On Abortion

*Daily Quote May 31, 2020
Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations...
— Jeremiah 1:5

This is not a call to believe abortion is murder. Israel is Hashem's people chosen to teach the world. Jews have Torah. Other nations do not. Because Christians do not have Torah. They can not study and learn Torah properly. Even Paul of the New Testament knew this (Romans 3:2). Consider this:

*Daily Quote: November 4, 2019
Two things preceded G-d's creation of the world: Torah and Israel. Still, I do not know which preceded which. But when Torah states, "Speak to the children of Israel", "Command the children of Israel" -- I know that Israel preceded all
— Midrash Tana d'Vei Eliyahu Rabbah 14

Torah was offered to the nations of the world, and only Israel wanted it (Mek. Yitro, Pes. R. K. 103b, 186a, 200a), which is G-d's prophecy that Israel is the teachers/prophets of the world, as the verse tells us "I appointed you a prophet to the nations". G-d preordained that He would have a chosen people, and it was so.

Life begins at first breath: Genesis 2:7

Abortion can be a very positive thing (Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything). It has the power to uplift societies from violence and poverty. Women have the ability to know how to make this choice for good. Accidents happen and in this age we have the power not to make things worse for civilization just because hormones can get in the way of the possession of the G-dly spirit because sex is something that arises from the spirit of beasts that we also have (Tanya). It is difficult to rule over our inner beast because it doesn't want to listen to reason. Mercy is called for in this instance. Don't stick it to a woman because she made a bad choice. Men don't possess the ability to make this decision, whether or not to let a fetus to make it to full term. A body is a body, and a life is a life. Inside the womb a fetus grows from the mother, it may not be her body yet, I don't know, but that doesn't matter because a body is only a body. However, a life is a life. Torah is clear on that matter: that a fetus does not have the breath of life and thus is not alive in as the idea is given in biblical terms.

*Quotes are from chabad.org daily study "Today In Judaism"

Copies With Errors or Originals With Errors in the Digital Age

Please Read, and forward.   This will only take 1 minute to read!

 28th Amendment, 35 States and Counting.

It will take you less than a minute to read this. If you agree, please pass it on. It's an idea whose time has
come to deal with this self-serving situation:

 OUR PRESENT SITUATION !

Children of Congress members do not have to pay back their college student loans.

Staffers of Congress family members are also exempt from having to pay back student loans.

Members of Congress can retire at full pay after only one term.

Members of Congress have exempted themselves from many of the laws they have passed, under which
ordinary citizens must live.

 For example, they are exempt from any fear of prosecution for sexual harassment.

And as the latest example, they have exempted themselves from Healthcare Reform, in all of its aspects.

We must not tolerate an elite class of such people, elected as public servants and then putting themselves
above the law.

I truly don't care if they are Democrat, Republican, Independent, or whatever. The self-serving must stop.

Governors of 35 states have filed suit against the Federal Government for imposing unlawful burdens upon
their states.It only takes 38 (of the 50) States to convene a Constitutional Convention.

If each person that receives this will forward it on to 20 people, in three days most people in The United
States of America will have the message.

Proposed 28th Amendment to the United States Constitution:

"Congress shall make no law that applies to the citizens of the United States that does not apply
equally to the Senators and/or Representatives; and, Congress shall make no law that applies to the Senators
and/or Representatives that does not apply equally to the Citizens of the United States ..."

This is an idea that should be passed around, regardless of political party. 

Congressional Reform Act of 2017 

1. No Tenure / No Pension. A Congressman/woman collects a salary while in office and receives no pay
when they're out of office. And, no more perks go with them. 

2. Congress (past, present, & future) participates in Social Security. All funds in the Congressional retirement
fund move to the Social Security system immediately. All future funds flow into the Social Security system, and
Congress participates with the American people. It may not be used for any other purpose. 

