Re: Knowledgeble Help Needed

In article <g4ftut$4uv$1@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>,
Micha Berger <micha@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
Herman Rubin <hrubin@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
The Torah has a mention of Sheol as a place where souls
go after death. There is a reference in Tanakh to Saul
speaking to the soul of Samuel through a medium.

The only other such reference is Elijah going to heaven in
a fiery chariot...

And Job ch 3, in which in the depth of his suffering, Job speaks of how
much happier things are after death.

Speaking of the afterlife is dangerous. It runs the threat of turning
all of a person's positive actions into advanced selfishness. Tom wasn't
nice to Bill to be good, he was nice to his future post-death self.

Therefore, Judaism doesn't really focus on such things. It's not that
we don't have a philosophical position, it's that pragmatically, it's
not a productive topic of conversation.

Herman's need to revive Saducism is a side issue. Judaism is a tradition
that uses the Tanakh as "Cliff Notes" [or "Monarch Notes", for those who
went to HS in a different era]. Saducism is the Fundamentalist [capital
"F", as in Christian Fundamentalism] approach that focuses on the
individual's encouter with the text iteself with no additional tradition.

We do not even know what Sadducism is, and I would not be
one in any case. I believe in principles, not philosophical
extensions of them.

I believe that God CAN perform miracles, but only in a way
that we cannot discern that He does so. I am a rationalist,
and cannot trust the philosophers who found the balck cat
which was not even there. What has been discovered by
observation and accurate deductive reasoning trumps even the
literal words of the Torah, and certainly the rest.
--
This address is for information only. I do not claim that these views
are those of the Statistics Department or of Purdue University.
Herman Rubin, Department of Statistics, Purdue University
hrubin@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Phone: (765)494-6054 FAX: (765)494-0558
.

Relevant Pages

  • Re: Israeli rabbinate sanity (long)
    ... for those put to death by beheading or strangling. ... a joyful picture, the harshness of the picture was dying ... are those of the Statistics Department or of Purdue University. ... Herman Rubin, Department of Statistics, Purdue University ...
    (soc.culture.jewish.moderated)
  • Re: 16th century verbs
    ... 'truth be told', 'death be proud', highly frequent in Shakespeare's ... Anyone know anything about word order in Shakespeare's writing? ... are those of the Statistics Department or of Purdue University. ... Herman Rubin, Department of Statistics, Purdue University ...
    (sci.lang)
  • Re: The Bullshit Parade
    ... If by "saving lives", you mean eliminating death, of course none. ... If you mean significantly extending lives, ... I do not claim that these views are those of the Statistics Department or of Purdue University. ...
    (sci.med.nutrition)
  • Re: The Bullshit Parade
    ... If by "saving lives", you mean eliminating death, of course none. ... If you mean significantly extending lives, ... I do not claim that these views are those of the Statistics Department or of Purdue University. ...
    (sci.med.cardiology)
  • Re: Philosophers (Mathematicians) in dark rooms
    ... for a black hat which isn't there." ... I have seen this one about philosophers: ... are those of the Statistics Department or of Purdue University. ... Herman Rubin, Department of Statistics, Purdue University ...
    (sci.math)