http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/judaism/ en-us Wed, 30 Dec 2009 00:27:37 GMT Focus Forum 15 http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2417297/posts Jerusalem, Israel (LifeNews.com) -- The top two Jewish rabbis in Israel sent a letter on Monday to their colleagues denouncing abortion. They said that abortion kills thousands of Israeli babies a year and delays the coming of the Messiah and they promised to do more to promote pro-life and pregnancy help efforts. Rabbis Yona Metzger and Shlomo Amar sent a letter yesterday to all of the state-employed Jewish rabbis saying they would "strengthen" the efforts of the pro-life council in the rabbinate to help reduce abortions.The letter says "the vast majority of abortions are unnecessary and Halacha severely prohibits... Life News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2417297/posts#comment Wed, 30 Dec 2009 00:27:37 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2416245/posts Jewish songwriters have created some of the most enduringly popular songs of the season — Irving Berlin's "White Christmas," of course, but also "The Christmas Song," "Silver Bells," and "I'll Be Home For Christmas," among others. Some people might view that as a heartening, only-in-America expression of interfaith goodwill and warmth. But not Garrison Keillor: "All those lousy holiday songs by Jewish guys that trash up the malls every year, Rudolph and the chestnuts and the rest of that dreck," he fumed in a recent column for the Baltimore Sun. "Christmas is a Christian holiday — if you're not in... Jewish World Review http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2416245/posts#comment Mon, 28 Dec 2009 14:51:33 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2413139/posts ROME (JTA) – Despite renewed tensions over his decision to move a controversial wartime pope closer to sainthood, Pope Benedict XVI is still expected to make a historic visit to the main Rome synagogue. "For now, the visit is still on," the spokesperson for Rome Chief Rabbi Riccardo Di Segni told JTA on Tuesday. The visit is scheduled for Jan. 17, marked annually by the Italian Catholic Church as a day of dialogue with Judaism. Benedict provoked outrage in the Jewish world and cast a cloud over the visit when he signed a decree on Saturday certifying Pope Pius XII's... JTA http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2413139/posts#comment Tue, 22 Dec 2009 18:23:19 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2409408/posts Chanukah is incredibly pertinent to what we're going through right now in America. It's about winning a seemingly unwinnable culture war. In the second century B.C., the rulers of Israel -- the powerful Syrian empire -- had forced paganism on the country with a ruthless force. Pagan holidays, customs, and religious practices were imposed on the citizens of Israel, and statues of pagan gods were erected throughout the country. People who refused to bow down to idols, or make sacrifices to them, were tortured and killed. People were allowed to have some "private" religious beliefs, but no public acknowledgement of... massresistance.org http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2409408/posts#comment Thu, 17 Dec 2009 11:53:05 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2406866/posts NORFOLKCommodore Uriah P. Levy He left home when he was 10, running away to become a cabin boy, and eventually became the first Jewish commodore in the Navy, the highest rank available at the time. On Sunday, the Jewish chapel at Naval Station Norfolk – the oldest land-based Jewish chapel in the Navy – was rededicated to Commodore Uriah P. Levy, 50 years to the day after it was first named after him. Born in Philadelphia in 1792, Levy had a career that spanned pirate-chasing to authorship – he wrote “A Manual of Internal Rules and Regulations for Men-of-War.” It... The Virginian-Pilot http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2406866/posts#comment Mon, 14 Dec 2009 01:32:20 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2407014/posts Michal Barkai is a tour guide who specializes in guiding schoolchildren in the Jerusalem area. A month ago, she arrived with a group of 18-year-old students from Mazkeret Batya, who came - many for the first time - to visit the capital and the Jewish holy sites, including the Western Wall. "It all started well, full of good energy as we all sang songs about Jerusalem and felt our spirits rising. These were boys and girls just before starting military service, and seeing the only remnant left of the Temple was a very moving experience for all of us. But... Jerusalem Post http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2407014/posts#comment Mon, 14 Dec 2009 08:54:26 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2405462/posts Take out the founder. Take out Jesus, would you still be able to "do" Christianity? Would you still have your "religion" left? Its "teachings" and creeds? Would you still have your rules, traditions, rituals, and works to fall back on? What makes Christianity different from every other world religion? What did Jesus really leave behind? youtube.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2405462/posts#comment Fri, 11 Dec 2009 16:35:12 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2404624/posts David Queller and Joan Strassmann, evolutionary biologists at Rice University, recently proposed a new way to describe what makes an organism a unified whole. They defined an organism as an entity made up of parts that cooperate well for an overall purpose, and do so with minimal conflict. But how do parts like these get together, and where does purposeful behavior come from?... ICR News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2404624/posts#comment Thu, 10 Dec 2009 16:12:50 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2403445/posts esearch has shown that humans like to help, even before they are old enough to have been taught how to do so. This innate characteristic distinguishes humans from their supposed closest evolutionary family member, the chimpanzee, which doesn’t demonstrate the same altruistic behavior. In studies on the subject, at only 18 months old, toddlers were observed to consistently aid unrelated adults in simple tasks such as opening a door or picking up a clothes pin. Researchers