3. Congress must purchase their own retirement plan, just as ALL Americans do. 

4. Congress will no longer vote themselves a pay raise. Congressional pay will rise by the lower of CPI or 3%. 

5. Congress loses their current health care system and participates in the same health care system as the
American people. 

6. Congress must equally abide by all laws they impose on the American people (i.e. NO MORE INSIDER
TRADING!!!).

7. All contracts with past and present Congressmen/women are void. The American people did not make this
contract with Congressmen/women. Congress made all these contracts by and for themselves. 

Just hold your finger down then hit forward and send it to everyone you know.  Let’s help get the country
straightened out.

(Edited by Craig Hamilton. For instance, I reformatted it. And, I deleted 2 parts. One was a part where there
was a misspelling of the word “privilege.” If the error was in the original copy, the copy has been lost.).

The Philosophical/Theological End of the Last Academic Hideouts of Christianity?

G-d is like the Swedish Chef of the Muppets. Don't ask me why He is the way He is. My understanding is that we don't get to judge Gd. G-d Does as He Does, all I can try is to serve Him and hope for Moshiach.

The Torah does not call people to believe in things that they find disagreeable. With Torah, if there is a problem; it can't last. I encountered Judaism by searching because I was looking for a religion I could agree with. In your thinking, should I have searched for a religion I couldn't agree with?

The science of pain is so much easier to believe in than a Gd that uses pain to His liking. I am glad you found Him

The Hasidic Jews virtually rebuilt me into a much better way of life, and it was as if I saw the Light. Good things started happening to me. I was no longer a kid that wished for his own death, plotting how, but always scared that doctors would revive me into an even worse condition. If I did not fear resuscitation, I probably would have committed suicide.

Torah speaks the dark language of a broken mind looking for love. For me, it wasn't, "Light" that attracted me. I was attracted to things in the dark part of the mind, such as throwing stones for the sake of justice.

Gd hates those who deny the wrath of Gd. Gd doesn't answer their prayers with reward.

The worst heresy of this age is that both the Jews, atheists, and the Xtains still provide no answer that I know of to, "The Problem of Pain." It is only the agnostic that has an answer, but it is a flimsy one; it is the easy way out of contemplation of Hashem. I am asking a question to something I feel like is a satisfactory answer (for me that is), and that is that Hashem is everything everywhere, pain, happiness, trees, rocks, depression, excrement, insects, food, men, woman, children, dogs. Everything is made by the design of Gd. However, though we may suffer, the Xtian says, Jesus relieves them from suffering because of the completely absurd and ineffectual claim that, "He (Jesus) died so that we don't have to." Xtians need the news, the death of Jesus and its magic accomplished nothing. A painful senseless death the story seems to tell; but, that means absolutely nothing, except one of millions of cruel, painful, and senseless deaths on this earth. Pain is a problem because chronic pain can be far worse than the pains claimed by the followers of Jesus. Retrospectively the pain of Jesus did not last that long making it a far less problem than chronic pain can be.

We live to be righteous in this world and to repair the world.

I never said the Tanya teaches animals reason, but regardless in my understanding it is not only humans that are capable of reason. Thus, in this thought, perhaps I am in subordination of the understanding of souls, especially from what I can remember in Tanya. I do believe that for at least some animal souls, like humans, animals can share a part in the Gdly soul, and accomplish some feats such as reason.

I don't separate nature from Gd.

Who invented death? Who invented pain? G-d is all powerful. Gd could stop suffering easy as snapping His fingers, but He does not. He, Himself, invented such things for His ways that I don't completely understand. I love Him as a child loves His parents, without fully comprehending anything of His nature.

