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Ashe Elton Parker

A Writer of LGBTQ+ Characters in Speculative Fiction

Tag: TBK1:UL

Note to Self

The depression I was in a week or so ago seems to have lifted, for the most part. I keep telling myself that my writing will come back, when it wasn’t really with me throughout most of last year and the only time it really flowed well was in November—until I got sick of it and gave up. Yeah, I’m owning that. I gave up. Even though I could have pushed on through and made it to 50k—I had plenty of time to hit it—I just threw in the towel because I was sick of my story. Don’t even know what about it I was sick of any more. Maybe just the act of writing daily. No idea.

Anyway, I’m giving it another try. I started off this month with a bang—five scenes on one new project. Five scenes that go absolutely nowhere. I wrote a sixth scene, and that’s it so far. Torn between reverse outlining and trying to get more plot cards on it and just giving up on that one for now since I don’t even know what the fricking story is. I know it’s a mystery. What’s the mystery? No bloody idea. But I like, for the most part, what I have. As always when I pants things, conflicts and stuff I don’t even know about beforehand have been popping up in the scenes I’ve been writing. Go me?

So, on the 4th, I wrote 610 words on UL. Can’t say just how much I dreaded doing so, but I did it. Also can’t say as I precisely enjoyed the process of writing. I did, however, like what I’d written immediately after finishing it. That’s something that hasn’t happened in so long, I’ve forgotten the last time it did. It’s my goal to write at least 500 words a day on this sucker until it’s done.

To be honest, I miss the inspiration-driven writing days. I think, though, I’ve been sliding away from those days for at least a couple years. Having the epiphany that my writing was inspiration-driven was just the final knife in the back so to speak. It was also, I think, an absolutely necessary realization for me to make, because without it, I’d never have seen the way to fix my writing habit. So what I’ve got now is the knowledge of what the problem is and the way to fix that problem. All I need is to inject the discipline into the whole thing, and that is what I’ve had difficulty with, even without a creativity-killing depressive phase. I mean, I wrote the first four days of January, just at the beginning of that depressive swing, didn’t I? A little discipline, and I’d have written every day of January, and finished Unwritten Letters in the process!

I’m really writing this blog post in an effort to be blunt with myself. The fact is, I like to lie to myself about my writing habit, and I’ve gotten away with it because my writing friends I hang out with most have been very accommodating about my excuses. And that’s all I’ve been doing. Making up excuses not to write. This blog post is my command to myself to get to work. I have way too many stories to write for me to dally any longer. Too many incomplete stories to be finished.

So, Ashe, stop making excuses, and get to work.

Depression and Writer’s Block

In a way, I don’t know where the past few weeks have gone, though I can tell you what I was doing for most of them since my last post here. The essential thing is that I’ve been in a depressive funk and struggling to do pretty much everything from rising every day to writing on anything to indulging in hobby activities like crocheting. I’m not out of the pit yet either.

What I’ve been doing is getting out of the house a lot. Between Christmas and the beginning of last week (the 7th). Most of the time, I’ve either been going to the offices where the Utah Pride Center moved their therapy services, or, even more often, to Oasis Games, which bought the pride center’s old building and fixed up the first floor. I’ve been going there mainly to read Dungeons and Dragons books; I finished reading the Player’s Handbook and have been making slow progress on reading the Dungeon Masters Guide since about the first week of January.

I’ve also been continuing crocheting. My primary project is now complete, and I’ll be giving it to my friend who I decided to give it to soon if I get an opportunity. To be honest, I’ve done most of the work on it at the pride center’s therapy offices.

But even with those things, I’ve been in a depressive funk. The main reason is because I received a decision from the VA on my Compensation claim. I’m not sure if I mentioned it last year, but I started the claim in order to try and connect my bipolar disorder to my Naval service. Well, they didn’t even bother opening a case; they simply denied it without investigating. I’m fairly certain that is what threw me into this depressive funk.

It’s still with me. And, unfortunately, it’s not a state of mind I’ve been able to simply write through. I’ve tried. The first 4 days of this month, I wrote at least 500 words a day. Managed to complete, I think, 2 scenes on Unwritten Letters. But I didn’t feel like writing. Even with plot cards, I had trouble grasping the ideas. I felt no joy in getting the words down. Even though the quality was up to my standards, I hated what I’d written because I’d written the words when I felt bad. Gah, talking about it is dragging me down again. Enough.

Anyway, I haven’t touched my writing to do more than read stuff since then. Most days, I haven’t even been able to read my writing. I will not go into detail about how that makes me feel—it’s even more depressing than my description of writing, and I really don’t want to get as bad as I was last weekend over it all.

So, I foolishly thought writer’s block was a myth. That people who had it were undisciplined and lacked initiative in their writing. Well, since September or October, I’ve seen what it’s like to be undisciplined and lack initiative. And now I’ve been treated to my own grand case of writer’s block thanks to this depression.

Let me go over this again, to make it clear. Reading my writing depresses me, primarily because I see all its potential and am not actively capitalizing on it. Writing on anything depresses me any more because it’s not THERE—the ideas are vague, no matter how well-prepared I am for writing, and I hate the act of writing, and having done so makes me feel horrible because I didn’t enjoy doing so and I think I should. So it’s easier to just not write. I’ve gotten to the point where I dread writing, and I figure when it’s that bad, there’s no point in torturing myself.

Oh, I won’t be this way forever. I have faith in that. Maybe I’ll tuck myself into the inpatient mental ward at the VA, maybe I won’t. Either way, I’ll get by and this depression will pass. It’s already started to lift—a little—the past few days. I have a good long-distance friend I can chat about this with, and if that doesn’t help, I can always call the Veterans Crisis Line, and I’ve already notified my mental health care team about where I stand emotionally. All I need to do is stick it out long enough for the clouds to pass, and I’ve done that before and know I can do it again. In the meantime, I’m getting out, cuddling with my cat, and doing what I can to distract myself from my depression so I don’t do something stupid.

© 2018 Ashe Elton Parker

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There are schools of thought in favor and against putting up a picture on the CV/Resume. The group normally called “recruitment specialists” says a picture discriminates you in advance and hence it should be avoided.

The other school of thought believes that job hunting is like a selling function and your resume is your brochure. From a marketing standpoint, your picture adds to your personal message. Picture also attracts attention and grabbing someone’s attention is what marketing is all about. If someone has to discriminate you on the basis of your color or looks, it is better to be discriminated on resume rather than in interview. The discriminator will discriminate you in any way.

The real question is what kind of picture you should put on?

  1. Picture with executive look, passport size, no beach or shopping area background
  2. Smiling picture, smile means your teeth should be visible and it should be a genuine smile not a ‘struggled’ smile.
  3. Picture should exhibit your dynamism, energy and optimism and happiness
  4. White or blue shirt with aggressive tie and suit should be dark only.
  5. Some people are photogenic from front, some from sides. Only a professional cameraman can guide you.
  6. Hire a professional photographer and get as many shots as possible and select the best one. Invest in your image.
  7. The picture on my blog (at top) was selected from more than a dozen shots.

Did you like the article? Please share with your friends. Join me at Social Media for job alerts by clicking at

Did you read my article The 8 Reasons Why You Should Have Your CV Written by a Professional?

Set your Twitter account name in your settings to use the TwitterBar Section.

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1. Always complete your profile
  2. Always invite people with a purpose not just for sake of increasing contacts
  3. Always write personalized note before inviting
  4. Always say ‘thank you’ once contact has been established.
  5. Always welcome people once you accept the invitation.
  6. Always check profile of the person soon after accepting the invitation.
  7. Delete/block person if he/she looks dubious or belongs to groups you dislike or disapprove.
  8. Always check profile of person before asking “what do you do?” or “Who are you?”
  9. Always post updates which strengthen your brand image.
  10. Participate in discussions only if it helps your image to improve.
  11. Integrate your Facebook with your blog and website
  12. Always use one picture for all Social Media channels for long time.
  13. Always join your alumni, industry groups for enabling people find you.
Free download!!

The Craft of Selling “YOURSELF” by Ashraf Chaudhry (1st chapter)

  1. Don’t annoy people with aggressive updates
  2. Don’t create spam by inviting people to useless groups/fan pages
  3. Don’t create fan pages/groups unless you have something to offer
  4. Don’t trigger debates which depicts your image of aggressive person
  5. Don’t allow people to put non-serious stuff at your wall
  6. Don’t post more than 3-4 updates in 24 hours
  7. Don’t tag people in un-necessary pictures and discussions.
  8. Don’t pick up fights with people; silently move away from nuisance elements. Facebook is a social media and not anti-social media.
    Free download!!

    The Craft of Selling “YOURSELF” by Ashraf Chaudhry (1st chapter)

Set your Twitter account name in your settings to use the TwitterBar Section.


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Flash / Video (Iframe/Direct Link To YouTube)

Commercial Waste FAQ | ASH Waste Services

Alansskips Movie - News, views and more. click here

Quick Quote

Our experienced staff are trained in waste minimisation, recycling and compliance.

Our experienced staff are trained in waste minimisation, recycling and compliance.

Why use Ash Waste Services?

Our experienced staff are trained in waste minimisation, recycling and compliance.

Why Use NWS

FREE Waste Audit

Our free waste audit objective is to maximise the re-use of your commercial waste and advise on the most appropriate plane of action for your company.

