Jews disagree on an afterlife Most of Judaism not concerned with afterlife

The Times-Picayune ^ | 11/24/01 | Bruce Nolan

[chemicalman]

Q. Do Jews believe in an afterlife?

A. "As many Jews as there are, there are that many opinions," said Rabbi David Goldstein of Touro Synagogue.

However monolithic Judaism might look from a distance, it contains a good deal of diversity of thought even on a question one might think as basic as whether anything lies beyond the grave -- which, incidentally, is not a question of great concern in most of Judaism, he said.

[Ex-Wretch]

Evidently, Paul the apostle faced an angry mob of unfulfilled Jews in the 23rd Chapter of the book of Acts.

It was the Pharisees that believed in the resurection of the dead. The Sadducees did not.

That's why they were Sad, you see.

:)

[Skywalk]

Many have died for the lie of communism.

[lavaroise]

This article is a leftist prose to pitch Jews against Christians. Repent people. Unrepentent leftist Jews and leftist Christians are relentless.

MELACHIM B (Book of 2 Kings) Chapter 2 :: And it came to pass, when HaShem would take up Elijah by a whirlwind into heaven, that Elijah went with Elisha from Gilgal.

[Physicist]

And it is easy enough to see the consequences of that rejection in our society.

Do you think that Jews do not make good citizens?

[Don Myers]

"Why would you act in such a small way as to attack someone's beliefs by calling them "sad and empty" without provocation? One could reasonably conclude that you have a sad and empty conscious for doing so. And on Sunday morning,… That's is pitiful. Spend some time with your minister."

Sorry elfman2, the poster is right. If all we have going for us is this empty and sorry life, we are pitiful indeed. And any such religion is callous and unfulfilling. BTW, where do you live? It is Saturday morning here in Sioux Falls, SD.

[Apple Pan Dowdy]

You see here the flaws inherent in Pascal's argument...... As brilliant as Pascal was, his "Wager" never should have been made public. It damages his reputation.

Skywalk, I totally agree with you. Notice that the Pascal quote is in Italics. Typically here on FP that means one is quoting something said in a previous posting and then will (in the non-italics)comment on it. I was not the one who brought up the Pascal quote. And now it seems that me thinking another poster "foolish" for quoting it was wrong too... as that poster was merely using it as "irony". So I think that we are all now in agreement that Pascal was missing a few marbles the day he penned those words.

You know, this brings to mind the fact that some people (like Pascal) are so despirate to try to disprove the existance of God and Heaven and they will grasp at anything to make their argument.

[Don Myers]

"And maybe you should not be so huffy:: "

Veronica, are you a Woody Allen fan? Lay off the kid. Teenager was perfectly right about the lousy morals of Woody Allen.

[lavaroise]

I thought to repent meant to not only regret an action, but to turn from it and to encourage others who might ask to do the same.

And how one can come to this conclusion but by analytical look back at the wrongs done with intent to right the wrongs? What you are saying is implicit of what I was saying. Repent is an active analytical exercise, not for the heck of the exercise of course, but for sake of salvation.

[VeritatisSplendor]

APD: Does the above mean that you were using "irony" or Pascal was?

Physicist:
I was using irony. The claims a religion makes about heaven or hell are totally irrelevant to whether it should be believed or not. Pascal's Wager is one of the most foolish arguments ever presented.

You are both ignorant about this.

Pascal's Wager is NOT repeat NOT NOT NOT an argument intended to intellectually convince. Pascal, who invented the modern theory of probability, was much too logical for that!

Pascal's Wager is aimed ONLY at people who have ALREADY intellectually accepted belief in God from OTHER arguments, but are feeling EMOTIONAL reservations and can't make the "leap of faith" even though they intellectually accept the arguments for Christianity.

This will make no sense to those non-Christians who cannot imagine that there are actually real intellectual non-emotional arguments for Christianity, but the more intelligent kind of non-Christian is capable of appreciating that there ARE reasonable intellectual arguments for Christianity and that the great thinkers who were Christian were not simply deluded fools!

[VeritatisSplendor]

Typo in my last post -- at one point I spoke of "belief in God" and elsewhere "belief in Christianity" -- I didn't mean to be drawing a distinction here, all references should have been to "belief in Christianity".

