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Hi Maggie, I joined about a month ago so you can find my "newbie" post easily enough if you want. I am also Jewish but an atheist. I go to Humanistic Judaism services. My kids are grown and we have 2 grandchildren. My husband and I got a dog last fall. I play penny whistle with a...

Jayhawker, Re your post #15, I agree that the story I knew in the 80s is not the true one. We tell it at our Seders because it is "traditional" in our family. We then discuss the Heschel version, which we now know to be correct one. We explain that the original (correct) story went through the...

Interesting? How so? Your purple frowny face suggests some degree of disappointment, perhaps?

The Exodus narrative provides the ethical scaffolding for my take on Judaism too. That’s why I try to welcome the stranger because I remember that “we” were once slave in Egypt. That's why, even as a kid I connected the oppression of Jews throughout the years, with the "negro" struggle. I...

We've placed an orange on our Seder plate since the 80s. Back then we said it was in defiance of a time when a rabbi said that women are as appropriate on the bima (pulpit) as an orange on a Seder plate. We still tell this story but follow it with Heschel's version (presumably the correct...

Jayhawker, So what you are saying is that Passover is more than a holiday: it's a call to action. I'll second that. We include words to that effect in our Seder, with references to the American Civil Rights movement. That's the main reason it has been my favorite holiday since growing up in the...

Jayhawker, I read the interview with Dr. Richard Friedman that you recommended. I’ll first summarize it and then make a few comments. Friedman’s argument is that historical events inspired the Exodus story. His hypothesis is derived mostly from clues in the Bible. 1. A Semitic group from...

Jayhawker, Thanks for the info. I'll take a look at some of your references.

Archaeologists Israel Finkelstein and Neil Asher Silberman claim that the evidence form archaeological digs shows that Book of Exodus is not historical. They say that the Israelites were not slaves in ancient Egypt and that Moses did not lead them to Canaan. They write about it in “The Bible...

Yes it should. I'd move it if I could.

Lincoln, I'm interested in your comment. I'm going to start a new thread on the Religion and Spirituality board. I hope others join in.

Sorry, Double post. See below.

I've started a new thread based on Lincoln's comments in the Jewish mother Muslim father thread on the Abrahamic Religions board. Drat. I probably should have posted this there, myself. Lincoln, I share your doubts. As you may know, there's archaeological evidence that supports this idea...

Tea My take on your dilemma expressed in #63 is this: Decency, like many phenomena understood in binary terms, on closer examination, are on a continuum. There are some things that are more or less decent or indecent than others, like murder is worse than insulting someone. Likewise, decency...

I used to do after-school care for a 7 year old boy with autism. He was pretty verbal but not at the level with his peers. He was in a regular classroom with an aide. We had a lot of fun together. We'd go hiking and canoeing and to children's museums. I helped him with his homework and his...

Thomas, Here is the response to #28 that I tried to post yesterday, unsuccessfully. -------------- Red=me Black=Thomas Blue=me again Does “lust” include passion for one’s spouse or is that another aspect of eros? Lust is the desire to possess, to want something for one's own sake...

SHJ? I'm not sure what you mean. There are two secular Jewish communities in my area. One is Humanist Judaism, founded by the late Sherwin Wine. The other is Workman's Circle which grew out of Jewish Socialist and Union Movements. They both provide youth education leading to Bar/Bat Mitzva...

Is your definition different from mine? Yours is too abstract for me to grasp. I think of abundance as stemming from feeling loved by others and especially yourself. A person's experience of love will fill them up emotionally and they will have enough love to give to others without their...

Jayhawker, My guess is that a lot of practicing Jews are in a similar position to you (post #47). I belong to a secular Jewish community and go to their High Holiday services. I like to say that God makes a cameo appearance there. We go through all the self reflection and a sort of praying...

I'm not sure that I've tried that. I can tell you the back arrow key does not work. Thanks.