Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/17/84; site mhuxm.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!mhuxr!mhuxn!mhuxm!abeles From: abeles@mhuxm.UUCP (J. Abeles (Bellcore, Murray Hill, NJ)) Newsgroups: net.religion.jewish Subject: Re: Nausea ad Nauseum Message-ID: <401@mhuxm.UUCP> Date: Mon, 8-Jul-85 11:04:14 EDT Article-I.D.: mhuxm.401 Posted: Mon Jul 8 11:04:14 1985 Date-Received: Tue, 9-Jul-85 06:11:30 EDT References: <622@sfmag.UUCP> Organization: AT&T Bell Laboratories, Murray Hill Lines: 50 Samet says, > 3 - If there were a net.atheism or net.antireligion I would > consider it inappropriate to harass contributors of that net with > my beliefs... > 4 - When addressing net.religion.jewish, I feel free to express > Torah views, as such, without having to prove the axioms of Torah > belief as a precondition for expressing these views. If there are > atheistic contributors, I would hope that they remain cognizant > of the context of this net, just as I would if I were writing in > net.atheism. > 5 - Within net.religion,jewish, I am willing to engage in > discourse with anyone who is sincerely interested in exploring > the Jewish religion. > Yitzchok Samet In response, I will say that I am profoundly upset by the language used by Samet here and during past postings which is offensive to those who are not "orthopractic" like Samet and who disagree with his ripping-off (along with others of his ilk) of the word "torah" to describe only his narrowly-practiced "orthopractic" brand of orthodox Judaism. I would hope it to be obvious to all who read Samet's comments that net.religion.jewish should not, as Samet claims, serve as a protected area for only one form of Judaism. Samet would like to equate Judaism with his beliefs, and those of his cronies. But Orthodox Judaism of today (if indeed he is really representative of it, which I question) is only one form of Judaism. It cannot, as Samet has claimed in the past, be considered as the only true heir to historical Judaism, but rather formed during the past approximately 150 years as Ashkenazi Jews in Europe had to decide whether to shut themselves off from secular society as transportation and communication technologies began to integrate societies. Samet's orthopractic form of Judaism strives both to be true to traditional values, and also to prevent the dissolution of orthopractic culture (only a subset of which is actually Jewish culture) through total separation to the maximum degree possible from secular culture. The fact that he participates in the activities of this net is, for him, a troubling break from this separation which explains why people like him are in such small representation. Economic factors explain the increasing participation of orthopractic Jews in workplaces involving computing which allow in certain ways a maximum of separation from the secular world compared to other types of work. In spite of the strong language I don't know Samet personally and wish to emphasize that I bear no personal dislike of him. I am offended by his continuing ripping-off of words like "torah" and "Judaism" to refer only to his brand of "orthopractic" Judaism. --J. Abeles