As if Things Were Not Already Scary Enough . . .

[_AmyJo]

The enlightenment was ushered in by a Jewish theologian, philosopher Moses Mendelssohn (also an ancestor of mine.) It is what the Jews used to reform Judaism by.

Hence, the "judeo" aspect you yourself have mentioned is incorporated into the "enlightenment."

It also didn't prevent the Jews from being murdered by Hitler's henchmen, even as they have been historically leaders in the moral fiber and backbone of civilization.

Hitler blamed "morality" on the Judeo-Christian ethics. By ridding the world of the Jews, he mistakenly believed he was ridding the world of the moral code they lived and died by.

Only it backfired on him, and he lost.

While Moses is credited with ushering in what's called the Jewish enlightenment, he certainly did not usher in what is referred to as "the enlightenment."

Jews have led the world in most reforms, theological and otherwise, and are leaders in science and technology today. Although they comprise less than 1% of the world's population, they make up more Nobel prize winners than any other group of people in the world - why is this so? Only heaven knows. 23% of Nobel has gone to Jewry. That's nothing to sniffle at. Albert Einstein is just one of many. The lost human potential from the atrocities of the Holocaust has cost humanity untold losses in terms of scientific progress and knowledge.

The Reform Judaism was born as result of Mendelssohn's philosophy is what I confused with the Enlightenment in general. Albeit Reform Judaism is watered down Judaism, and not particularly "enlightened."

[_The CCC]

The reasons are varied, and many. A long history of education, the Diaspora, and the Holocaust among the Jews probably accounts for much it. Einstein was a secular humanistic Jew.

[_Jersey Girl]

Next question Jersey Girl: Are you eagerly looking forward to the apocalypse?

Back to this again. As I said, "nope", I'm not. What do you think I'm one of those folks trying to or hoping that someone else or some group of persons will purposefully usher in the apocalypse?

I'm not a fearful person by nature, Gunnar. I should think that much would have been apparent after all this time. I don't believe (believer talk here) that anyone will purposefully usher in the apocalypse with the actual intent of that being the end game result.

Why is that? My personal religious belief aside, I think it's stupid and irrational to think that someone really wants to bring on the end of the world as we know it nukes and all, much less do I think that Trump will lead the charge. I also don't believe that Bannon has the power you attribute to him, regardless of his newly fabricated position.

What I am not going to do is spend every day of my life for the next 4 years watching every single move that Trump makes by the hour or wringing my hands over it.

I'm too into living my life to do that with it.

I wonder if this world would have been far more better off with generous women in charge of it's decisions and it's future?

[_moksha]

#Trump's national security briefing started at 10:30 AM. At 10:51 he tweeted attack on Nordstroms for Ivanka.

Time for Trump to destroy this meddling State Senator. That will make things real scary.

Volatile President coupled with an unbalanced advisor. What could possibly go wrong?

[_Gunnar]

Why is that? My personal religious belief aside, I think it's stupid and irrational to think that someone really wants to bring on the end of the world as we know it nukes and all, much less do I think that Trump will lead the charge. I also don't believe that Bannon has the power you attribute to him, regardless of his newly fabricated position.

I certainly agree that it is abysmally stupid and irrational to want to bring on the end of the world as we know it nukes and all, but there apparently are both Christian and Muslim religious extremists who really are that stupid and irrational. I am not as confident as you are that Bannon is not one of them nor that he lacks the power I suspect he now has. Trump is probably not one of them. I don't think he is religious at all, but he obviously has no scruples against feigning religion and exploiting the religious beliefs of others to further his own selfish ends. That he is questioning why we shouldn't use nuclear weapons is terrifying!

I wonder if this world would have been far more better off with generous women in charge of it's decisions and it's future?

Well, they could hardly have messed things up worse than men have!

[_subgenius]

#Trump's national security briefing started at 10:30 AM. At 10:51 he tweeted attack on Nordstroms for Ivanka.

Time for Trump to destroy this meddling State Senator. That will make things real scary.

Volatile President coupled with an unbalanced advisor. What could possibly go wrong?

Do you really believe that Trump composes and transmits each of his own tweets?

[_MeDotOrg]

"Judeo-Christian Values have a foundational role in America, beginning with the Declaration of Independence:
"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness..."

I would agree that Judeo-Christian values were a part of the founding of our country. But look at the very quote from the Declaration of Independence: "ALL men are created equal", and 'endowed with liberty.'

The United States, as it was established, was a slap in the face to that ideal. Christianity itself was used to both justify and condemn the practice of slavery. So after declaring all men were equal, we drafted a constitution which permitted counting slaves as 3/5ths of a human being. It was a massive moral cognitive dissonance that the country was not ready to face.

Thomas Jefferson said slavery was like holding a wolf by the ears: "as it is, we have the wolf by the ear, and we can neither hold him, nor safely let him go. Justice is in one scale, and self-preservation in the other." For Jefferson to contemplate freeing the slaves was to contemplate the abyss.

You may say that this is a nation founded on Judeo-Christian beliefs, but our history provides ample evidence of Christianity bending to slavery, Manifest Destiny, Jim Crow...

I would argue that one of the great moral movements of 20th Century America was the Civil Rights Movement, a movement born out of deep religious convictions. But the application of that belief was married to the non-violent teachings of Mahatma Gandhi, of whom King and many others in the Civil Rights Movement of the 50's were great admirers.

One of the great challenges is to address the deeply felt concerns of many religious or spiritual people within the context of a modern secular society.

The first thing you quickly recognize is that it becomes virtually impossible to discuss religious absolutes. Questions of dogma and doctrine become impossible to adjudicate in a pluralistic society. The best you can hope for is to start with not belief, but action as a result of that belief. Kindness, love, compassion, forgiveness.

I think in the process of finding 'best practices' with respect to spiritual beliefs and trying to codify those with respect to our laws is something that could benefit our society tremendously. But it would have to begin with an ecumenical spirit which does not seem to be a part of the retreating fundamentalist landscape which we inhabit. Nevertheless, that is my wish.