May 1, 2012
Hal_10000 commented on Testaments Old & New.
(PS - all of the above is from conservative Jewish commentary on the Bible, specifically in Etz Chaim.)
May 1, 2012
Hal_10000 commented on Testaments Old & New.
OK, one pet peeve:
"God giving dads the okay to sell their daughters into slavery"
This is incorrect and is the result of a mistranslation. The passage in Exodus refers to selling daughters into *marriage*. While bride prices may be repulsive to us, they were practiced in ancient world and are still practiced today. What that passage is specifically about is that a man is not allowed to mistreat his wife if she was married off so her father could pay off debts.
Interestingly, that passage in Exodus 21 also says that a man may not deny his wife food, shelter or "ointment". Most biblical scholars understand ointment to be a euphemism for sex. That is, the Old Testament says that women are entitled to sex. Maybe you should throw THAT at the fundies. You can also remind them that any time the Bible says someone put his hand under someone's thigh, it meant he taking hold of his penis to swear an oath by its generative power, a common practice in biblical times.
Your other comments are spot on. The thing that people fail to realize about the Bible is that, in the time it was written, it was a very liberal document -- much more progressive than the Hammurabic Code or anything like that. Blood feuds were ended, human sacrifice ended, a system of justice put in place (giving the death penalty requires two witness; a stronger burden of proof than, say, Texas). And there thousands of years of commentary that have continually re-interpreted that to make it ever more modern. The conservative Jewish movement -- hardly a bunch of left wingers -- has specifically rejected many of the anti-gay provisions of the Old Testament.
This is just highlighter fundamentalism.
More...
"God giving dads the okay to sell their daughters into slavery"
This is incorrect and is the result of a mistranslation. The passage in Exodus refers to selling daughters into *marriage*. While bride prices may be repulsive to us, they were practiced in ancient world and are still practiced today. What that passage is specifically about is that a man is not allowed to mistreat his wife if she was married off so her father could pay off debts.
Interestingly, that passage in Exodus 21 also says that a man may not deny his wife food, shelter or "ointment". Most biblical scholars understand ointment to be a euphemism for sex. That is, the Old Testament says that women are entitled to sex. Maybe you should throw THAT at the fundies. You can also remind them that any time the Bible says someone put his hand under someone's thigh, it meant he taking hold of his penis to swear an oath by its generative power, a common practice in biblical times.
Your other comments are spot on. The thing that people fail to realize about the Bible is that, in the time it was written, it was a very liberal document -- much more progressive than the Hammurabic Code or anything like that. Blood feuds were ended, human sacrifice ended, a system of justice put in place (giving the death penalty requires two witness; a stronger burden of proof than, say, Texas). And there thousands of years of commentary that have continually re-interpreted that to make it ever more modern. The conservative Jewish movement -- hardly a bunch of left wingers -- has specifically rejected many of the anti-gay provisions of the Old Testament.
This is just highlighter fundamentalism.
Apr 27, 2012
Hal_10000 commented on Perfectly Normal Activities.
This is a joke, right? Someone is having us on? Right? RIGHT?!
Mar 29, 2012
Hal_10000 commented on Read It & Weep.
I'm sorry, I'm not following this. You're slagging the GOP for attacking corporate welfare? Most of what they're talking about is pure subsidies for big business. The Ex-Im bank's biggest client is Boeing, a multi-billion dollar multi-national. They can do without the subsidies, I think.
Nov 8, 2011
Hal_10000 commented on How Not to Process Feelings of Jealousy During a Threesome.
Ah, yes. Another man who said "threesome" when he really meant "two women worshiping my awesomeness".
Oct 24, 2011
Hal_10000 commented on Religious Bigot to Straight Parents: Ask Hospitals to Keep LGBT Staff Away From Your Children.
" who has rainbow identifiers on her work clothing"
Last I checked, nurses were only allowed to wear name tags.
Last I checked, nurses were only allowed to wear name tags.
Sep 29, 2011
Hal_10000 commented on Teabaggers Rely on Socialist Programs to Deliver Anti-Tax/Anti-Socialism Message to Morning Commuters Who Rely on Socialistic, Big-Government Programs During Their Morning Commutes.
Sorry, I'm not moved by the diagrams. If streets and electricity and road signs were all our government paid for, I don't think they'd have a problem. But it's only a tiny fraction. Most of our taxes are for transfer payments or defense, which these people probably support anyway. We spend more on corporate welfare than we do on infrastructure.
The homeschooler sign is funny but not when you realize that homeschoolers, on average, do better than public schoolers.
The homeschooler sign is funny but not when you realize that homeschoolers, on average, do better than public schoolers.
Sep 7, 2011
Hal_10000 commented on My Jihad Against Monogamy Has Failed.
I would hazard that this indicates more men and women are lying, one way or the other. Either more were lying about cheating in '75 or more were lying about not cheating in 2000.
Or, it could be that this is a garbage study that's getting publicity because people want to believe what it says.
Or, it could be that this is a garbage study that's getting publicity because people want to believe what it says.
Sep 7, 2011
Hal_10000 commented on If Bill Clinton Was a Mensch.
#19, I have to disagree. In the early days of the scandal, the Clinton people started whispering that she was a stalker who had imagined the entire affair and were perfectly willing to destroy her. Once the dress showed up, they backpedalled and went with their "it was a personal matter" line.
This whole thing exploded into the public sphere because Clinton couldn't keep his hands off anyone and hunkered down anytime an accusation surfaced. Monica didn't set out to make this into a scandal; it was discovered by Paula Jones' investigators. If Bill had kept his pants zipped or settled the Jones case early or not lied in the deposition, we would never have found out who she was and been spared that whole circus. Every president - even others as hated by the Right Wing as Clinton was -- has young women throwing themselves at him; only one had this kind of epic meltdown.
This whole thing exploded into the public sphere because Clinton couldn't keep his hands off anyone and hunkered down anytime an accusation surfaced. Monica didn't set out to make this into a scandal; it was discovered by Paula Jones' investigators. If Bill had kept his pants zipped or settled the Jones case early or not lied in the deposition, we would never have found out who she was and been spared that whole circus. Every president - even others as hated by the Right Wing as Clinton was -- has young women throwing themselves at him; only one had this kind of epic meltdown.
Aug 3, 2011
Hal_10000 commented on Stink of the Children.
I think there is a vague tiny itty bitty kernel in what Santorum is saying. As usual, he's taken that and wrapped his fundamentalist BS and far-right dog whistles around it. I find public early education efforts wasteful since 90% of parents are happy with their private options and there is little evidence that it improves education, per se. Oklahoma has been trying universal pre-K for a while and gotten zero movement. The government's own study of Head Start showed its advantages were either non-existent or vanished quickly. We learn differently when we're under 0-5 years and the skills most important to learn are social ones. I do think, given this, there is a creepy "let's teach values" vibe to government pre-K.
On the other hand, Santorum's support of home-schooling would probably evaporate if people were home-schooling their kids about evolution, acceptance of gays and atheism. And his support for pre-K would spike if pre-K meant teaching kids bigotry, superstition and religion. So, in the end, he's still full of santorum.
On the other hand, Santorum's support of home-schooling would probably evaporate if people were home-schooling their kids about evolution, acceptance of gays and atheism. And his support for pre-K would spike if pre-K meant teaching kids bigotry, superstition and religion. So, in the end, he's still full of santorum.
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