The Commandment Pat Robertson Forgot
Thursday January 19, 2006
Either we have all become prophets or everyone has forgotten the third commandment.Based on the Rev. Pat Robertson and Israel's Rabbi Ovadia Yosef’s prediction rate, I am inclined to think the latter. Repeatedly throughout the Bible we are told, Do...
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About Virtual Talmud
This blog is no longer updated and is closed for comments. We welcome your comments about Judaism in our Judaism forums.
Brad Hirschfield currently blogs on Windows and Doors.
Author, radio and TV talk show host, and President of CLAL-The National Jewish Center for Learning and Leadership, Brad Hirschfield is the author of You Don’t Have To Be Wrong For Me To Be Right: Finding Faith Without Fanaticism. Listed as one of the nation’s 50 most influential rabbis in Newsweek, and a regular commentator on Court TV, he is the creator of the popular series, Building Bridges, airing on Bridges TV, and the co-host of the weekly radio show, Hirschfield and Kula.
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I find very interesting the fact that people can twist the truth - It's amazing that facts are accepted coming from God in the Torah - History repeats itself and we cannot see God's hand???? Or should I say that He removed His protective hand ???? Judgment is biblical - Maybe you should open your eyes and be honest with yourself instead of using someone's speach to attack/excuse/deny the truth ???? It might not have been said the right way - I agree - BUT it's the truth .... READ THE WORD
Well observed, Rabbi. I was brought up Catholic, and I was taught that saying "Oh, my God!" was "taking the Lord's name in vain". I had never considered it in that sense of forbidding the use of God's name to justify demonizing a group of His children, but it's a very good point and is well worth considering.
Pat Robertson and his ilk make me embarrassed to be a Christian. I used to tutor boys like him when I was an undergraduate Bible student. They couldn't read and understand the Bible then and they can't now. But I'm the one who's not allowed to be a Southern Baptist minister. Rabbi Yosef's comment about the holocaust sounds like a desparate attempt to justify bad things happening to good people. Sometimes it is best to just shake our heads and admit we don't understand WHY things happen, to just admit that they DO happen and to get on with our business of helping those who are caught up in the results.
If Michael Marcavage of "Repent America" thinks New Orleans was punished by God via Katrina, does that make the criminially incompetent FEMA "leader" Michael Brown God's messenger, his Malachi, so to speak? And maybe Marcarvage would care to explain to us why the "Bible belt" is pummelled annually with plentiful hurricanes and twisters? Unbelievable.
The reason the Bible Belt gets pummeled every year is very simple. God hates them.
He who is without sin, let him cast the first stone.....Who are we to judge anyone....We need to stop playing God, and let God be God in each of our lives, for only He is the righteous Judge and we will all one day stand before Him...Who will be ashamed on that day of days??
I thought the big lesson of the Babylonian Captivity was that not every evildoer is punished, not eveyone suffering is an evildoer. If that lesson is forgotten, what a waste of lives & time it was.
While I did not view any of those comments as vain uses of the word God, I agree, with Iris, above, however, it indicated how varied our interpretation is of a supreme being. It is amazing that we give this supreme being our own character flaws, believing that victims of disasters, man-made or natural, are reincarnated evil doers, in the guise of women and children, where does any Bible mention that?, or believing that our fears/options about the peace process are attributal to God.
Pat Robertson and those like him (Falwell, et al) seem to revel in perpetuating ignorance. Why comment at all if you have nothing more valuable to say? He need not reinforce his message with such ridiculous statements. A rational analysis of the facts prove them wrong every time. Problem is, their followers will take their word for it, never question, let alone verify it. As long as there's been religion, there's been someone to abuse it.
I find it ridiculous to blame natural disasters on God; e.g., His wrath, His punishments, etc. You must be able to look at the whole picture. Any of you familiar with the Great Red Spot of Jupiter? It's a storm system that's been in existence for millions of years. Whom is it punishing? There is no life on Jupiter! So to say that hurricanes, whatever...are punishments from God is pure superstition.
The truth is that this is nothing more than pure superstition. Men like Pat Robertson have become modern-day witch doctors.
The article raises a good point but the author demolishes his credibility when he singles out Clinton at the end as an example instead of a serial abuser like Robertson. Clinton claimed no authority to know God's mind, qualifying his statement into saying "it's almost like." Robertson has repeatedly shown he believes himself to be a Prophet with a mission divinely given by his God. His is the example that should have been elevated. Is the author trying to be politically correct by stretching a point to include a Democrat in his criticism? Thus the author manages to bear false witness while complaining about people breaking a different commandment.
