Re: Proposal To Curtail Commercial Activity on Shabbat in Israel



To characterize mandatory Shabbat observance as
"pro-family" is inherently dishonest and potentially hurtful to those
who don't have families or whose families really need those extra
hours of pay to put food on the table.


I frankly don't have the faintest idea what you are talking about
here. What is "dishonest" about advocating Shabbat observance
on these grounds? I don't care what the motiviation is, so long
as they do it, it is beneficial
for everyone. Shabbat observance DOES strengthen family
interaction, if someone wants to promote this for that reason
instead of jumping straight to "Shabbat observance was
mandated by the Torah", so what?

Regarding your complaint that my using this argument is
"hurtful", all I can say is that I left the US almost 20 years
ago, and I obviously am not aware of how much Stalinistic
political-correctness has come to dominate discourse.
Now, we can say that you are "hurtful" also when you disagree
with anybody about anything (I didn't even criticize anybody, but
you still claimed I am being "hurtful"). If you are advocating
that we all "shut-up" which will stifle all discussion of everything
(e.g. If I mention that I eat meat, is that "hurtful" to animal-rights
or vegetarian activists?)
then that is the end of all discussion and we might as well
close down this newsgroup.

.