Free Waste Audit

Kids Cool Zone

Help educate kids of all ages with our Cool Kids Zone where they can play games and learn about the values of recycling.

The Kids Recycling Zone

Here is some helpful information so you can get the most out of your ASH Waste collection service.

You will receive a welcome email detailing all aspects of your contract, including bin delivery date, collection dates and contact information for all departments. This will be sent once your contract is processed and sent to our operations team.

Your bins will usually be delivered within 5-10 working days of the contract start date. If there is a delay, you will be notified by our operations team.

All trade waste customers are billed at the beginning of each month for the upcoming calendar month, as billing is in advance. Dependant when your contract was started, your initial payment may be slightly higher as it may include a number of days from the previous month (eg if you signed on the 15th, you would be billed for the remainder of this month, plus the next month. This will revert to the stated cost on the contract from month two.

You will be given a scheduled collection day upon commencing your contract with ASH Waste Services. Your bins will be collected on this day between the hours of 06:00am – 18:00pm. Scheduled collection days are subject to change dependant on route alteration, and unforeseen circumstances such as traffic issues.. Should this be the case with your collection, you will be notified as soon as possible by our Customer Service Team.

The night before your scheduled collection date you need to ensure the bins are placed in an easily accessible area for your driver, with no blocked access for your collection to be completed. Should this not be the case, you will need to contact customer services to rearrange the collection.

If you have excess waste, you need to notify the customer service team prior to your collection, so that we can make the necessary amendments to the schedule and notify your driver of the changes to the collection. Additional charges may be applicable, and the customer service team will advise of this whilst on the phone.

No, you will not receive a receipt for the collection, should you wish to query any collections or charges resulting from a collection, please contact customer services.

You will need to notify customer services as soon as possible regarding a missed collection. We can then investigate the reasons why the collection was missed and rearrange the collection as soon as possible. If the collection has been changed due a route alteration or other external factors the customer service team will contact all customers by 16:00pm on the collection day. If the collection is missed after 16:00pm, we will advise you the following morning as a matter of urgency.

If you need to increase any aspect of your contract, you will need to contact our sales team. If you need to decrease any aspect of your contract then you will need to contact our contracts team. The numbers for each team can be found at the bottom of this page.

At ASH Waste, we are committed to providing excellent customer service combined with timely collections for the duration of your contract. Unfortunately, certain circumstances can sometimes make issues arise. If you would like to discuss a specific issue with us, please contact us , providing an overview of the issue you have experienced and your contact details. This will then be assigned to a member of our customer service team to investigate and respond directly to you. If your enquiry is urgent, please call our customer service team directly.

Below is a list of contact numbers for our respective departments:

  • General Customer Service and questions regarding your service: - 0800 035 0447
  • Payments, Credits and Account Queries – 0845 231 0153
  • Telesales – 01244 853071


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Are dad sneakers the next big shoe trend?

By Engracia Ang

Move over, Stan Smiths and Nike Cortez — the latest It shoe trend comes in the form of chunky, almost orthopaedic dad sneakers. Groovy.

Verdict’s out — the latest It shoe trend comes in the form of chunky, unglamorous, wholly-utilitarian, almost-orthopaedic dad sneakers. Don’t blame us, we’re just the messenger. Blame this on the throngs of fashion girls who showed up to Fashion Week nonchalantly clad in dad sneakers.

Just how did this trend sneak up on us? The surprisingly cool trend is just so bad it’s good, and when paired with a floaty dress, it gives one a certain je ne sais quoi, no? We have a feeling that the dad sneaker trend has something to do with the resurgence of 70s, 80s, and 90s fashion — don’t they remind you of clunky Skechers you used to wear as a kid?

We’re secretly really pleased with the trend, despite our earlier protests. Who can resist tramping about in a pair of ultra-comfy sneakers? There’s something to be said for pain-free, blister-free footwear that allows one to move about freely, all day.

Are you ready to take the plunge and dive into the world of dad sneakers? Let these street style stars show you how the trend is done, and then get shopping!

Engracia Ang

Photo credit: Imaxtree

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new blog

Friday, June 26, 2009

Djaybuddah & Thaitanium Interviews DJ Clark Kent

Here's an interview that Djaybuddah and Thaitanium did with the living legend himself, DJ Clark Kent for AWhatUp Radio in Bangkok, Thailand. In the interview, they discussed a lot about hip hop culture. Here are some of the highlights from the interview:

  • Clark Kent considers Red Cafe, Curtains and Fabolous the hottest emcees right now that are from Brooklyn, New York
  • Clark Kent says that Jay-Z is the "best emcee" (and second best rapper) while Biggie is the "best rapper" (and second best emcee)
  • An emcee, according to Clark Kent, is all about lyricism and the substance behind the rhymes
  • A good rapper, according to Clark Kent, is one that makes great songs
  • Clark Kent says that Soulja Boy and Bow Wow are "great rappers", but they aren't emcees (and that they'll get "shitted on" if they go against Joe Budden in the booth)
  • Clark Kent claims to own 26,000 pairs of shoes
  • Clark Kent says that Grandmaster Flash got the "Grandmaster" part of his name from the original Grandmaster: Grandmaster Flowers from Brooklyn
  • Clark Kent has been buying records since he was 7 years old and claims to have 80,000 records in his collection

Watch the remaining parts 2 and 3 of the interview:


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The reflections in these little books are thought-provoking, guided prayer; they give a start to those who don't have a starting place and a challenge to the spirit of those who do. They discourage minimalism, take a stand for character, and help to develop a dialogue with God that will stimulate one’s spirit to seek Him and search out goodness.

The messages are also reminders of how we should live our lives -- striving for excellence, being of service to and caring for others; and remembering to periodically stop, examine our essential purpose, set goals and take the time to adjust our actions and attitudes.

There are times in our lives when we feel totally overjoyed – everything seems to be going our way and God seems to be truly smiling on us. And then there are the times we feel totally overwhelmed and in the depths of despair.

The messages and reflections in these inspirational books encourage you to focus on and rest in God's sufficiency, instead of your circumstances. They can be read by all. They can be used in a classroom, a church, and at home. They can be read privately or aloud for ALL to hear! They will challenge you, inspire you, give you hope, and remind you that life is not about who you are and what you have.

© 2018 AskHimBooks.com, Inc. | info@askhimbooks.com | 985.845.2686
Web Services: Dogwood Productions, Inc.


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find_photog find_assist join_asmp

The Ohio North Chapter of ASMP serves photographers in Northeast Ohio by providing camaraderie, educational venues, as well as promoting high standards and sound business ethics. Our membership provides an array of photographic specialties including commercial and studio work, portraiture, editorial, aerial photography, fashion, architectural imagery and many other areas. Art Directors, corporate buyers and others have come to trust ASMP-ONC as a reliable source for qualified talent who help bring their projects to life.

By joining ASMP-ONC, you'll become a member of the leading organization for professional photographers. Our North Coast Chapter is just one of 39 chapters in ASMP's network, covering the nation from Alaska to New York and reaching into 30 countries worldwide.

ASMP is about photographers helping photographers through community, commitment to industry standards and education. Joining ASMP shows your commitment to your craft. It lets clients know you're a professional who practices sound business principles and that you've got the savvy to tackle their projects.

We invite area commercial photographers (or those aspiring to be a commercial photographer) to consider the ASMP. You'll find the ASMP, and our chapter, to offer a variety of excellent benefits, well worth the price of admission. As you peruse this site, please feel free to contact us with any questions and your feedback. We're always on the lookout for ways to improve our efforts and provide greater service and information to the community.


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Thursday, September 6, 2007

Backup Plan

After hearing horror stories about grad students losing years of work when their laptop is stolen, I've decided it would be prudent to come up with a plan for backing up my data and stick to it. I don't have much to back up at this point so it will all fit on my 1 GB flash drive.

Every Friday when I come home I will copy my folder labeled "Grad School" onto my flash drive, replacing the previous version from the week before. The flash drive will stay at home in a place where I don't think a thief would look. I should only need the flash drive if something awful happens to my computer.

The obvious problem with this plan is that everything is lost if the apartment burns down with my computer and flash drive in it. Maybe later I'll get a second flash drive to keep at school.

I can also back up documents more regularly if I choose, but at minimum I'll do it once a week. I'll probably also come up with a system for backing things up online later.

Do you have a system for backing up your data? What is it?

ecology Till-ya die said...

Hiya -

Consider asking the tech people at your school about server space... usually students are alloted a certain amount of storage space on a university server. This can make a really nice place to back things up, as universities typically have pretty reliable methods for backing up their servers, and you wouldn't have to worry about theft/fire.

Nicki said...

All my data is backed up on the departamental server, but I also save files to my thumb drive and transfer it between my home and school computers. After working with GIS data, the 1 GB thumbdrive isn't big enough to hold all my research data, manuscripts, pdfs, etc. I'm wondering if I should get a "traveling" harddrive?


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Working with images

Posted in: - Nov 30, 2010 No Comments

This example shows how you can work with images in your form.

The first page includes five Image objects where the photographs are embedded into each of the Image objects. This increases the size of the form unnecessarily. You should only embed images, where you want the image to be available to other developers opening the form in Designer. Once you have linked the Image object to an image, it will automatically be available when the user opens the form in Acrobat/Reader. By default, you should not tick “Embed Image Data” in the Object > Draw palette when working with Image and ImageField objects.