"so man will not degrade Yehovah's Ways by changing them over time?" ~ That is absolutely correct. We are as G-d's agents to take care of the earth, not ruin it. Hashem calls us to be stewards of earth, as it says in the Genesis creation account, "Let them rule," and the agricultural Laws of Torah are strongly suggestive of maintaining the glory of planet earth.

degradation of the universe is not the rule. You are speaking of entropy. Entropy says things tend to disorder, but that is not the whole story. A greater equation, delta G, includes entropy, and even supercedes it, such that organization, such as cellular evolution can occur even in the presence of our universe’s entropy. Also, you are thinking of the universe as a closed system. I believe the universe is an open system, where Hashem has left Himself, an "In," as a way reign over and organize of the universe as His kingdom.

culture such as a Law is the product of nature, and culture is inclusive of DNA. Like the morphology of species predicted by DNA; culture can also morph, evolving such things as laws for the benefit of the continuation of groups.

Who knows the future? I don't. But, will say this, I think in the future there will be categories upon categories greater than reason, logic, and science. These are but three boxes. Because I believe in Hashem, I believe that there are greater categories than these.

If miracles as mentioned in torah can be explained through science and logic ~ that is the goal. Fundamentally, I believe that if it can be conceived of, then it can almost certain be built, such as through logic and science. "If it works use it," as the utilitarians say.

I see no difference studying nature with the purpose of gain. ~ For example, climate change, or lightning, rain, etc. (This is where science is headed), and it is in Torah, Leviticus 26 and Deuteronomy, first it would appear that religion is far ahead of science. Jews knew about the way the weather works thousands of years, through Torah, before scientists thought of it.

miracles, true or not, may give me insight to how the universe works. I makes me think, "I wonder if I could do that using what I know about religion and science." I have not shut the door on either.

Walking on water: I would call a frozen pond in Israel to be a miracle, especially when folks didn't live that long, such that often the adults were as children. If you are young and you have played on thin ice, I was brought this idea, reading about it in the NIV, it strikes me as children playing on a frozen pond, or even a frozen puddle.

the Electrochemist in me looks for unusual things to help understand and explain the universe.

I have seen a picture of snow in Israel.

Maybe that is why it is mentioned in the literature? It was so rare that someone recorded it.

Question for Christians: When Jesus reportedly walked on water, could that be a frozen pond or lake?

Jesus got angry when people questioned him (What kind of Moshiach would try to stop people from questioning him? - This makes me angry because of the importance of questioning to Judaism) Jesus also demanded his followers follow him extremely, demanding complete loyalty, as if he where a god. For instance, telling a rich man to give up all his money.

I thought Jesus came to bring a sword. Matthew 10:34

New International Version

"Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword.”

Kabbalah Down to Earth - Lovingkindness meets Intellect

Intellect often comes from the interactions between the brain and Hashem. Differently, lovingkindness, such as “honor, and love” come primarily from the heart (spiritually).

Abraham showed us the prime example of lovingkindness, and see where he stands now: He is a sacred Father of 3 major religions, and over the history of creation, and even now Abraham is the most loved person ever to live on earth; not Ishmael, Moses, Solomon, Paul, Jesus, or Mohammed.

My vision of Abraham is that he was someone that if you wanted to talk intellectually, he would talk intellectually, but it is his lovingkindness that made him a successful Patriarch.

Ever met a domestic dog? Dogs can teach us a lot about selflessness. A dog's love comes straight from the dog's heart. A dog's loyalty is such that often it will risk its life to save its owner. This is best described as heart or lovingkindness, and not intellect. Intellect in its purest sense is too cold to have friends.

Christian Philosopher Ravi Zacharias - Controversy

Commented on Answering the Biggest Objections to Christianity - Dr Ravi Zacharias Q&A
G-d is like the Swedish Chef of the Muppets. Don't ask me why He is the way He is. My understanding is that we don't get to judge Gd. G-d Does as He Does, all I can try to serve Him and hope for Moshiach. Find what team you are on; team duck, team shrimp, team salad, or even team pork? I am on team human. I don't eat humans because I am on team humane. G-d is like the Swedish Chef of the Muppets.
What's for diner tonight?! It probably has to deal with what team you are on.

Commented on Answering the Biggest Objections to Christianity - Dr Ravi Zacharias Q&A
Heart/soul and are different than faith. Gd punishes those with faith. Gd loves soul.

