Strianger wrote:
[quote]
I’ve noticed that manny people in the religious threads type “G-d” instead of “God.” Why (besides possibly to drive ignorant fools like myself crazy)?
Religious threads. Those must be the religious NUTS that protest infront of abortion clinics. Get it straight.
Aren’t you really referring to a label or just sham psuedo beliefs in a higher power. 
Strianger wrote:
Religious threads. Those must be the religious NUTS that protest infront of abortion clinics. Get it straight. 
Aren’t you really referring to a label or just sham psuedo beliefs in a higher power.
I used babelfish.altavist.com to translate dragonfly’s response from English (sic) to Portuguese and back to English:
It makes a lot more sense now.
Oh God (or should that be G-d) that was funny, Strainger. Thanks - I’ll have to try that for the rest of dragonfly’s posts!
“Hindu Muslim Catholic creation-evolutionist”
-Neil Peart, RUSH, “You Bet Your Life”
I don’t think there was ever an age-old debate about how many angels can dance on the head of a pin. I think that an essay on this subject was falsely attributed to St. Thomas Aquinas, after the fact, by Disraeli.
There really is nothing to debate. If angels are incorporeal, then an infinite number can occupy any point in space. No one would bother debating a specific number.
So far, I thought that the Muslims were the most conservative when it comes to Religion followed closely by the Hindus.
After reading this thread, I am beggining to think Jews are comparable too.
Veera.
A base canard, veera. Not all Jews are Conservative; many are Orthodox, Reform, or Reconstructionist.
“Kings die, and leave their crowns to their sons. Shmuel HaKatan took all the treasures in the world, and went away.”
“many are Orthodox, Reform, or Reconstructionist.”
This is getting too complicated for me. I dont even what to know why there are so many factions among Jews(or any other religion). To top it all, I am atheist.
Thank You.
Veera, a quick overview. There are probably as many variations within Judaism as there are within Christianity: think of the differences between Lutherans, Methodists, Baptists, Seventh Day Adventists, Amish, etc.
Generally speaking, the conservative wing of Judaism is called Orthodox, following the strict letter of Old Testament law (as expounded by rabbis over the last 2,000 years or so.) The liberal win of Judaism is called Reform, rejecting most of the ritual law but maintaining ethics and moral beliefs; Reform Judaism started about 150 years ago. Conservative Judaism (hence Akat’s little pun) is somewhat centrist, accepting some tradition/ritual and reject other.
There are other branches, of course, including Hasidim (who maintain traditional dress and hairstyles from the ghettos of Europe) and Humanist Jews and … And, of course, there is wide individualism – just because two Jews are both Orthodox doesn’t mean they will agree on some of the minor points (like “G-d” or “God”.)
It is largely the Orthodox who use the term “G-d”, the Reform (generally speaking) wouldn’t worry about it. Many modern orthodox however think (as do I) that the restriction on the use of God’s name refers to His four-lettered Hebrew name.
In comparison with Muslims, you will find pretty much the same distinctions between the very traditional and the more modern. Both religions originally professed a set of laws of behaviour that affect everyday life – what to eat, what to wear, how to sit, etc. The traditional wing of the religions (Orthodox Judaism, I’m not sure what the Muslim term is) maintains those belief; modern “branches” or “denominations” tend to be more liberal and less insistent upon ritual behaviours.
Christianity pretty much ignored ritual behaviour, following Paul’s vision on the road to wossname… Although, thru the centuries, there have certainly been bloody battles between Christian denominations over what seem to me to be equally trivial points of interpretation.
No organized religion is immune, it would seem.
Let’s not forget the wide diversity among Democrats, Republicans, Communists, and Atheists, to mention just a few. My guess is that similar might be said about jurists, physicians, and educators.
Just because a philosphy has certain general characteristics will not prevent a multitude of factions having differing views about the details.
People need to be reminded that it is (or so it seems to me) human nature for people to paint other groups with a very broad monolithic brush, while clearly recognizing the rainbow in one’s own group.
Actually, when it comes to Judaism, that isn’t altogether true, at least in the USA. A disturbing number of Conservative Jews (e.g. Harry Kemmelman, the author of the …day the Rabbi… mysteries), frequently make blithe assertions about Judaism as a whole that are downright offensive to the Orthodox, such as calling all forms of mysticism and belief in the afterlife importations from Xtianity.
John W. Kennedy
“Compact is becoming contract; man only earns and pays.”
– Charles Williams
[smirk]
I bet it really does makes a lot more sense now. Good thing there really aren’t any religious nuts, especially in America. Like I was just kidding or something. 
[/smirk]
-What’s right is only half of what’s wrong- George Harrison - Old Brown Shoe
Short answer:
I was taught growing up that if you take the Lord’s name in vane, you went straight to hell when you die. 
Yours truly,
aha
I am Christian. However, I consider it a messianic sect of Judaism. Also, I am mindful of the injunction that if there are two things to do, and both are morally ok, and one will offend someone else, to do the other.
So I try to remember to type G-d instead of the other.
–John
Martin.
It’s what’s for dinner.
Brought to you by IATeALeC*
*Indiana Academy Teen Association for the Legalization of Cannibalism.