"Human fallibility being what it is, victory and truth do not always go together. Therefore, if you have to always win, you can't always be true.- "Rebbe Nachman of Breslov
Recently there has been a big brouhaha about what appears to be an ancient document ascribed to Judas Iscariot and fondly known as the Gospel of Judas. Now basically I don't have a dog in this fight. But in the past week both I and my son have gotten into sometimes heated discussions with others about whether or not this is even important. For me, from an historical viewpoint, it is important. Anything that might give us a clearer picture of where we come from is of value. Was this truly written by Judas? I don't know. But then I don't know who wrote ANY of the scriptures. Certainly I believe the Bible ("Old Testament") are words inspired by G-d. But these stories and words have been passed down orally for thousands of years before being set down. Even then, they were painstakingly copied by others for more generations, in different languages, or dialects of the same language, by people of different educational ability. In the end it is Faith that carries us through.
I do believe there is a good chance this was written by Judas or by someone close enough to know his side of the story. Being a Jew it doesn't really change much of anything for me.
Sometimes it seems we have gotten so far away from G-d in our concern for proving we are right in our beliefs and everyone must accept these beliefs. Part of what I believe is that we owe others the respect of accepting their beliefs, whether they are in agreement with our own or not. How can I say, don't accept Christ when someone else could just as easily say to me don't accept G-d? By the same token I shouldn't be forced to accept or pray to the god of another just because the majority thinks it is the road to follow.
In the end faith and belief is a very personal thing between a person and G-d (or Jesus or Allah) and no person has the right to dictate, persuade, or coerce another into accepting something different. It isn't about proving you are right and someone else is wrong. It is about behaving in a righteous manner and presenting an example for others to model. I don't try to force Judaism down anyone's throat, don't try to force Jesus down mine.
There goes my vent for today.
Tuesday, April 11, 2006
Wednesday, April 05, 2006
Daunting Task
I found the task of chronicling our journey to Britain more than I could handle. My time is so limited these days with planning my daughters wedding for 9/9/06, working on my novel, taking care of my grandsons sometimes, and just living. So, I may toss out bits and pieces here and there but I am back to just plain old blogging.
Wisdom for the day:
"Contemplate the wonders of creation, the Divine dimension of their being, not as a dim configuration that is presented to you from a distance, but as the reality in which you live."- Rabbi Abraham Isaac Kook
People often ask why "bad" things happen to them when they are good people or have done no discernible wrong. We have such a small picture of the Infinite. What appears to be a disaster may in fact be a blessing, saving you or someone else from a far greater catastrophe. I met a woman at the nail salon who was an evacuee from Bay St. Louis. She and her husband of many years were in the process of building a home when Katrina hit. They lost everything. Forty years of memories that were being stored, the foundations of a new home, an apartment full of furniture and treasures. They moved here to stay with his parents while they recovered and decided what to do next. A short time after their arrival the husband's father died suddenly leaving the mother alone. At least she would have been alone had they not been there with her. Now I am not saying G-d sent Katrina to move these people into the position of supporting the mother-in-law. But since they are there it follows that perhaps the overall tragedy was softened by the knowledge they could help the parent deal with the grief of her loss. Is the glass half full? Always. Sometimes you just have to slosh the contents around to get the full picture.
Wisdom for the day:
"Contemplate the wonders of creation, the Divine dimension of their being, not as a dim configuration that is presented to you from a distance, but as the reality in which you live."- Rabbi Abraham Isaac Kook
People often ask why "bad" things happen to them when they are good people or have done no discernible wrong. We have such a small picture of the Infinite. What appears to be a disaster may in fact be a blessing, saving you or someone else from a far greater catastrophe. I met a woman at the nail salon who was an evacuee from Bay St. Louis. She and her husband of many years were in the process of building a home when Katrina hit. They lost everything. Forty years of memories that were being stored, the foundations of a new home, an apartment full of furniture and treasures. They moved here to stay with his parents while they recovered and decided what to do next. A short time after their arrival the husband's father died suddenly leaving the mother alone. At least she would have been alone had they not been there with her. Now I am not saying G-d sent Katrina to move these people into the position of supporting the mother-in-law. But since they are there it follows that perhaps the overall tragedy was softened by the knowledge they could help the parent deal with the grief of her loss. Is the glass half full? Always. Sometimes you just have to slosh the contents around to get the full picture.
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