Replied to a comment on Answering the Biggest Objections to Christianity - Dr Ravi Zacharias Q&A
Heil Odynn Sorry about trying to add some lighthearted humor. You said it yourself - see: "funny!" Please don't get bummed by it. Perhaps, the only way to beat Christian fundamentalism is to apply some humor to it. I know a pastor that does that. The Christian gods, such as the Trinity, need a good dose of ridicule. Judaism teaches humor, for instance the name of the patriarch Isaac also means, "Laughter." Fill the world with laughter. Too many people are angry at the local god mart.

Replied to a comment on Answering the Biggest Objections to Christianity - Dr Ravi Zacharias Q&A
re Ryan Fish: flesh = is essentially DNA

Replied to a comment on Answering the Biggest Objections to Christianity - Dr Ravi Zacharias Q&A
Re Dd s:  I want the human race to see Christianity as a faulted and broken religion/faith. There is hope, as religions come and go. The best answer I can give is that I believe in humanity can overcome Christianity though scrutiny, and that by doing so; humanity can improve.

Replied to a comment on Answering the Biggest Objections to Christianity - Dr Ravi Zacharias Q&A
Rosa: I  would not just relegate G-d to memory. G-d made himself known at Mt. Sinai to the Jews. What happened there is that the Jews became changed in a very special way. How do I know? The impression G-d left on the Jews has been indelible to their soul as a nation of G-d. It had to be G-d at Mt. Sinai because it could only be absurd if history could have happened some other way.

Replied to a comment on Answering the Biggest Objections to Christianity - Dr Ravi Zacharias Q&A
Peter: I don't believe this answers any of my questions? Please tell how these words relate to the subject.

Replied to a comment on Answering the Biggest Objections to Christianity - Dr Ravi Zacharias Q&A
In the "Trinity," which God does the thinking and can they disagree with each other? What is the purpose of having equal minds in the Trinity unless they can disagree with each other? What is the point of the equality of Gods' minds?

Replied to a comment on Answering the Biggest Objections to Christianity - Dr Ravi Zacharias Q&A
If Jesus was God in the flesh, a human, then he would have to have human DNA. There is no such thing as a human without DNA. But, where did his DNA come from? It must have came from his parents, through sexual reproduction because he wouldn't be human if he had no genetic parents.

Replied to a comment on Answering the Biggest Objections to Christianity - Dr Ravi Zacharias Q&A
How many penises did Gd have then?

Replied to a comment on Answering the Biggest Objections to Christianity - Dr Ravi Zacharias Q&A
" the family of God" What family of God, Zeus, Helena, Poseidon, etcetera?

Replied to a comment on Answering the Biggest Objections to Christianity - Dr Ravi Zacharias Q&A
If G-d is the Holy Spirit, a personage,  does that mean that the personage of the Holy Spirit used a His Penis of God in order to impregnate Mary?

Commented on Answering the Biggest Objections to Christianity - Dr Ravi Zacharias Q&A
Why isn't one all powerful Gd sufficient for Christians?

Replied to a comment on Answering the Biggest Objections to Christianity - Dr Ravi Zacharias Q&A
lol

Commented on Answering the Biggest Objections to Christianity - Dr Ravi Zacharias Q&A
I respect Ravi.

Commented on Answering the Biggest Objections to Christianity - Dr Ravi Zacharias Q&A
Which is more powerful, the Father, the Son, and/or the Holy Spirit? Aren't all of them all-powerful? What is the point of having 3 all-powerful Gods? ~ Why isn't one all powerful Gd sufficient for Christians?!!

The Quadrilemma: A Look at C.S. Lewis’ Trilemma

The explanation of Jesus was one or more of these things:

Loser - He did not accomplish what he wanted to do for lack of power.

Lord - He accomplished what he aimed to do, though I still can’t figure what that is.

Liar - He was wicked, and started an evil new religion that was only defeated recently with the acts of civil men and civil women.

 

Lunatic - He was mentally ill, and through no fault of his own he created a big mess.

