>>>>Why do you have deep respect for people who regard themselves as chosen by God? I think it's quite arrogant to think you're the chosen people.
>>>
>>>Yeah, that's what most non-chosen say about us. ;-)
>>>
>>>
Alex
>>
>>Hmm, you think I'm merely jealous? ;)
>
>Nah, you just don't know better... Being jewish, I can hardly think of anything a non-jew would be jealous about. We have been persecuted and killed throughout history just for being jewish (hey! we didn't ASK to be what we are! Of course, the world wouldn't listen to a jew, so they kept at it)
>
>If you want something that's easier to relate to, every jew has to deal with a jewish mother (in my case it was my dad), who'd nag me to no end with things like "if you drown in the beach, I kill you!", and wonder who the hell puts crazy ideas in my head such as skiing, scuba diving, spelunking, or stays up until I'd come back from a party at 3am and tell me he was worried sick about me. Oy vey Peter! (that's yiddish for "nobody knows the trouble I've seen")
>
>There are good reasons many jews look at converts with some distrust - who's meshugas enough to want to become jewish?!?!?!?
>
>On top of that most conversions are done for marriage reasons (non-jewish Doctor or Attorney marrying a jewish girl), which in and by itself, invalidates the conversion itself (that's my and orthodoxy's opinion).
>
>Then, I was raised jewish and even if I tried, I couldn't feel any less jewish than I am. I was atheist as a kid, then in my 20's became orthodox (talk about swings), and now I'm an observant jew (that's meant literally, I just observe, as in "watch" or "see", I don't really DO anything).
>
>Now, going to your initial question, you'd have to be nuts to be jealous! ;-)
>
>Alex
Alex,
Aren't you mixing up things here? I cannot be jealous for not being a jew, because I am a jew. I must admit, my mother isn't. Oh right, that implies that I am not a jew. Ghee, I almost forgot that. But most of my brothers and my sister are fully jewish.
Whatever my real status, what I was criticizing is orthodoxy. That you made the swing from atheism to orthodoxy is really a pity. How on earth can you believe all those silly stories from the thorah?!
Groet,
Peter de Valença
Constructive frustration is the breeding ground of genius.
If there’s no willingness to moderate for the sake of good debate, then I have no willingness to debate at all.
Let's develop superb standards that will end the holy wars.
"There are three types of people: Alphas and Betas", said the beta decisively.
If you find this message rude or offensive or stupid, please take a step away from the keyboard and try to think calmly about an eventual a possible alternative explanation of my message.
