[2321] in Depressing_Thoughts
Re: The role of religion
marc@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (marc@ATHENA.MIT.EDU)
Thu Sep 12 23:39:05 1991
>> So how can you say, "I don't think [observant Jewish living] can work
>> in the United States unless you hole yourself up in a community...?"
You are reading more into my words than I meant. What I mean is that
(for me right now, at least) it would be impossible to be "observant"
(another word with many shades of meaning) like I was that summer (yes,
it was Conservative), and still do all the other things I want to do.
I don't think you are observant as Rhu is trying to be right now.
(Remember the Athena party, when you convinced him to come? Why?) I'm
sure you make choices between your religious and secular lives right
now. Do you *always* obey the letter of the religious law?
>> You just don't seem to have thought this through very well, Marc.
No, I just don't express my thoughts very well sometimes.
>> Why? You just said that you don't think I hole myself up. I manage
>> to have friends and be religious too. Why do you keep insisting it's
>> not possible?
As I hypothesized before, I think Rhu is further along the ritual
vector than you are. You are religious, but my observation is that
you make compromises sometimes. There are differences in degree here
which I think are evident, but which are difficult to describe and
talk about.
(This should probably move elsewhere if it is to continue. Respond
somewhere appropriate. RHu and I will probably see it.)