The second page includes the same photographs, however in this case the photographs are only linked to the Image objects (and they are not embedded). This is much more efficient and will reduce the file size.

See John Brinkman’s detailed post on this topic.

Take away: You should link images in your forms; do not embed them!

The zipped folder contains the dynamic form and five images.

Download: Assure Dynamics Working with images (rev 3) – this is a zipped folder

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A Secret Weapon For vashikaran specialist +91-9041333742

....or yaha se durr videsh chale gaye.sasural wale bhi ladte the ish vajah se mjhe apne maike Ana pada.

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September 30, 2014

autumn 6

an appartment building for wood worms and other pests, the peak of coziness :)
a nice white mushroom, probably this one
autumn is an amazing season!

September 28, 2014

the larger part of the day I was amongst the sheep :)
photo below, Tony Birks

September 27, 2014

September 26, 2014

autumn 4

all brown objects
a piece of bark, a chestnut, a cushion in brown & pink, a nice bowl by Shoji Hamada
love this movie
happy weekend all!

September 24, 2014

mieke's enthusiasm for printed wallpaper is quite contagious; encouraged by her I dared to paper the hall in black with red flowers, so much cozier now!

September 23, 2014

beautiful ceramics of Joost Maréchal
picture 3&4 are from his website
tomorrow the pottery classes start again :^)

September 21, 2014

autumn 3

I was making some rhubarb jam today; I know September is not really the time of the year to make rhubarb jam, but I saw some fresh shoots in mom's garden the other day, hence.
I made a mix with plums and lemon zeste, so the jam is yummy sour

and still want to make this chestnut cake
but this time with sweet chestnuts, ha!

September 19, 2014

autumn, 2

in the morning wet & foggy, but later in the day bright sunshine;
lets hope for more sunny september days as that of today :)

I wish you all a beautiful and relaxing weekend
for inspiration, look at your pets!

September 18, 2014

autumn leaves, fading flowers
& cushion

September 17, 2014

some more photo's from last weekend
lots of bees & flowers and occasionally a deer

September 15, 2014

mom's hydrangea

I was helping my mom with a garland of hydrangeas yesterday afternoon; the colors in the garland all come from one bush!
mom prepared the bouquets of the flowers with a wire while I was stucking them with pins in the straw ring
it was a nice job and a nice day :)


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Don Pels
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Child Asks "Is God Real?"

Started this discussion. Last reply by Don Pels Sep 10, 2011. 10 Replies

My spouse is a devout Christian and I am an atheist. Fortunately, I accept and support her and her beliefs and she does the same for me. Religious belief/disbelief has never been an issue for us. My…Continue

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At 5:55pm on September 10, 2011, Dr. Terence Meaden said…

Hi Don. Welcome to this haven of truth, peace, and freedom for freethinking----which is far from the superstitions and fictional god of the masses.

"Well-founded common sense helped by science leads to atheist wisdom."

We invite you to make good friends by joining the busy group "ORIGINS: Universe, Astronomy, Life, Earth, Humans, Religion, Gods, Atheism, Evolution, Darwin..." with 500 discussion topics and 2980 members.

At 10:48pm on September 9, 2011, Ruth Anthony-Gardner said…

Welcome, Don! Glad you could join us. :D

Please consider joining a group to meet people and talk about anything that's on your mind, Hang With Friends.

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Paul Clamp
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At 4:08pm on May 29, 2010, John Jubinsky said…
Hi Paul! Have a very happy birthday.
At 6:10pm on March 17, 2010, Dr. Terence Meaden said…
Hi and welcome to this great meeting place
where we recognise gods as nothing but fictions inside people's heads, that religion is a fraudulent superstition for controlling people, and that it is tragic and inexcusable that women have been oppressed these last 2000 years.

Terry Meaden
founder of the busy group "ORIGINS: Universe, Life, Earth, Humans, Religion, Evolution, Darwin..." with its 250 discussion topics.
At 10:34am on March 17, 2010, Atheist Princess said…
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All Blog Posts (11,354)

Dear Senator Portman: Regarding Gun Control...

Don't ask why it's taken so long for me to write. Stipulated that I've been involved in "clicktivist" petitions about gun control and perhaps written my representatives here and there in the wake of past mass shootings. Somehow, this last incident at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High just GOT to me. That and learning that Ohio Republican Senator Rob Portman has an "A" rating with the National Rifle Association pretty well broke my camel's back.

In any case, the following just went out…

Added by Loren Miller on February 18, 2018 at 12:00pm — 3 Comments

The Berlin Wall - A Melancholy Anniversary

“Maybe it meant something. Maybe not, in the long run, but no explanation, no mix of words or music or memories can touch that sense of knowing that you were there and alive in that corner of time and the world. Whatever it meant.”

― Hunter S. Thompson, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas

This month marked what should be a joyous anniversary of the Mauerfall - the fall of the Berlin Wall.  For on the fifth of February the Wall had been down as long as it had been up;  precisely…

Added by Richard Lawrence on February 17, 2018 at 7:33pm — 4 Comments

Ides of March - Git Diggin! - Vernal Equinox

Recharging the Galaxies & Planets magnetic shields

Exhuming, Universal magnetic reversal, Recharging…

Added by Garry Denke on February 17, 2018 at 8:40am — No Comments

Meditations on "Jonah"

They say Jonah, he was swallowed by a whale,

But I say, there's no truth to that tale.

I know Jonah, he was swallowed by a song.

-- Paul Simon, "Jonah"

I was going to save that quote for an entry in the Quotations group, but it and the music that accompanies it really captured me this morning ... or “swallowed” me, as Paul put it.

I really admire that – being so consumed with a skill, talent, or desire that it utterly occupies your life, as…

Added by Loren Miller on February 13, 2018 at 9:00am — 1 Comment

The human species – a naturalist conjecture

One question still unanswered in biology and one that is of special interest to me is what happened to our evolutionary branch that made us so different than our nearest relatives on the evolutionary tree, the chimpanzees and bonobos? Putting aside supernatural explanations as well as wild speculation about aliens doing genetic experiments on our race as something to do while taking a break from construction of the pyramids, the correct explanation will be provided by science.

Added by Richard Lawrence on February 11, 2018 at 7:55pm — 2 Comments

Review: The Faith of Christopher Hitchens by Larry Taunton

I had read a lot of vitriol from the secular community regarding this book and made a point of re-reading Hitch-22 since Taunton referenced it in his opening description of Christopher Hitchens. So armed I was looking forward to reading it to see if all the ruckus was justified. As it turns out, the book is rather anti-climactic. There is nothing in the book that would lead one to think there was any deathbed conversion. I have respect for Taunton insofar as any discussions of conversion he…

Added by Richard Lawrence on February 7, 2018 at 11:19am — 1 Comment

Life does begin at conception – a secular view

A recent article from Newsweek was making the rounds in social media this week reporting on the new strategic draft issued by the Department of Health and Human services.  The draft includes language that defines life as beginning at conception.

"HHS accomplishes its mission through programs and initiatives that cover a wide spectrum of…

Added by Richard Lawrence on February 4, 2018 at 10:19pm — 5 Comments

Review: Hitch-22 by Christopher Hitchens

“I became a journalist because I did not want to rely on newspapers for information.”

― Christopher Hitchens

I started to read Larry Taunton's book, "The Faith of Christopher Hitchens" and he begins the book by painting a picture based on "Hitch 22", Christopher Hitchens' autobiography. Having read "Hitch 22" when it first came out I was struck how the impressions that Taunton was getting and the seemed importance he was assigning to them were not jibbing with my recollections so…

Added by Richard Lawrence on February 1, 2018 at 8:40pm — 5 Comments

How I became a Fundamentalist extremist in my childhood, its affects, and how I got out.

  Lately I have been describing myself as a former Young Earth Creationist, Fundamentalist, wacko. At first I thought that the addition of the word "wacko" would cause much backlash. I have not had one negative comment even in Christian forums. I think this is due to a number of reasons. First of all, I am calling myself this and not pointing fingers at anyone else. What is interesting about this is, I can describe beliefs others still have yet they probably think "yes I belive that but I'm…

Added by Compelledunbeliever on January 27, 2018 at 8:30am — 6 Comments

If I Ever Hear God's Voice, I'll Shit My Britches

 Let me begin by saying that I’ve never heard the voice of any god, demon or angel.

Never! Trust me, I’ve never even gotten a phone call from one. I’m just as relieved to tell the you the truth, because if I ever did hear the voice of a god, any god, I’d shit my britches. On the one hand, it would be the most earth shattering conversation I’ve ever had, assuming that god would let me ask a…

Added by Teresa Roberts on January 23, 2018 at 12:00pm — 7 Comments

What If You had to Dance the Polka to Get to Heaven?

Once again, I'm bringing Debunking Christianity, a website belonging to John Loftus to my blog. I am now a regular guest writer on John's site and proud to be part of his continuing dedication to debunking religion and its harmful effects on humankind.

This week, I wrote an article about the persistent belief in heaven and hell. Although often full of conflicting ideas about what these two places might be…

Added by Teresa Roberts on January 19, 2018 at 2:00pm — 4 Comments

Religion is pure poison disguised as hope. How has religion harmed you?