[bvw]

What a sad, empty belief system.

It's not a matter of belief, that is one big misunderstanding by non-Jews. Let me give you an example. That keyboard in front of you -- do you believe in it? I'll tell ya, why bother ... whether you believe in it or not it is still there. That's the way it is with Jews and G-d.

The first commandment is not "Believe in G-d", it is "I am your G-d." Period. No belief necessary, and belief gets in the way, for people are prone to make their beliefs follow the inclination of their hearts, their whimsies, their impulses, all removing them from experiencing the real thing.

[cake_crumb]

"The act of finding out implies an existence in which right and wrong can be contemplated. I reject that premise"

What exactly is wrong with contemplating what is right and what is wrong? Good and Evil are not mathematical formulae.

Obviously, murder, stealing, fooling around on someone else's spouse, and/or yours are wrong. Not doing these things is good. It's good for you, and it's good for society in general. It's that black and white.

Thou shalt not kill; On September 11 2001, 5,000 people were brutally murdered. This was WRONG. Bad. Evil.

Thou shalt not steal: On September 11 2001, a bunch of cowardly b*stards stole three airliners and used them to murder 5,000 people. This was WRONG. Bad. Evil.

I shouldn't need to say more. It IS that black and white.

[sirchtruth]

Surely you don't believe that the Christian religion is the only...well, you know the rest.

See, you still seem not to graps what I am trying to infer. You are trying to say that these men might have been dillisional, or thought they saw something which they didn't really see. Ok, then let's apply this logic to everything you see. Are you dillusional...do you think you might see my words correctly? Is my creative spelling making you dizzy!;-)

The accounts were the same among them all, for goodness sake anything, but it just plain could be true!!!

[veronica]

No I think Woody Allern is scum - I was repeating a line from the movie Annie Hall. A joke. I am sure the kid can handle it. If it's a kid, that is.

[Don Myers]

"Judaism did not have the afterlife as a concept until just before Christ(which is why the portrayal of the Pharisees seems suspicious, they believed as Jesus in an afterlife, why the hostility towards him?)"

Do something for me, and read the following words of King David, and explain what King David, who lived many years before the time of Christ, meant about living in the House of the Lord forever,

The 23rd Psalm

And I have heard of the concept of evolution until you reach the state of nothingness. I believe that religion is also of Satan.

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.

He maketh me lie down in green pastures;

he leadeth me beside the still waters.

He restoreth my soul;

he leadeth me in the paths of righteouness

for his name's sake.

Yea, though I walk through the valley of death,

I will fear no evil:

for thou art with me;

they rod and thy staff they comfort me.

Thou preparest a table before me

in the presence of mine enemies:

thou annointest my head with oil;

my cup runneth over.

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me

all the days of my life:

and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.

A psalm of David

[Don Myers]

"Once your metabolism ceases, and the electrical impulses no longer travel along your nerves, just what is it that you think continues to exist?"

I hate to use a hollywood movie to illustrate my belief, but it was the movie about a dragon, whose voice was Sean Connery. The protagonist asked the dragon why did he not just give up and die since he was the last dragon. The dragon said that he would not kill himself because he feared losing his soul.

[Don Myers]

"Do you think that Jews do not make good citizens?"

I said that we can see the consequences of rejection. that applies to all. So don't try to make that statement into anti-semitism.

[sirchtruth]

So you're saying that the Apostles had no faith?

In a manner of speaking, Yes! They did not have to have faith in something they were witnessing. Jesus said things that happened and spoke of things that were directly related to the OT God that only God could see. The word you're looking for is Understand. According to scripture the apostle did not quite understand in the scheme of things, but surely did after his death and ressurection.

That was as excellent question, I hope I answered it satisfactorily.

[Lessismore]

his soul.

And what is that, exactly -- aside from the tautological "the thing that continues after death"?

[lavaroise]

If you're merely analyzing, you can still be completely wrong in your analysis.. right? (and people have this incredibly, almost limitless capacity for rationalizing things anyway.)

This is why we repent... when we have the wrong analysis. We are to be humble in our analysis because we can honestly analyse people's failures' at analysis. Repent is infinite analysis, ad nauseum.