Seeing that it’s already been established that the small number of replies from observant Jews has little to do with the OP being made on the Sabbath, perhaps it has to do with the A possible reason very few
Seeing that it’s already been established that the small number of replies from observant Jews has little to do with the OP being made on the Sabbath, perhaps it has to do with the A possible reason very few
(con’t)…Seeing that it’s already been established that the small number of replies from observant Jews has little to do with the OP being made on the Sabbath, perhaps it has to do with the fact the OP chose to use the word G-d as opposed to God. If you’re solicting the opinions of others, they may construe the deliberate ommision of the ‘o’ as a sign of disrespect and feel any opinions or insight they offer wouldn’t be taken in a serious manner.
Just my 2¢, YMMV, yada yada yada.
Or maybe the question is just not a huge issue for Jews.
My guess is that it may be a subject that some Orthodox literalists prefer to ignore. Better secular science that they disagee with is taught than endorsing the teaching of a majority religion POV. Except if in Israel of course.
But the Orthodox (a small portion of American Jews today) and the Religious Right do share some common positions, including the whole so-called “moral values” bit. But they are strange bedfellows who part ways often. For example, stem cell research and repoductive research is big in Israel specifically because of the religious edict high in the Orthodox world of “be fruitful and multiply”.
JohnBckWLD: […] perhaps it has to do with the fact the OP chose to use the word G-d as opposed to God. If you’re solicting the opinions of others, they may construe the deliberate ommision of the ‘o’ as a sign of disrespect […]
As rfgdxm’s link says, and as cmkeller’s posts show, Orthodox Jews generally consider it appropriate to spell the name of the deity as “G-d”, not disrespectful.
This used to be the practice among certain groups of pious Protestant Christians too. Did you think it was some kind of flippant secular neologism like “Og knows”?
Is there anybody out there except JohnBckWLD who considers this traditional usage somehow potentially disrespectful?
Could it be modestly taught through a textbook? No lecture, just “read this, then take the quiz to prove you read it.”
I for one had no idea G-d was appropriate usage in Orthodox circles & thank rfgdxm for showing me otherwise.
Dangerosa:
IANAR, so I couldn’t say exactly what they’d allow. But I imagine that when sex ed in schools comes up as a political issue, it’s usually the type of curriculum that involves putting condoms on cucumbers and the like.
I think that any reluctance to teach sex education has more basis in modern religious and political objections, not modesty. After all, the Hebrew scriptures are rife with sexually explicit tales. Warriors chopping off other men’s foreskins as trophies…women being required to prove their virginity by parading around blood-soaked sheets…daughters getting their father drunk and raping him to conceive, etc. It seems unlikely that historical Judaism and the surrounding cultures and religions were prudish about sex.
MaceMan: It seems unlikely that historical Judaism and the surrounding cultures and religions were prudish about sex.
Well, but they were certainly more private about sexual matters than some contemporary cultures—no Greek or Roman orgies, for example. IIRC there are several Biblical laws mandating privacy and modesty in matters such as dress, sexual relations, defecating, etc.—no socializing in the communal latrine like the Romans! And didn’t some woman, I think it was Rachel, avoid having her garments and bedclothes searched for a missing object because she claimed she was menstruating?
I agree that the stringent sexual and modesty taboos of modern Orthodox Judaism aren’t solely dependent on Biblical precedent, but I think there’s more of a connection than you suggest.