I personally haven't been harmed by religion. I have been an Atheist all my life, but didn't have the label Atheist till I was an adult. I have heard many stories where Atheists were harmed because of their lack of belief in the supernatural. I was wondering how many of you here have been harmed by religion and how you were harmed?

Added by Cane Kostovski on January 18, 2018 at 5:26pm — 12 Comments

Five Things I Wish God Had Told Us Long Ago

I started pestering my parents when I was just a kid with questions about why god as our heavenly father would withhold life-saving information from his creation. Needless to say, they never had an answer that satisfied me even back then. Those questions linger, popping up from time to time in adult conversations that I have with friends. To this day, no good answers have been provided. So, I wrote an article for Debunking Christianity where I listed…

Added by Teresa Roberts on January 13, 2018 at 11:30am — 7 Comments

What Would It Take to Believe?

How many times have we heard it:

“What would it take for you to accept that god exists?”

Answers from atheists to this question have been many and varied.  In an interview with Randy Frazee of the Oak Hills Church of San Antonio, Texas, Friendly Atheist Hemant Mehta said that a personal experience might convince him.  Various others, including Matt Dillahunty, have proposed that Yahweh himself knows what it would take to dissuade him from his apostasy, but as of yet has…

Added by Loren Miller on January 9, 2018 at 8:10am — 18 Comments

Traveling Light

 One morning, I woke up and said to myself, “I want to travel the world.”

So, I sold everything that I owned and traveled the world for several years. That decision changed my life. Thirteen years later, I winter in Spain and am still crossing off places to explore from my bucket list. As an “untourist” I’ve learned so much about other countries, things I never would’ve known if I’d merely…

Added by Teresa Roberts on January 4, 2018 at 12:30pm — No Comments

Religion Has Been Harming Children for Centuries

I'm honored to have been invited to be a regular contributor of Debunking Christianity, a website belonging to the sensational Christian apologist turned atheist, John Loftus. John has published many books. He's a religious myth buster extraordinaire. My first article was published a few days ago. It's entitled:…

Added by Teresa Roberts on January 4, 2018 at 9:30am — No Comments

Faith (especially Religious Faith) = Ignorance, by all definitions.

Faith in all its definitions, even non-religious definitions is a form of deliberate ignorance.

Faith:  (Oxford Dictionary).

1> Complete trust or confidence in someone or…

Added by Dyslexic's DOG on January 2, 2018 at 10:30pm — 4 Comments

Greed is an Obsessive-Compulsive Neurosis

Short Answer:

Yes. Many humans have a desire to accumulate things more than what they need or deserve.

Long Answer:

It can not be denied that some people are more ‘Greedy’ than others. People act in a greedy way for different reasons. Of course there are the megalomaniacs and narcissists who are completely self-obsessed, just as there are the completely selfless martyrs.

For every Vijay Mallya there is a Mother Theresa ( Taking…

Added by V.N.K.Kumar on January 1, 2018 at 10:16pm — 3 Comments

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Mondo Diablo Episode 209: What YOU Lookin' At?

It's another clearance sale. I also talk about Memento Mori and Victorian Christmas Ornaments.

Christian Nation
Seventh-Day Adventist Church
Alleee 1
Alan Hawkshaw and Alan Parker * Hotpants
Fanfarlo * Harold T. Wilkins, Or How To Wait For A Very Long Time
Pastor John Rydgren * Move Out in Style
Sue Lloyd and Will O'Donnell * The Ballad of Patty Hearst
Reuben Reeves * Moanin' Low
Wing * Goodbye to Love
Alan Parker and Alan Hawkshaw * Fading Away
Jack Paar and Jack Haskell * I.M.4.U
Homestar Runner * Emancipate
M.C. Frontalot * It is Pitch Dark
D.J. BC * Muppet Mashup
Obama Commemorative Plates
Jochen Brauer Sextette * Sunny
People Like Us and Ergo Phizmiz * Beyond Perpetuum
Pickle Surprise
RIAA * Bring the Strippers
The Bran Flakes * I'm Angry and I'm Mister Rogers
Santa Cruise Girl
Harrison High School * Bring on the Good Foot
The Discoghosts * Straight but Gayish
Crazy Canadian Guy (on phone to afterhours answering service) * The Sound
RIAA * Nutty Squirrels and Rappin' Rabbits
ToTom * Hang on to the Highway
Bad Boy Bubby Monologue
Tracky Birthday * WuBatManTangClan
The Wayward Bus * The Prophet
Crazy Canadian Guy (on phone to afterhours answering service) * Why, Yes!
Alleee 2

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Outdoor Sportsman

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text:
Wednesday, June 27, 2012

Problem #6: God Subverts our Morality

Is there any doubt that Biblical morality has on the whole made a positive impact on the moral development of human civilization, and that it contains many teachings still highly relevant to people today? I would say this is unquestionably the case. The question is what to do about the other parts.

"What do you mean, 'other parts'?" says the hypothetical Orthodox believer. "If it's all from God then it's all from God. The Torah is eternally relevant – there are no 'problematic parts'. If there is something we object to, then the problem lies with us. Either we're not understanding it correctly, or we've been infected by outside thinking. Torah is the word of God, and God is perfectly good by definition."

Let me be clear from the outset – the title "God subverts our morality" is this author's shorthand (Mishna-speak, if you will) for saying that "literal belief in the God of the Bible often subverts our morality." How so? Because the mindset of the above hypothetical believer (which I do not think is an unfair depiction, and in fact is fairly standard Orthodox belief) will eventually bring a person to either agree with, or apologize for, things which would otherwise be perceived as "immoral" by the standards of the modern free society in which that Orthodox individual lives.

That is not to say of course that "modern free society" should always be listened to. If we were to throw out all Jewish practices and teachings which at various times in history have been deemed "immoral," we may not exist as a people today. Even more so, sometimes our strength as a people is davka (precisely) that we are willing to stand alone, against prevailing societal beliefs and norms, in order to defend what we believe to be true and right. This goes back to Abraham the "ivri" ("Hebrew"), whose strength was his willingness to cross over and stand "on the other side" of the river, to break away from the idolatry of his homeland, from those beliefs and practices with which he was raised.

To give one current example of a Jewish practice which has been termed "immoral" by some, but which we may not wish to abandon quite yet, there is the issue of shechita (ritual slaughter). Kosher slaughter has been banned in New Zealand and has been under intense scrutiny in European countries, particularly the Netherlands, on the grounds that it is less humane (i.e., induces more pain and suffering) than stunning an animal prior to slaughter. However, given the fact that this claim itself is inconclusive and the subject of much debate, and given the appalling conditions animals are routinely kept in under "normal" commercial agricultural auspices, before being "humanely" stunned, it is perhaps not a stretch to conclude that this issue is a red herring, an excuse to legislate anti-Semitism under the guise of animal rights. Therefore, kosher slaughter, when done properly, conscientiously, should not "necessarily" bother us as Jews (that is, relative to normative practice, but see below), despite the fact that some would label it "immoral."

Of course, it follows from the above that if a new technology for animal slaughter were to be devised which was truly and indisputably painless, and yet we still insisted on the use of shechita, this might be cause to reconsider the matter. And if the wider society were to renounce the practice of animal slaughter altogether, and yet Jews insisted on maintaining it for religious reasons (e.g. to have meat on the Shabbos table), I would consider this to be a potential moral problem. In fact, following a more "Abrahamic" spirit, I would imagine the idealistic founder of Judaism to perhaps be the first to stand on the other side of the river and say "enough" with cruel industrial farming practices, and enough with the shedding of blood for food altogether. But I recognize this supposition would be the subject of hot debate, and I'm afraid we have even hotter territory to cover.

Which brings us to the next point... As an example of a branch of traditional Jewish practice deemed morally problematic, and that without question certainly does contravene the standard practices of free and civil society today, we can look at the unequal treatment of women in Jewish law.

Even from a more "minimalist" Orthodox position (i.e. not including stringencies which have become the norm in many religious communities), women are not counted in a minyan (prayer quorum), do not conduct religious services, may not serve as witnesses in a beit din (religious court) nor as dayanim (judges in religious court), may not obtain a divorce without consent of their husband, and technically/Halachically speaking must be "acquired" by their husband in order to be considered married. To any one of these Halachic facts on the ground, we might say "dayeinu" – it would be "enough for us" to be utterly embarrassed, ashamed, that women in free, secular society (and of course in other Jewish denominations) enjoy every measure of equality under the law, but under standard Orthodox Jewish law they do not. Even without using terms such as "second-class citizen" or assuming any diminution of women in the minds of Orthodox men, even assuming the utmost in respect and admiration for women, and that on the whole Orthodox women themselves enjoy their lifestyle and would defend the tradition (though there are certainly those who do not and find themselves "stuck," with no other choice), the fact that such inequality exists per se, in law and in practice, is enough to call it "immoral." Yes, even a hundred years ago, Judaism’s policy with regard to women could perhaps have been said to fall within the ethical bounds of civil and free society, but that is by no means any longer the case.

