Beware of Romulans

Greetings.

Jewish date:  20 ’Iyyar 5769.

Today’s holiday:  Day 35 of the ‘Omer.

Relevant to Divine Misconceptions:

1. Project Moses:  This is a project to promote and sell Ten Commandments monuments, with hope of a “National Judeo – Christian Memorial”.  There are a couple of things wrong here:  1) There is nothing really “Judeo” in this “Judeo-Christian” project.  The shape of the Tablets is traditionally given as square, not something I have heard compared by a rabbi to McDonald’s golden arches.  The language used is supposed to be Hebrew, not English.  And finally, the term ‘Asereth hadDibberoth translates as “the Ten Statements” or “the Ten Words” (hence “Decalogue”); “the Ten Commandments” would be ‘Asereth hamMiṣwoth.  Jewish tradition holds that there are a total of 613 commandments binding on Jews, not a mere ten.  Jewish tradition also holds that non-Jews are obligated to follow a mere seven commandments, not ten.  This project is thus an example of false or misguided inclusiveness.  2) A “National Judeo – Christian Memorial” sounds suspiciously like a violation of separation of church and state.  Project Moses is soliciting private funds for the Memorial, but it is unclear whether they want this built on public or private land.  The former would be illegal, while the latter would be protected under freedom of speech.
2. “Christian group declares UFOs 'evil spirits' of the Bible”:  I cannot make up the beliefs of this group, Alien Resistance.  It should be noted that there is no good evidence that demons exist or that alien abduction experiences faithfully reflect physical reality.

Today’s news and commentary:

• “Hamas puts heavy tolls on NGOs, radio stations”
• “Acupuncture Does Not Work for Back Pain”:  My advice:  have someone rub a soft teddy bear on your back instead.  That should at least be worth something for the humor value.
• “Snake blacks out Missouri Capitol, pays price”
• “Michigan teacher spends 65 hours in tree”

Yesterday I watched the new movie Star Trek, which I am relived to find was actually worth watching and not the disaster I feared it would be.  (Thank you, YHWH, for having mercy on my cinematic experience.)  In honor(?) of our avoiding disaster, today’s weird thing is an in-progress comic parody interpretation of Star Trek.  Enjoy, share the weirdness, and live long and prosper.

Aaron

28 Tishri 5769: Navy Day/Cranky Co-Workers Day

Greetings.

Relevant to Divine Misconceptions:

1. “Saudi king to attend November UN interfaith dialogue”: I sincerely believe that King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia really does support “interfaith dialog”—as a means of cover for the gross lack of religious freedom in his country. His last interfaith effort was in Spain. This next one will be in New York City. If he were actually serious about religious tolerance, he would not bother with such conferences but instead guarantee the religious freedom of all people in Saudi Arabia, including non-Muslims. Saudi Arabia is infamous for lack of religious freedom.
   
2. “Former-Iranian president urges Christians and Muslims to work together”: Mohammad Khatami may be trying a similar stunt.
   
3. “Asia, world leader in religious freedom violations”: Both Saudi Arabia and Iran are offenders.
   
4. “Why McCain's 'Judeo-Christian values' should worry the Jews”: There has never ever been a “Judeo-Christian tradition”. What Jews and Christians share is the Hebrew Bible, which they do not even call by the same name, Jews preferring “Tanakh” and Christians preferring “the Old Testament”. They do not even agree even on the same version of the Hebrew Bible, the number of books in the Hebrew Bible, which books are in the Hebrew Bible, or the ordering of the books in the Hebrew Bible. Jewish and Christian styles of interpretation of the Hebrew Bible are also radically different. Jewish exegesis puts the simple meaning of the text first and foremost. The New Testament, however, in its efforts to argue for the Messiahship of Jesus, tends to cite the Hebrew Bible out of context, sometimes even getting the very text of the Hebrew Bible wrong; as such, Christians are forced into an interpretation of the Hebrew Bible that deviates considerably from the Jewish interpretation and the plain meaning of the text. The two religions cannot agree on what the Hebrew Bible means, with each religion’s interpretation fundamentally unacceptable to the other. And with different interpretations naturally come different values. To Jews, all the commandments given in the Torah are binding, even ones that in contemporary America seem downright weird. Christians, on the other hand, have relied on the New Testament to gerrymander what is and is not binding. Even what Jews and Christians agree on being binding (e.g., prohibitions on polytheism and idolatry, the Sabbath, prohibitions on murder and adultery, the concepts of usury and the bastard) are inevitably interpreted differently. Given the differences, the “Judeo-Christian tradition” is a completely ahistorical concept. Expect anyone invoking it to be up to something dishonest.
   
   For the record, there is no such thing as the “Judeo-Christian-Islamic tradition” either.
   

Today’s news and commentary:

• “Airline Industry”
  
• “Demographic implosion in Muslim societies”
  
• “Australia scientists say bees can count to four”
  
• “Biofuels or Food?: Can Crops Feed Our Cars--And the Hungry?”
  
• “Mars pioneers should stay there permanently, says Buzz Aldrin”
  
• “Gardasil cervical cancer vaccine "safe," feds say”
  

Today’s weird thing is “The anatomy of the first video game”. Enjoy and share the weirdness.

Aaron