assumed then that altruism, or unselfish concern for the welfare of others, evolved early in humans. But does this conclusion necessarily follow from the... ICR News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2403445/posts#comment Wed, 9 Dec 2009 03:52:39 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2402578/posts The current treatment of young-age creationists in the scientific community and society at large is unfair and unwise. Scientists and philosophers of science, including old-age creationists and naturalists, should respect youngage creationists as legitimate contributors to science. Young-age creationists offer to the current origins science establishment a competing rational viewpoint that will augment fruitful scientific investigation through increased accountability for scientists, introduction of original hypotheses and general epistemic improvement... Journal of Creation http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2402578/posts#comment Tue, 8 Dec 2009 03:30:12 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2401990/posts "...If you love your G-d but fear your government, tell others about the destruction of the Second Temple by the Hitlerian Antiochus Epiphanes, and help your children internalize these lessons of Hanukkah. If you would be reminded of the importance of preserving second-amendment freedoms, recall this chapter in the long story of the disarmament of the Jews. Honor the memory of Hannah and her sons by kindling the lights of Hanukkah with firm resolve. If you should ever doubt that righteousness will always prevail so long as we love G-d and fight for his spiritual and physical territory, let your... World Net Daily http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2401990/posts#comment Mon, 7 Dec 2009 14:22:46 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2402124/posts While Muslims are constantly trying to silence the critics of Islam, our numbers are clearly on the rise. We have them vastly outnumbered and we need to use that to our advantage. For those that are still waiting for “moderate” Islam to come to the rescue, don’t hold your breath. Denying a Koran verse is to apostate from Islam. ACTS THAT ENTAIL LEAVING ISLAM o8.7 (7) to deny any verse of the Koran or anything by which scholarly consensus (def: b7) belongs to it, or to add a verse that does not belong to it; o8.0 APOSTASY FROM ISLAM (O:... Logan's Warning http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2402124/posts#comment Mon, 7 Dec 2009 17:36:35 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2401879/posts Critics of Cynthia McKinney may dismiss her as a loose cannon and a rabble-rouser, but to her supporters, the former Georgia congresswoman is someone with the courage to challenge convention and speak the truth. McKinney, 54, represented an Atlanta-area district as a Democrat from 1993-2003 and 2005-07. A vigorous critic of President George W. Bush, she gave voice to a theory, widely circulated on the political fringes, that Bush knew in advance of the Sept. 11 attacks but allowed them to happen because they would prove profitable to the global investment firm his father was associated with. In her final... The SouthernPoverty Law Center Intelligence Report http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2401879/posts#comment Mon, 7 Dec 2009 06:55:17 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2400239/posts In May 2009, a remarkably well-preserved extinct primate, nicknamed “Ida,” was hailed as one of the most important fossil finds ever. It had features that some interpreted as a link between two primate body forms. At the time, ICR News suggested that its evolutionary significance was far overblown, predicting that the scientific consensus would offer retractions. Those retractions came three months later, confirming that the fossil―called Darwinius―was really just an extinct lemur variety... ICR News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2400239/posts#comment Fri, 4 Dec 2009 16:07:39 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2399861/posts Natural selection and change, yes; Evolution, no --snip-- Summary 1.This episode talks much about change and natural selection, but fails to give any evidence that these produce evolution, other than for the various professors who assert that it does. 2.Darwin’s theory promoted the idea that man is “a beast with animal lusts and no morality”, and this has been gleefully accepted by much of modern society. 3.We might well ask: Why would any sane professor adopt and propagate a theory for which there is such paltry scientific evidence, which is an expression of hatred of God, and which demotes man... CMI http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2399861/posts#comment Fri, 4 Dec 2009 02:22:56 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2399450/posts Christians United for Israel (CUFI) seeks to support both Jews and the nation of Israel. One of the primary scriptures they stand upon is: "For Zion's sake I will not keep silent, for Jerusalem's sake I will not remain quiet, til her righteousness shines out like the dawn, her salvation like a blazing torch." ~ ISAIAH 62:1 If you are unable to attend this event or you would like to do more to support Israel, CUFI requests you sign The Israel Pledge so your name will be joined with thousands of others from across the country and presented to our... Examiner.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2399450/posts#comment Thu, 3 Dec 2009 17:26:13 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2398993/posts Dec 2, 2009 — Field geologists have revisited a site Darwin visited on the voyage of the Beagle, and found that he incorrectly interpreted what he found.  A large field of erratic boulders in Tierra del Fuego that have become known as “Darwin’s Boulders” were deposited by a completely different process than he thought.  