This is without even touching on more extremist (a.k.a. standard "Haredi") practices such as the exclusion of women from Orthodox religious or political leadership positions, from the front of "mehadrin" bus lines, from the media, including the removal of women’s images from periodicals or anywhere in the religious public sphere, and the attempt to prevent women from speaking at professional conferences or even at a loved one’s funeral. It does not touch on other Halachic injunctions such as kol isha (the prohibition of hearing women singing), "modest" dress (covering elbows, knees, collar bones, etc.), or covering one’s hair when married, which can constitute an impingement of women’s self-expression. It does not touch on teachings or prayers within the tradition which are potentially demeaning to women, such as the "shelo asani isha" blessing (thanking God for not having been made a woman), or sayings such as "the more wives, the more witchcraft" (Pirkei Avot), or that women are "light of intellect" (T.B. Shabbat 33b). It does not touch on passages from the Torah itself, such as the right of a father to sell his daughter into slavery (Exodus 21:7), or the monetary "valuation" of a woman as being less than a man (Leviticus 27), or the humiliation of the "Sota" (a woman suspected of adultery, Numbers 5:11-29), or the length of a woman’s "impurity" following the birth of a girl being twice as long as for the birth of a boy (Leviticus 12), or the superstitious notion that niddah (the menstrual period) is considered a "sickness" requiring her to be segregated (Leviticus 12:2, hence the term "niddah" stemming from "niduy" – being sequestered, separated off). And of course all that is without even touching the very idea that a woman is taken from a man’s rib, responsible for the downfall of man, and fated to be ruled over by her husband as punishment. Any one of these points alone might be difficult to swallow, but when taken all together, it is simply overwhelming, if not downright depressing!

Yes, it is true that there are numerous laws in Torah designed to protect women's interests, and that during many periods in history the Torah's position toward women was probably considered positively "liberal." It is also true that for every derogatory statement about women in the Torah tradition, there are probably a dozen other positive, glowing statements, extolling the praises of women. And indeed even the derogatory statements are interpreted in ways which take the "edge" off, so as to prevent them from being understood to demean women in any way.

But in response to this last point, while I applaud any and all goodwill interpretive efforts, it is crucial that we also seriously address the plain meaning of a statement. Let me attempt to explain why.

Imagine if you will, sitting in an unfamiliar house of worship where people are praying, and your ears perk up upon hearing them recite the words "greedy Jews" in passing. You are taken aback, and when you approach them afterwards about your dismay, they reassure you that despite the way it sounds, they interpret this text to mean "greedy for the well-being of others." Alternatively, they point you to several other quotes that speak about Jews in a positive light. Would you be satisfied with this explanation, or would you leave with some grave misgivings about this religion and its adherents? And what if in addition to there being unflattering statements about Jews, there were laws on the books which limited the participation of Jews within their society – not in any wicked and anti-Semitic "Nuremberg Laws" sense, but simply due to "kavod hatzibur," a question of maintaining "communal honor" (the reason given in Halacha for why a woman is not called up to read from the Torah)?* Would you be perfectly hunky-dory with that, or would you instead want all such legal distinctions undone, and all outwardly offensive statements taken out of the liturgy and completely and unapologetically repudiated?

Point being, the promotion of more "palatable" interpretations, as well-meaning as they are surely intended, is not nearly good enough as a solution for addressing the problem. Why? Because it still leaves the problematic elements/practices themselves intact, and this is something we would in no way possibly tolerate in any other society (as the hypothetical scenario above was intended to illustrate). The way women are addressed in traditional Torah/Orthodox teachings and practice is, many times, simply "immoral." In fact one of the hallmarks of non-Orthodox Jewish denominations is their decision to tackle women’s inequality head-on, by renouncing and eradicating it, since it is seen without question to be a moral failing of traditional observance and belief. Why then does the Orthodox community not see it? Why does it offer mere apologetics as the solution? To be fair, certain Modern Orthodox circles have taken the issue seriously, and have worked to take Halacha to its very limits in order to undo some of the gender inequality. But why stop there?

Enter God.

As stated above, Torah (and by extension Halacha) is seen in Orthodox belief as God-given. Therefore, one cannot be "Orthodox" in any normative sense and say that there is something "immoral" in the Torah. Some Orthodox Jews may be willing to say that a particular area of Halacha, as it is currently practiced, is immoral, and that our duty as God-fearing Torah Jews is to wrestle with and work through the Halacha so that we can bring it more in consonance with God's will, closer to the true moral position – and I do think this is a valid and even noble approach. However, there is only so far one can stretch Halacha, and even the most liberal Orthodox poskim (people who render practical legal decisions in Jewish Law) will never say, "In this case we simply need to bypass Halacha." Again, the reason is that even if Halacha itself is in the hands of the human being to work with, the Halachic process itself is understood to be God-given, and to choose to veer outside of Halacha altogether is to contravene God, to put oneself outside the faith.

It is therefore God that is the factor preventing the Torah world from dismantling and rejecting positions within Jewish tradition which have, over time, become immoral. The problem is "God" insofar as believing in the traditional/Orthodox/literalist conception of the Biblical God, which renders the text (and often the Rabbinic tradition) immutable and unassailable. This reticence to deal unapologetically with immoral beliefs and practices exists even among the most liberal Orthodox communities, and it is all the more pronounced, and disturbingly ideological, in "Ultra-Orthodox" communities. Immoral statements in the Bible are routinely apologized for not only regarding women, but also concerning slavery, calls for genocide, stoning of Sabbath-breakers, speaking of gay relations as an "abomination," lauding Abraham for his willingness to sacrifice Isaac, and on, and on. The only reason these are apologized for, and not definitively repudiated, consigned to the annals of ancient history with a sigh of relief and a hearty "good riddance," is that such laws and narratives are seen as the living word and will of God Himself. Belief in God, in the Orthodox sense of the term, thus has the capacity to undermine and subvert our morality, our better judgment, our sense of right and wrong. It gets us to do, believe, support and apologize for things which we would otherwise abhor.

If we would cease believing in God in any sense of authoring, commanding, sanctioning, or perhaps even "inspiring" the Torah and the Halachic process, then we would with no guilt or misgivings whatsoever be able to rid ourselves of positions that we identify to be immoral. If Torah is not eternal and immutable, but rather the product of human beings, then by all means as human beings we can and must make it work for us. Yes, we ought to be cautious not to jettison practices and ideas whenever someone in the world screams the word "immoral." We must be thoughtful and judicious about change. We would also be wise not to overly "judge" the Torah or our forbears for their beliefs and practices. It is possible to vigorously repudiate such beliefs and practices, and yet attempt to judge the texts and scholars of our tradition favorably and compassionately given their historical context. And I would not advocate "erasing" anything from the Jewish historical record. But I would suggest that we make every effort to abolish immoral practices. And I would recommend that whenever we encounter teachings which fly in the face of our ethical sensibilities, that we actively renounce them, speak about them with discomfort and remorse. When the Torah is read in shul, we might read passages such as the "Sota" in a more hushed or less enthusiastic tone, as is currently done when reading the section of the "curses" in Deuteronomy. There are many ways to express protest while at the same time according due dignity to the tradition. And in the final analysis, I would argue that by protesting aspects of the tradition, that itself accords dignity to the tradition.

One may ask, why not simply adopt a non-fundamentalist belief in God, or switch over to a non-Orthodox denomination? To that I would answer: By all means! However, if one wishes to benefit from the richness and depth of a Torah-observant life, if this provides a person with meaning and joy and connectedness to a community, if one considers robust observance and involvement in Torah learning to be key to the survival and success of the Jewish people, but at the same time she/he is embarrassed by the immoral "baggage" – whether practices or dogma – that traditional Orthodoxy "schleps" around with it, and cannot/will not tolerate carrying it, then what this writing is intended to impart is that it is possible to have it both ways. It is possible, if we desire it, to retain the greatness of observant life and simply drop the rest, to just… let it go. And the key I propose, to letting it go, is to shed the myth of God as Commander and Teacher, Author and Authoritarian, Rewarder and Punisher. Remove God as a "justification" for any and all Jewish practice, and we will be well on our way.

*I must admit I was a bit taken aback, when immediately after writing this last statement about "communal honor" as distinct from the Nuremberg Laws, I discovered that the first of the Nuremberg laws is in fact called: "The Law for the Protection of German Blood and German Honour." No, I do not maintain that traditional Torah/Orthodox policies toward women are anything even remotely similar to Nazi policy, God forbid. I see this as merely a disturbing coincidence, but it does underscore the point that we cannot take the language we use for granted!

  1. I’ve been digesting this comment for a few days. When it comes to the Orthodox Jewish treatment of women, I am in favor of whatever it would take to change this situation.

    You argue that God is the factor that prevents Orthodox Jews from treating women fairly. Your reasoning starts with halacha, which can be stretched via interpretation but cannot be changed so long as it is seen to be God-given. I think, once again, that by linking a problem to God you are failing to understand the problem. In this case the problem is religious law, and more particularly how such law can develop and change over time.

    The traditional view is that a body of law is established, and then the folks charged with responsibility for legal administration have to apply that law to different situations that may arise. As the law is not always clear, legal practitioners have to “find” the law by studying the statutes, legislative history, prior judicial decisions and so forth. There may be “wiggle” room in a given instance to argue for the interpretation of the law based on principles of justice and equity … but to a considerable extent the process is seen as an objective process: the legislators “make” the law, and the judicial branch applies and enforces the law as so made.