For Robertson, the "Religious Right", etc., religion is just a self-promotional prop, another advertising gimmick.
I find it kind of reassuring that prominent(?)and educated(?) clergy from the Abrahamic Faiths can make stupid comments. It restores my faith in the equality of humankind ! ;-)
I rejoice every time Pat Robertson opens his big yap, because he is doing such a stellar job of discrediting the fundamentalist "christians" who have perverted the teachings of Christ for their own lust for power. Their farce of moral supiority is a thin disguise for bigotry and arrogance.
I believe that disasters bring out the best in most of us. The few with a podium blasting us for not being more like themselves an then accuse G-d for natural disasters are being foolish.Think how many people responded to the Katrina devastation and still are volunteering time and still giving money to help out the region. Seems people forget how wonderously generous people can be and I believe THAT is where G-d shows his face to us.
Look what happened to Soddam and Gamora. The bible speaks of God's wrath. Also as children of God we have the right and the ability to pray; after all we are his hands and feet. All that is going on today is bible prophesy as well the waxing cold of the bretheren. In any event at any time, any where, everything points to God, that is the central message; this more than what is said and by whom.
I heard that many Christians announced that the tsunami was punishment for all the child prostitution. So the Christians must accept all bad as being a punishment for something. A child has cancer because his father cheated on his wife, a wife dies in a crash because she cursed her mother when she was a child, the dog got bit by a rattle snake and died because the kids refused to eat broccoli... and the cow died because it owner was hungry. Blame everyone for everything and blame anyone for anything. But don't we all do it? I remember once I thought to myself that a freind of mind was being punished by G-d once (he caught herpes while cheating on his wife). Silly me...
Indeed, MR...I think it's human nature to do so. We all want to compare our own doings to those of others and find a way to feel "safe" from the misfortune that the other has experienced. I think those thoughts that cross our minds are a form of tempation towards the evil urge...the act that follows is either to our credit, or un-doing. The Holy One presented this lesson quite early in the Torah...His words to Cain... I agree with the Rabbi...many times it is best to remain silent.
It saddened me to read some of these cruel comments and the remarks made by Rabbi Stern. I sensed a 'hatred' toward anyone who disagrees with their stand. True ... Christians often speak when they should remain silent and when we do speak, we often say the wrong things. We never claimed to be perfect. However, one thing for sure: CHRISTIANS ARE THE BEST FRIENDS ISRAEL AND THE JEWISH PEOPLE HAVE ON THIS EARTH. The majority of us pray for Israel and for the peace of Jersalem. Even with all our faults ... WE LOVE YOU!
Maybe you are seen as a bully, an occupier, and oppressor of the Palestinian people and perhaps its own Arab population as well. Because you are infact so....:( I am not anti jewish or anything like that. But the facts speak for themselves. From the Talmud itself....Whoever destroys a single life is as guilty as though he had destroyed the entire world; and whoever rescues a single life earns as much merit as though he had rescued the entire world. - The Talmud, Mishna. Sanhedrin 37a so many innocents have died at Sharons hands as well as jews at hitlers hand. All the world, need to take these words to heart and treat each other and thier religions with respect. The bottom line is no matter if your Jewish, Muslim, Christian, or what ever....we Worship God just go to him thru different people of our faiths.
Americans being the only super power have many interests in Israel And the Jews being the big brothers of the religions started from Abraham have the entitlements as of christians ,muslims,The Arabs does not mean one religion.In all fairness, jews must have their homeland through all peaceful means
I have given the comments which must have been recorded.
Sympathy is not the issue. The question is "Is it morally right to make derrogatory cartoons of Mohammed?" As Jews, everything else should be irrelevant. Anonymous | 02.12.06 - 10:54 am | #
I gave my comments absolutely immpartially,but the organizer of this programme might have misunderstood and did not respond to my click on preview and also PUBLISh I like the way you are conducting this programme.The coprehensive solution to the current colossally dangrous situation can only be adjudicated by our Lord God
Rabbi Ovadia Yosef is correct. What he said is right and if you ignorant Jews would understand the Torah and what he knows then you would understand also. He said their were sins made and becuase of that their are consequences. Is that what drives the media crazy? that someone says that people have to pay for their sins, if not now then in the next world or next incarnation.