The modern team, publishing in the Geological Society of America’s December issue of the GSA Today,1 noted that “Darwin’s thinking was profoundly influenced by Lyell’s obsession with large-scale, slow, vertical movements of the crust, especially as manifested in his theory of submergence and ice rafting to... CEH http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2398993/posts#comment Thu, 3 Dec 2009 03:13:55 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2398497/posts Although creation-based organizations have reported for over a decade on the technical scientific journal articles published about soft tissue found inside dinosaur remains, mainstream media outlets have largely been silent on the subject. But a recent segment that aired on CBS’s 60 Minutes finally broke the news to a broader audience. The soft tissue issue may be gaining more traction, and even “may be changing the whole dino ballgame,” according to correspondent Lesley Stahl.[1] The program is currently viewable online at the CBS website. In a field test demonstration to determine whether a dinosaur fossil was real bone, and not... ICR News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2398497/posts#comment Wed, 2 Dec 2009 16:28:11 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2398124/posts Need evidence for Darwinian evolution? Just make it up. That’s the lesson of Donald Prothero’s book, Evolution: What the Fossils Say and Why It Matters (New York: Columbia University Press, 2007). Prothero is a professor of geology at Occidental College in Los Angeles. On November 30, he teamed up with atheist Michael Shermer (founding publisher of Skeptic Magazine) to debate Stephen Meyer and Richard Sternberg of the Discovery Institute. Shermer wrote the foreword to Prothero’s book, calling it “the best book ever written on the subject.” In fact, “Don’s visual presentation of the fossil and genetic evidence for evolution is... Evolution News & Views http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2398124/posts#comment Wed, 2 Dec 2009 02:39:06 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2397692/posts A new concept making its way through the scientific community holds that just a few key changes in the right genes will result in a whole new life form as different from its progenitor as a bird is from a lizard![1] This idea is being applied to a number of key problems in the evolutionary model, one of which is the lack of transitional forms in both the fossil record and the living (extant) record. The new concept supposedly adds support to the "punctuated equilibrium" model proposed by the late Harvard paleontologist Stephen J. Gould. Dr. Gould derived his ideas... ACTS & FACTS http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2397692/posts#comment Tue, 1 Dec 2009 17:22:15 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2397102/posts A Call for Help by Ari Bussel The Reform Movement in Israel looks to its American counterpart for help. In America, Reform Judaism is acceptable and prevalent. For anyone vaguely familiar with American Jewry, diversity is not surprising, stemming from the core foundations of America, its tolerance and freedoms it affords. Being a religious Jew has different meanings to different people. Jews can generally be divided between three main streams: Reform, Conservative and Orthodox. Even within a group, there are different shades. Things get further complicated since some Jews are not practicing, others inter-marry, yet others are removed by generational... "Postcards from Israel - Postcards from America" http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2397102/posts#comment Mon, 30 Nov 2009 20:53:54 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2394541/posts 3 Trees Said to Prove Warming! --snip-- That's another thing, folks. People said, "I don't get why you believe in God, Rush. Your belief in God, how does that tell you that global warming is a hoax?" Well, belief in God is a very personal thing, but I happen to believe in a loving God of creation -- and I just intellectually cannot accept the fact that a loving God which has created all this beauty and has blessed this country -- I cannot believe that a God like that -- would punish the human being he created for progress,... RushLimbaugh.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2394541/posts#comment Wed, 25 Nov 2009 22:33:23 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2394319/posts A lawsuit has been filed against the California Science Center by the American Freedom Alliance (AFA) for cancelling the AFA’s contract to screen the Darwin’s Dilemma documentary on October 25th. According to AFA’s press release: American Freedom Alliance (AFA), a non-profit group, has filed a lawsuit in Los Angeles against a popular science museum for cancelling an event exploring the topic of intelligent design. The group says its free speech rights were violated when the California Science Center (CSC) abruptly reversed a decision to allow the showing of a pro-intelligent design documentary at the museum’s IMAX Theater. The program was... Evolution News & Views http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2394319/posts#comment Wed, 25 Nov 2009 17:20:44 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2392037/posts Fungi are single or multi-celled organisms that break down organic materials, such as rotting wood, in order to absorb their nutrients. Neither plant nor animal, they range from mushrooms to single-celled yeast. Scientists were investigating organic chemicals trapped in an Italian sedimentary rock formation when they found evidence that an extinct fungus feasted on dead wood during a time when the world’s forests had been catastrophically eradicated.[1] What could have caused such a universal effect on forests, and why does organic material remain in rocks that are supposedly 251.4 million years old?... ICR News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2392037/posts#comment Sun, 22 Nov 2009 16:10:55 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2391718/posts ScienceDaily: “Slowing Evolution to Stop Drug Resistance” --snip-- For years, evolutionists have pointed to antibiotic resistance as proof of evolution in action. The argument often amounts to this (in simplified form): the fact that certain organisms grow resistant to certain antibiotics is evidence for the evolutionary idea that all animals must have descended from a single ancestor. Collapsing the argument does make it seem a bit silly, but that’s our point. We certainly don’t want to belittle the very real threat of dangerous organisms becoming immune to the best drugs we now have (though the vast majority of microbes are... AiG http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2391718/posts#comment Sat, 21 Nov 2009 23:32:25 GMT