    In the early twentieth century, scholars from the school of legal realism developed an alternative view. The new approach was that the law represents the status quo interests of the ruling class of society, and that the law is enforced to protect and further those interests. Most of these interests are conservative: preserving rights to private property, protecting those with power against those seeking power, upholding the “privilege” of social elites (whites, Protestants, men) and so forth. The laws on the books are written for this end, and it is the job of the lawyers and courts to see that the law fulfilled this intent. Of course, the law would not always be conservative: it might prove to be in the best interests of the power elite to, say, desegregate the schools or protect civil rights (like the right to vote) so that there was not too great a gap between the facts on the ground and the principles (or perhaps, the myths) on which the society was built.

    I think that your point of view could use a bit of legal realism. The problem is NOT that we are commanded by God to “find the law” in the Torah. The problem is NOT that we all want a fair and moral system of religious law, but that we can “stretch” the law only a little bit, as far as “interpretation” of the law will allow. The problem is that Torah “law” as imposed by Orthodox Jews is a system for perpetuating an existing social and political power elite.

    Look who gets money from the state, and who does not … who is given coalition making-and-breaking power in the Knesset and who is not … who is required to serve in the Army and who is not … who receives State funding and who does not.

    If this was a matter of being stuck with rules written 3,300 years ago that do not anticipate our current situation, then please explain how ALL of these rules are interpreted to serve the interests of the power elite. Please explain why there’s nothing in halacha that, say, requires us to treat the Palestinians with greater fairness than the Orthodox might like, or require that the LGBT community be given more rights than the Orthodox might like.

    The problem is NOT that we’re stuck with a halacha that no longer speaks to current conditions. The problem is that Orthodox halacha speaks PERFECTLY to current conditions – those conditions being the consolidation, perpetuation and growth of the power of the current Orthodox ruling elite.

    Sorry, AJ. But if you want to improve the status of women in Orthodox Jewry, God is not your problem, and Torah is not your problem either. The problem is the dudes with the black hats. They like things just the way they are, and things are the way they are because that’s what the black hats want. Torah is just a convenient excuse.

    1. Larry,

      FOR SURE what you say is true - a certain amount of what goes on under the guise of "Halacha" is really a question of consolidating power. However... 1) If one were (theoretically) to remove the stamp of "Hashem" from Halacha, I'd have to imagine that this would pull the rug out from under the ruling elite, and 2) you may be right about some of the "black hats", but this doesn't fit what's going on in the left-most wing of Orthodoxy.

      Take for instance the idea of a "partnership minyan" - considered radically egalitarian even within most of the Modern Orthodox world, but yet where a minyan is still "10 men", and women still can't conduct certain parts of the davening which are considered to have "kedusha/sanctity". The reason is that they wish to be "Halachic" and are therefore bound by the limits of normative Halacha.

      I argue that the reason they feel bound to Halacha is the idea that it's God-given, and that if we would understand Halacha to be a 100% human endeavor in the first place, we'd have no problem contravening Halacha in cases deemed by the community (or individuals) to be immoral.

      Yes, believe in God if that's your inclination, but my suggestion is to separate God from Halacha, to stop saying that it represents "God's will". To me, that's where we get into serious trouble, and that's really what my "atheism" is about here.

      I'll tell you what I think the challenge to my argument would be: Conservative Judaism. They consider themselves (as a movement) to be Halachic, and God-believing, and yet nearly 40 years ago they were able to find sufficient Halachic basis to pass a rabbinic decree allowing women to be part of a minyan.

      Why has Conservative Judaism been able to do it and the left-wing of Modern Orthodoxy (LWMO) hasn't? Is it a difference in how they conduct the Halachic process? Is it a question of "where there's a will there's a way", and somehow LWMO doesn't have the will - maybe because they feel if women are part of a minyan they'll no longer be "Orthodox"?

      Thoughts on any of the above?

      Best, AJ

    2. I don’t know how to explain the reluctance of LWMO to push the rules. From what you cited about the “partnership minyan”, it seems obvious that the LWMO regards halacha as binding. Why do they feel that way? Because they’re afraid of God? That if they count a woman towards a minyan, what’s going to happen? Drought? Plague? I imagine that they want to be counted among the Orthodox, that there’s a status or other importance to this recognition. Perhaps they want to reform Orthodoxy as a whole, move it to the left, but they feel this is possible only by working from the inside.

      Conservative Judaism is not my shtick. My understanding is that Conservative Judaism believes that halacha is mandatory and binding, but that they view halacha differently, as something that can be interpreted diversely and divergently. There’s also greater willingness to reinterpret halacha in accordance with changing times. Reform Judaism does not view halacha as mandatory – it’s up to the individual Reform Jew to decide what halacha to follow and not to follow.

      My experience is that in practice, there’s not much difference between the Conservative and Reform Jewish viewpoint on halacha. I think that most Conservative Jews are essentially Reform Jews who like a more traditional worship service. As an example: Conservative Jewish halacha allows a Conservative Jew to drive on Shabbat, but only to get to Shul to daven. Strictly speaking, a Conservative Jew is not supposed to drive for any other purpose – not even (for example) to attend a B’nai Mitzvah service away from one’s community. I’ve never even heard of a Conservative Jew who follows this rule.

      I don’t think that God or no-God enters explains the difference between the Orthodox and the Conservative/Reform view of halacha. I think that there are plenty of Reform and Conservative Jews who believe in God. The difference between Orthodox and Conservative/Reform might have to do with the God we believe in. I frequently hear Reform Jews express the belief that the God they believe in does not care if we have two dishwashers or drive on Saturdays.

      I have never understood Judaism to say that halacha is God-given. I don’t even understand Orthodox Judaism to say that. Torah (in the sense of the stuff in the scroll): yes, that’s supposed to be God-given. Everything else is either supposed to be God-inspired or derived in a human process from what is God-given or God-inspired. Torah is not in heaven, right? So it’s my understanding that Orthodox Jews follow halacha NOT because it’s from God, but because it’s supposed to be from people who were closer to Torah (and perhaps, therefore, closer to God) than we are.

    3. > Why has Conservative Judaism been able to do it and the left-wing of Modern Orthodoxy (LWMO) hasn't?

      LWMO won’t be able to do it precisely because CJ did it first. Even if a clever MO posek came up with something that’s within the bounds of normative Orthodox halacha, it would be seen as what Conservative Judaism does, and therefore illegitimate. After all, Orthodoxy, as a distinct movement, is a reaction to Reform and has as it’s rallying cry “chadash assur min hatorah!”

  2. AJ, at your suggestion I am contemplating the idea of Judaism without God. I do not know that such a thing is possible, let alone advisable.

    I suppose that Atheodox Judaism might look something like Buddhism, which might not be a terrible thing. But even Buddhists have a belief system, one that includes karma (something like cause-and-effect ethics), maya (the world is an illusion) and reincarnation. I think that contrasting Atheodox Judaism with Buddhism is (heh heh) enlightening. What would be the Atheodox belief system?

    I gather that Torah would still be central to Atheodox Judaism. The question is, why? There has to be some reason to follow Torah, independent of the fact that we’ve always done so.

    We might say that Torah was written by very wise people, so it is a source of wisdom, even if it’s not from God. But there are problems here. There are many wise books; why limit ourselves to Torah? We don’t generally build religions around wise books that we understand to be purely human creations. Those who follow the wisdom of human authors are thought of as following a philosophy, not a religion.

    Torah is thought of as the word of a God that has a special relationship with the Jewish people. If Torah is now to be understood as merely a human-created source of wisdom, what connects it to Judaism? If it’s merely the Jewish identity of Torah’s human authors, we might just as well follow Karl Marx, or Groucho for that matter.

    Would Atheodox Judaism aspire to something like Buddhism, a belief system for everyone? If so, what do you do with the obvious particularism of Torah and halacha?

    I think that religion requires some kind of imperative, some quality that makes it necessary, or urgent, or at least important or significant, even if it isn’t mandatory or subject to divine punishment and reward. Without God, where is your Jewish imperative?

    But the biggest problem in Atheodox Judaism is getting there. I’m certain you can’t talk people out of their belief in God. Even if you could persuade people to give up God, I doubt you’d be able to do so while at the same time persuading them to remain Jewish. In my experience, atheists either are not religious or are in the process of becoming less so.

    What’s most frustrating about this is that YOU SEE THE PROBLEM. But while you see the problem, you’ve adopted a solution that can never be implemented and is thus guaranteed to perpetuate the problem.

    1. Larry, you made a number of points here, but let me respond to this last one and see if that helps.

      I’m certain you can’t talk people out of their belief in’ve adopted a solution that can never be implemented and is thus guaranteed to perpetuate the problem.

      "Atheodoxy" is not a global solution for Judaism. It's a specific measure designed to carve out a space of acceptance (of which there is none) for non-believing observant Jews (of which there are many).

      There are Jews out there who see great value in and derive much meaning and enjoyment from observant life, but 1) cannot accept the dogma, and 2) have serious gripes with some Orthodox norms. Such people are made to feel ashamed of themselves for thinking this way (by ideas in Torah literature and general frum sentiment) and are ostracized, rejected by the community if they "come out" and actually express it.

      The Atheodox position is a "pride" position, which says that not only should such Jews not be ashamed of who they are and how they think - it's something to be proud of, feel idealistic about. Really, Atheodoxy is more of a liberation movement, a bit of radical activism whose deliberately strong and self-assured message is designed to pave the way for greater tolerance and self-acceptance of non-believers. There's of course a huge range from "total belief" to "total non-belief". I'm specifically taking a "mehadrin" (purist) zero-dogma approach, since it represents the limiting case and therefore covers lesser forms of non-belief.

