What do you have to say to people who think Ezekiel's "wheels" were flying saucers?
![Laughing :lol:](./images/smilies/icon_lol.gif)
The day you were born is the day God decided the world could not exist without you.
Dropouts have always been part of the Orthodox story, but the Pew Research Center’s most definitive 2013 study found dropouts have fluctuated with the generations, the older generation dropping out with far greater frequency than the younger one. Pew states that there was “a surge [78 percent] switching [out of] Orthodox Judaism from the 1950s to the 1970s, followed by a higher retention within Orthodox Judaism in recent decades.” The retention rate is now soaring among young Orthodox adults (aged 18-30); 83 percent of those who were raised Orthodox still are. That means, however, that 17 percent have left.
Well, not all actually left, a finding that casts a fog over any numbers or conclusions. Unlike Christianity, where belief in Jesus provides a fairly definitive line of religious demarcation, Judaism defines religious fidelity not by belief but by action. Religious Christians don’t “somewhat” believe in Jesus, but Nishma found that 45 percent of the dropouts remained “somewhat” Orthodox. It is interesting that 33 percent of OTDs still believed in God, but it is more pertinent to Orthodoxy that 31 percent still kept kosher, 53 percent still lit Shabbos candles, 68 percent still participated in Shabbos meals and 66 percent still felt an attachment to Israel (and the people of Israel). If one keeps Shabbos (to whatever extent) and kosher, when most Jews don’t, how is that person “off the derech”? And yet, in a highly judgmental community, “with Orthodoxy’s exacting standards,” the study noted, “a respondent could consider himself or herself lapsed and still be more religious than most.”
The Faith Forum of the Reno Gazette asks, "Is enhancing human abilities ok?" Judaism permits therapeutic procedures and considers healing an obligation. What about more revolutionary techniques? According to Tiferet Yisrael, one of our Sages, “Anything for which there is no reason to forbid is permissible with no need for justification because the Torah did not enumerate all permissible things, [but] rather forbidden ones.” (Yadayim 4:3). Thus, as new techniques evolve, they should be viewed as permissible. Current examples might include the use of cochlear implants to help some of those who are deaf, or implants used to shock the heart into a normal rhythm.
There are a number of bioethical issues to be considered when providing enhancement. The individual’s current quality of life must be balanced against the risk and benefit with the enhancement.
Is enhancement necessary? Who is paying for it? What is the individual’s motivation? Our underlying intention must be to use our creative abilities to do good. http://www.rgj.com/…/faith-forum-enhanc ... /89781966/
Translation:The yeshivish version of the Gettysburg Address
Be'erech a yoivel and a half ago, the meyasdim shtelled avek on this makom a naiya malchus with the kavana that no one should have bailus over their chaver, and on this yesoid that everyone has the zelba zchusim.
We're holding by a geferliche machlolkes being machria if this medina, or an andere medina made in the same oifen and with the same machshovos, can have a kiyum. We are all mitztaref on the daled amos where a chalois of that machloikes happened in order to be mechabed the soldiers who dinged zich with each other. We are here to be koiveia chotsh a chelek of that karka as a kever the bekavodike soldiers who were moiser nefesh and were niftar to give a chiyus to our nation. Yashrus is mechayev us to do this.
Lemaise, hagam the velt won't be goires or machshiv what we speak out here, it's zicher not shayach for them to forget what they tued uf here. We are mechuyav to be meshabed ourselves to the melocha in which these soldiers made a haschala - that vibalt they were moiser nefesh for this eisek, we must be mamash torud in it - that we are all mekabel on ourselves to be moisif on their peula so that their maisim should not be a bracha levatulla - that Hashem should give the gantze oilam a naiya bren for cheirus - that a nation that shtams foon the oilam, by the oilam, for the oilam, will blaib fest ahd oilam.
Lol, not so different from the coc. When asked if John Doe was a faithful Christian, the answer was a definitive "yes" if he showed up Sunday morning, Sunday night and Wednesday. Attendance is equated with faithfulness.agricola wrote: In Jewish circles: 'religious' refers to how traditionally OBSERVANT one is, not to one's 'faith' or 'inner belief' or 'spiritual sense' - and measuring 'regular attendance' at synagogue doesn't precisely correlate, either.
Take all surveys that use 'weekly attendance' as a measure of 'religiosity' with a large grain of salt, when it comes to Jews.