about conversion, gender issues, or any other of a host of contentious problems facing the Jewish world it seems that within the mainstream Orthodox community the strictest interpretations and rulings, rather than the most lenient, win out. This then has a damaging ripple effect for the Jewish community…
Is Religion Still Relevant?
Religion is constantly in the news usually for the wrong reasons. It’s either how a rabbi committed a crime, or how entire religious communities are rallying around a criminal who is about to be sentenced or was just sentenced to time in jail for financial fraud. Or we read how…
Uninspiring Institutionalized Religion
The great religious-secular divide amongst Jews in Israel and to a lesser extent in America threatens not only the future of Israel but it also puts the entire Jewish people in jeopardy. There is surely enough blame to go around -but as a religious person I must begin by looking…
An Epic Pre-Messianic Battle between Good and Evil
The Emmanuel school affair has become increasingly troubling. Now the sides have become so deeply entrenched in their views that they are ignoring reality. Unfortunately racism and unfair prejudices and even hatred is a pathology that effects all segments of human society and in order for it to be eradicated…
Why So Many Jews Are Atheists
It is indisputable that a disproportionate amount of secular Jews self identify as atheist or agnostics. The celebrated atheist Christopher Hitchens has suggested that this is because Jews carry an atheist gene. This is an interesting and arguably racist conclusion that I wholeheartedly disagree with. Though it does make me…
Is organized religion good for you?
We humans can be destructive to ourselves. Many people live unhealthy lifestyles because it gives them short-term enjoyment, ignoring the long-term suffering it causes. The same thing applies to religion. It has now, yet again, been proven that religion and belief in God make us happier and better equipped to…