      And this puts me in an admittedly odd and ambivalent position. As much as I do think Orthodoxy holds wildly untenable beliefs, I really don't want to "talk people out of their belief in God". What I want is for people to be able to freely believe or not believe as they choose, without the negative social repercussions. However, as Orthodox Judaism clearly already welcomes belief, I need to make a strong case for non-belief in order to clear the needed space of tolerance in the system. But again, this is hopefully just a temporary measure.

      My longer term "solution", "vision", would be to create a branch of observant Judaism wherein beliefs are a personal matter, free-thinking is encouraged, and where problematic norms are abolished. What I'd really like is to take the best of all worlds - the robust observance, learning, and communal life of Orthodoxy, the flexibility of Conservative Judaism, the Tikkun Olam orientation of Reform Judaism, the open-mindedness of Humanistic Judaism, and put them together into something truly outstanding and worth getting excited about. I suppose I already live this way to a certain degree myself, but I'd also like a community which would support me (and others) in this. Really, that's what anyone wants out of a community - that it should support their efforts, foster their ideals, help people grow in the way they want to grow.

      My prediction on how this might potentially start: When a knowledgeable, graceful, charasmatic rabbi of a LWMO congregation "comes out" as not accepting the traditional belief package. Initially it will be a shock. Some congregants will leave. There will be scathing words and opinion pieces written across the Orthodox world. But then the noise will die down. And people will see that this rabbi is every bit as caring, every bit as committed to Judaism, to learning, every bit as wise and worthy as before. And many in the congregation (and elsewhere) will come forward and express what they've kept inside all along - that they weren't really "with the program" in terms of accepting the beliefs, and are tremendously relieved to find a leader and mentor who was courageous enough to simply be real.

  3. AJ, I think you should take your last comment to me and post it in some permanent place on the blog, like “About This Site”. What you wrote was very powerful, but it also expressed what I understand to be at the heart of what you’re doing here.

    I think at its heart your quest is for religious freedom. It may be the case (as you’ve argued here) that good things will happen if Orthodox Jews are given the freedom to make these things happen. Or maybe not – one theme in the history of the world is disappointment that people don’t do better things with their freedom. But freedom is a good thing in its own right.

    My next thought is to question whether it is truly religious freedom that you seek. I would suspect that you HAVE religious freedom: you can be an Orthodox Jew, or any other variety of Jew, or convert to a different religion, or give up religion altogether. Evidently, this religious freedom is not enough for you; you are also looking to belong to some kind of religious community that gives you the freedom to believe what you want to believe. But of course, these communities already exist. I personally live in a Jewish community that at least aspires to the kind of freedom you advocate.

    The problem is, you state that part of what you seek in a community is the “the robust observance, learning, and communal life of Orthodoxy.” Our experience is that our religious communities change character once we give people the religious freedom you seek. It can be argued that “robust” community life requires social norms and a structure to enforce these norms. Another way to say this: religious freedom includes the right to associate with a religious community in a non-robust way, and our experience is that many (perhaps) most members of a religious community WILL opt for the non-robust option if given the freedom to do so.

    I would argue that people will not naturally engage in the observance, learning and communal life you seek if these things are not required of them. Granted, it’s possible to put together such a community without using the threat of divine punishment to hold it together. Nevertheless, the religious norms must be enforced. We can argue about the degree of force required to enforce these norms, but some amount of force is necessary, and the existence of this enforcement effort limits the freedom of the members of these communities. I think that there’s a trade-off here: more robust religious communities require stronger religious norms and greater efforts to enforce the norms. Or put more simply, there’s a trade-off between robustness and freedom.

    This leads me to question my original observation. Perhaps what you seek is not greater religious freedom, but instead you are looking to create a new form of Orthodox Judaism containing different but equally robust religious norms. If so, you risk the marginalization of people within your religious community who find these norms to be unacceptable, or shaming; you risk their being ostracized.

    It’s a trap to imagine a robust religious community where everyone thinks like you do. That may be a robust community (though I would argue the contrary), but it’s not free.

    There’s more to say, but I’ll pause at this point.

    1. Larry, sorry for the delay in responding.

      Really what I'm after is simple - to develop a free-thinking Jewish observant community. Simple, but obviously not so simple. The jury is out as to whether such a community, without the fear of Heaven hanging over its head, can in fact survive, or whether as you say it will opt for a "less robust" track of observance.

      About "force" vs. "freedom", it's an interesting question. Because while legally speaking we have freedom of religion, to practice what we like, or to not practice at all, for practical purposes most people are not 100% free. Part of the reason is that our life circumstances and identities are so firmly rooted. Making a religious change impacts family, friendships, alliances, work/career, community - everything. Meaning, the momentum of people's own lives (and the incredible will power, energy and determination required in many cases to make a change) constitutes a venerable "force".

      There's also the "force" of commitment. We stay faithful to our spouses because of the commitment we make to them. So even if we're technically free to do what we want, we choose to honor our commitment, because we believe in it. The same can go for observance. If it's something we believe in, or the community believes in and is committed to, then there is a pressure (internal and external) to honor that commitment. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, and it doesn't necessarily have to involve "God" at all.

      So what I'm saying is that I believe people should be free to do what they want, and believe what they want, but I recognize that human nature and society limits freedom by definition, and I also recognize the value of individual/communal commitment, which also limits freedom.

  4. In my last comment, I expressed uncertainty over whether you’re really looking for greater religious freedom. It might be more accurate to say that what you’re really looking for is greater religious acceptance. Putting it in stark terms, perhaps what you want is to practice Judaism in a way that’s different from the current Orthodox norm, and have your practice accepted within Orthodoxy. While that might sound harsh, I don’t mean it that way. I think what you’re seeking is something that many others seek in other contexts. For example, I am a strong supporter of gay marriage, and what I want is to make legitimate a practice outside of traditional marriage AND to have that practice acknowledged within traditional marriage.

    The problem as I see it is that Orthodox Judaism has adopted a view of what is Orthodox that is way, WAY too narrow. When you describe your feeling of being ostracized and rejected by the Orthodox community, when you describe the need for more free-thinking and greater tolerance, you are describing a feeling that is broadly shared by others in the Jewish community – not just atheists, but Reform/Reconstructionist/Conservative Jews, women, LGBTs, and many others.

    So … at least for this comment, I prefer to think of you as a Marginalized Jew, as opposed to an Atheodox Jew. I think that all Marginalized Jews want what you want: the freedom to practice Judaism in a way that is meaningful for them, AND acceptance of that practice by the larger Jewish community. It’s important to argue for your desired form of practice, but you risk alienating Jews like me if you fail to see your problem in more general terms.

    Still more to say, coming later.

    1. Honestly there are several things going on. Part of me feels "marginalized" and wants to be accepted, part is deeply disappointed in Orthodoxy and wants to see IT change (beyond simply being more accepting), and part says the heck with focusing on Orthodoxy - if you have a vision for something better, go toward the vision and don't worry about the other guys!

  5. AJ, hopefully I can wrap up what’s been an awfully long comment.

    Obviously, if what you seek is greater tolerance, it’s an odd tactic to argue that God-belief is unreasonable, beneath our dignity, unholy, mentally unhealthy, character-corrupting and morality-subverting. But that’s not the crux of my comment.

    The crux of my comment is that most of your arguments against God-belief have little to do with God-belief. As you clarified in your comments, your claim that “God defies reasonability” and “God is a mental health liability” was aimed at a literalist Orthodox Jewish belief in scripture. Your arguments about God corrupting character and subverting morality were both aimed at Orthodox beliefs and practices. While your arguments about holiness and mental health are more difficult to pin down, again it seems to me that your arguments are based on attitudes, beliefs and practices you’ve observed in the Orthodox Jewish community. In each case you’re describing problems with God-belief that exist within a minority of the Jewish population, and a tiny fragment of the world’s population of God-believers.

    So far, you’ve failed to address two critical questions that go to the heart of what you’ve written so far. First, is there anything wrong with God-belief outside of the Orthodox Jewish community? To be certain, there are large communities of God-believers who are not literalists or fundamentalists. I think this is an easy question to answer, based on the arguments you’ve made so far: there is nothing wrong with God-belief, but there are serious problems with fundamentalism and literalism.

    The second question is harder to articulate, as you say that you’re not trying to talk anyone out of their God-belief. Still, you argue a theoretical position that there are things “wrong” with God-belief, and while some of these “wrongs” consist of departures from true and reasonable ways of thinking, other “wrongs” consist of behavior that is intolerant and oppressive. To make the question easier to ask, I’ll just focus on these behaviors: would these behaviors change if we could simply wave a magic wand and convert all of Orthodoxy to atheism? Because you can hardly argue that God-belief is “wrong” if non-belief would not be better.

    This second question is much more difficult to answer, but it’s key to everything you’ve argued so far. The God I believe in is a force for good. But adopting an atheist perspective, God is not real, and the content of God-belief is a human invention. If God-belief is “wrong”, it’s because there’s something wrong with the God we invented. The fault lies not with the idea of God, but with the humans who invented him. Strip God-belief from these humans, and they should be capable of inventing a God-replacement that’s just as “wrong”, or even “wronger”.

    There are many forms of idolatry. Some of these forms are atheist.