Elie Wiesel: Unconditional Love for God and His Creation

It is in my faith that love for Hashem should be unconditional.  Therefore, I look up to Elie Wiesel; the man in the picture.  His love for Hashem was also unconditional. 

I am not a Jew (or a Christian), but I loved Hashem first (see * for explanation below), when I was at my worst, and in return He gave me a wonderful life beyond my wildest dreams as a child**. 

At my lowest, in college, I was an atheist addicted to the opiates gliadorphin and casomorphin.  I probably also had severe sleep apnea, because after college I was given a sleep study, and I slept for 45min having 54 apneas in that 45min.  Just imagine getting 1hr of sleep a day on opium for years on end.  I had also been hospitalized for psychosis, and treated with psychotropic drugs.  I worked at a golf course, where one of my fellows dictated, "Craig is the tiredest human being on earth."  While I was suffering greatly, the idea of G-d was maddening.  Then, Hashem spoke to me, an unlocatable voice out of creation that said, "I am punishing you."  I had faith, and boldly (I had nothing to lose that I know of.) retorted back to Hashem, "Why are you punishing me?"  Hashem responded, "I get everyone sooner or later. (Deuteronomy 31:20 chabad.org - ...Then, they will turn to other deities and serve them, provoking Me and violating My covenant.)" So I believed, not because I assumed or demanded He would shower me with gifts, yet I testify divine reward and punishment are real things.  As an atheist, I received divine punishment.  As a believer in Hashem, I was eventually rewarded.  

It is now absolutely a joy to be alive, and I trust that no matter what, I love Hashem in the way that I love my wife, Meghan, and I believe with trust comes blessing. However, with Hashem, like my pet turtle; I don’t love her because she is smart, or because she does anything. She is a turtle, a reptile, and would eat me alive without knowledge of doing right or wrong if I let her. I love G-d in the way that I love creation, big animals, small animals, plants and beyond. There is nothing about creation that I think is appropriate to hate or judge Hashem for.

The answer to problems is love, not love that says if I do this then Gd will give me such and such, but to accept all of His creation, and to observe His commandments, regardless, as Elie Wiesel put on tefillin, as did many others, during the Holocaust. I think sometimes Hashem tests us to see if we actually do love Him unconditionally with a love dependent on nothing.  That may be the reason behind the Holocaust, I don’t know, but I do know the answer is always to love Hashem with a love similar to the love of David and Jonathan, a love dependent on absolutely nothing at all.
Torah that comes to mind (from chabad.org):

***Ethics of the Fathers 5:16. Any love that is dependent on something--when the thing ceases, the love also ceases. But a love that is not dependent on anything never ceases. What is [an example of] a love that is dependent on something? The love of Amnon for Tamar. And one that is not dependent on anything? The love of David and Jonathan.

****Ethics of the Fathers 1:3. Antignos of Socho received the tradition from Shimon the Righteous. He would say: Do not be as slaves, who serve their master for the sake of reward. Rather, be as slaves who serve their master not for the sake of reward. And the fear of Heaven should be upon you.

This is different from Jesus teaching in his "Sermon on the Mount."  It is different because I believe one should seek Hashem first, not the kingdom, and expect nothing in return.

Matthew 6:33 in the Authorized King James Version of the Bible: "But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you."

* "Malachi 1:3 And I hated Esau, and I made his mountains desolate and his heritage into [a habitat for] the jackals of the desert. " - chabad.org

** Rambam - Edut - Chapter 13:2
Converts are not considered as relatives. Even two twin brothers who convert may testify on each others behalf. For a convert is considered as a newborn child.

***This is a comparison of my version of ideal love for Hashem.  It is the way David loved Jonathan, and also the way Elie Wiesel loved Hashem.

****This is another comparison of my ideal version of love for G-d.  Serve the L-rd demanding absolutely nothing in return in the way that a good employee shouldn't serve their boss/manager for the sake of rewards, such as money.