    1. Larry, about your first question... I've tried to be clear that the "problems" I've outlined in my various posts are with the literalist/fundamentalist belief in the God of the Bible. If someone believes in God the Creator, takes a more Deistic position, or even believes in a "God-inspired" Torah (i.e., wherein the Torah is still a human product and subject to fallibility), this seems to me to be fairly benign.

      At the same time, the idea of "Atheodoxy" is that one can lead a meaningful observant life and simply leave God out of the picture altogether. There are people who function fine (or even better) without asserting that God inspired this, created that, has this or that characteristic, etc.

      About the second question... Would Orthodoxy be better if everyone magically became atheists? If every Orthodox Jew suddenly had an epiphany that there was no God, my guess is it would be something like the midrash - some would leave Judaism, some would go crazy, some would just keel over and die for utter inability to exist with that, and then there would be those who survive intact and say, "Oops, almost late for Mincha!"

      But I realize you're asking something else. If the Orthodox world were all AFB's (atheists from birth), would we have a better Orthodoxy? Assuming it was sustainable (which I admit I don't know), I would say YES it would be, from an intellectual and mental health standpoint without all the problematic (and let's admit it, "crazy") indoctrination. From a moral standpoint, it would be better in a number of areas where fundamentalism now brings people to follow policies which they would otherwise disdain. But I also recognize that the fear of God is the only thing which separates some people from unethical, malicious behavior. So it's by no means a simple matter.

      As I've said, I'll take a benevolent fundamentalist over a rational misanthrope any day! And I fully concur that people are capable of concocting the most horrific and cruel ideologies purely on rational grounds. Benevolence always has to be the foundation.

    2. > And if the wider society were to renounce the practice of animal slaughter altogether, and yet Jews insisted on maintaining it for religious reasons (e.g. to have meat on the Shabbos table), I would consider this to be a potential moral problem.

      Why? As I see it, morality is merely the rules people have come up with, for biological or social reasons, to ensure the smooth functioning of societies. A lot of it is reducible to the Golden Rule. So I should not cause my neighbor to suffer because I would not want him to cause me to suffer – to ensure that each individual doesn’t have to worry too much about others causing him harm, we all, as a society, agree not to cause each other harm and to punish those that break this agreement.

      Under what circumstances will cows ever have the means to cause me harm? And, because there is no conceivable way that a cow could ever be a party to the social contract, what reason do I have not to slaughter and eat it?

      As for the rest of the post, yes, without God, halacha wouldn’t be binding and would be subject to change, but that wouldn’t be traditional Judaism, let alone Orthodoxy. Judaism has been accumulating stringencies and outdated halachos for three thousand years, and isn’t likely to stop now.

    3. Under what circumstances will cows ever have the means to cause me harm?

      A very fair point. I suppose I'd respond that the golden rule accounts for a lot, but it's not everything. For instance, one could argue that it's "immoral" to kill oneself, even if this would do no harm to others. And the treatment of animals is certainly something most would consider a "moral" issue (whether it has to do with mistreating them or killing them for food). In other words, the "social contract" encompasses more than just interpersonal matters and extends in general to what's considered to be civil behavior in that society.

      Although I suppose even in such cases we might call it "indirect harm" to others. Because even if an activity (e.g. killing animals) doesn't harm a person directly, if it's deemed uncivil/immoral behavior, and yet it's allowed to persist in the society, people will feel that the morality of the society has been compromised, and that will negatively impact people's happiness and quality of life.

    4. > For instance, one could argue that it's "immoral" to kill oneself, even if this would do no harm to others.

      You could argue that, but I would disagree. I think the discomfort with suicide is mostly an over-generalization of the rule, “do not kill.” One can argue that most suicides are depressed, and so not making rational decisions, and should be stopped – because when they are rational, they will be glad they were not allowed to kill themselves. And one can argue against euthanasia because of the fear that those who are sick or elderly might be encouraged to kill themselves, rather than it being a wholly their own decision. But to argue that one shouldn’t be allowed to commit suicide because it’s immoral – well, why would you think so?

      > And the treatment of animals is certainly something most would consider a "moral" issue

      Yes, but I’m not sure that makes it one. Which is elitist of me, I know, but most people have never thought through the underpinnings of their moral systems.

      > Because even if an activity (e.g. killing animals) doesn't harm a person directly, if it's deemed uncivil/immoral behavior, and yet it's allowed to persist in the society, people will feel that the morality of the society has been compromised, and that will negatively impact people's happiness and quality of life.

      Deeming immoral things that people don’t like simply because they don’t like it is a dangerous thing to do.

    5. You bring up a number of good points.

      Re: suicide and euthanasia, there are places where it's not considered immoral. Morality goes according to what a given society designates. Why might I think suicide is immoral? I don't necessarily, but I'm influenced by our own tradition a bit. There is no word for "morality" in Torah. But there is a concept of "good and bad", and "good" is associated with "life" (as in "the life and the good, and the death and the bad"). And there is a mitzva of "v'nishmartem meod l'nafshotechem", and one is not allowed to give up their life except in very specific and dire circumstances, and killing oneself is destroying the tzelem Elokim, etc. etc. So whether you want to call it morality or legality, the Torah system is "in general" opposed to suicide. (I say "in general" because I can't imagine Torah not giving some leeway to euthanasia in certain circumstances.) I pretty much resonate with the Torah approach on these matters.

      most people have never thought through the underpinnings of their moral systems

      Ain't that the truth!

      Deeming immoral things that people don’t like simply because they don’t like it is a dangerous thing to do.

      Morality itself is dangerous territory. What I call good you call bad. My God is good and yours is bad. Good and bad eventually devolves into killing "for the good" or "against the bad". That's actually "theoretically" a great thing about Halacha. It doesn't deal in goods and bads, but rather "mutar" and "assur". So (again "in theory") there doesn't have to be any judgment about the things we deem to be assur. To break Shabbat isn't "bad" - it's just breaking a command. Same thing with eating a cheeseburger, or gay sex. One can be dispassionate, matter-of-fact and nonjudgmental about these things. (Not that people ARE, but they CAN be!)

      Best, AJ

    6. BTW, I just saw a related post that maybe you'd like to chime in on as well:


text:
Lakeland gives up too many points in the paint in loss to Columbus State, 103-85

Lakeland gives up too many points in the paint in loss to Columbus State, 103-85

KIRTLAND, Ohio – Lakeland Community College men's basketball didn't have a bad night on offense but defensively, the Lakers gave up too many easy buckets in the paint in a 103-85 loss Monday night.

With the loss, Lakeland falls to 3-16 overall and 2-8 in Ohio Community College Athletic Conference play.

Trey Granger put together a solid game on offense by scoring 23 points and pulling down six rebounds. Ty Howard hit four 3-pointers and finished with 20 points. Ben Sternberg came off the bench and scored 11 points while Aaron Pate finished with 10 and Chandler Fointno narrowly missed out on a double-double with 10 points and nine assists.

Lakeland struggled out of the gate as Columbus State jumped out to a 9-2 lead in the first four minutes. Columbus State extended that lead to 21-8 with 13:41 left as Lakeland had a hard time getting the game within 10 points.

Howard scored 13 points with the help of three 3-pointers in the first half but Columbus State held on to a 55-37 lead at halftime.

Lakeland had bursts of momentum in the second half to make the game a little closer. After Jeramie Burge hit a layup with 17:19 left the Lakers pulled within 56-43. Unfortunately, Lakeland couldn't get the game any closer than that as Columbus State pulled away for the 18-point victory.

Granger did put together a solid second half with 19 points in the loss.

Lakeland will be back home on Wednesday, Feb. 14 to face No. 3 Cuyahoga Community College at 7:30 p.m.

For more information about Lakeland athletics, visit

About Lakeland Community College

Founded in 1967, Lakeland Community College was the first college in Ohio created by a vote of the people. True to our mission, Lakeland provides quality learning opportunities to meet the social and economic needs of the community.

Offering day, evening, weekend and online classes, the college serves more than 10,800 credit and 2,800 noncredit students (2016). For more information about the College, visit


text:
Panthers Complete Action In St. Bonaventure Fall Classic

Panthers Complete Action In St. Bonaventure Fall Classic

ST. BONAVENTURE, N.Y. – The University of Pittsburgh at Bradford men's tennis team wrapped up action in the St. Bonaventure Fall Classic Sunday, closing out its match against the host St. Bonaventure before taking on Niagara.

"The St. Bonaventure Fall Classic was a great tournament," Head Coach Susan Schenfield said. "Our opponents were tough, but we competed very hard and with a lot of great energy. Our goal was to get match experience, and as a whole, we take away a lot of positives from this event."

The Bonnies completed the clean sweep over the Panthers, taking the three doubles matches after winning all six singles matches on Saturday.

The No. 1 doubles team of Tyler Dugan and Jacob Volz worked two points in their match, but fell, 8-2.

Dugan and Volz also managed a point in their respective singles matches Saturday against St. Bonaventure.

The Niagara Purple Eagles claimed a 9-0 win over the Panthers in the team's final action of the event.

Dugan and Volz worked a point in their No. 1 doubles match, while also completing singles action.

Matthew Gram, Drew Patla and Noah Magill all played full singles matches for the Panthers as well.

The weekend's action wraps up the Panthers' fall events. Pitt-Bradford will be in action next in the spring as Penn State-Altoona comes to town on March 17, 2018, for an Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference match.