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R.Wreck
SFN Regular
USA
1191 Posts |
 Posted - 06/28/2005 : 16:06:18
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You may have read how Kabbalah is one of the trendy spiritual fads out in la-la-land. I laughed out loud when I read this article, especially this part:
quote:
Ellis has spent thousands of dollars buying complete sets of the Zohar for his home, office and family. "That's the telephone line to God. All you have to do is plug it in and you're connected," said Ellis, who admits he doesn't know what the ancient Hebrew and Aramaic text he's reading means. "I have no idea what it says. But anyway, that doesn't matter. This is powerful stuff," he said.
Classic. Once again the desire to believe trumps the need to think.
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The foundation of morality is to . . . give up pretending to believe that for which there is no evidence, and repeating unintelligible propositions about things beyond the possibliities of knowledge.
T. H. Huxley
The Cattle Prod of Enlightened Compassion
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Giltwist
Skeptic Friend
USA
69 Posts |
 Posted - 06/28/2005 : 16:24:38 [Permalink]
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You know, some of us actually read those for anthropological reasons. I've got some of the Books of Zohar sitting in my sacred/esoteric texts collection along with the likes of the Apocrypha and the Goetia.
I do, howerver, agree that Kabbalah, much like Wicca, tends to get abused on the order of Christianity as far as pop-culture goes. |
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Dude
SFN Die Hard
USA
6891 Posts |
Posted - 06/28/2005 : 16:32:23 [Permalink]
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quote:
"I have no idea what it says. But anyway, that doesn't matter."
That's awesome.
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Ignorance is preferable to error; and he is less remote from the truth who believes nothing, than he who believes what is wrong.
-- Thomas Jefferson
"god :: the last refuge of a man with no answers and no argument." - G. Carlin
Hope, n.
The handmaiden of desperation; the opiate of despair; the illegible signpost on the road to perdition. ~~ da filth |
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Giltwist
Skeptic Friend
USA
69 Posts |
Posted - 06/28/2005 : 16:47:07 [Permalink]
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quote:
That's awesome.
Maybe for you, but it's people like him who make people like me look bad. *mutters* Like the guy who just posted on my home forum trying to convert my members... |
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woolytoad
Skeptic Friend
313 Posts |
Posted - 06/28/2005 : 16:56:36 [Permalink]
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quote:
In cryptic and mystical terms, Kabbalah explores the nature of God and the universe. Rabbis have traditionally believed the philosophy behind it is so complicated that it could only be taught to ultra-religious Jewish men over 40 who had spent their lives studying Judaism.
In 1971, with virtually no money, Karen Berg and her husband, Philip Berg — the spiritual leader known to followers as the Rav — opened their first Kabbalah Centre, turning traditional Jewish wisdom upside down by offering Kabbalah study to women and non-Jews. The Bergs had a simple but radical idea: Kabbalah wasn't just for elite Jewish scholars but was something that could be simplified and taught to everyone.
It's really funny but yeah, exactly what expertise do these people have? The guys who have been studying it recommend it can only be taught to ultra-religous 40 yr olds. While I'm sceptical about that, there may indeed be some rather deep philosophical ideas.
The Rabbis have it right. These people are morons. |
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Valiant Dancer
Forum Goalie
USA
4826 Posts |
Posted - 06/29/2005 : 06:51:18 [Permalink]
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quote:
Originally posted by Giltwist
You know, some of us actually read those for anthropological reasons. I've got some of the Books of Zohar sitting in my sacred/esoteric texts collection along with the likes of the Apocrypha and the Goetia.
I do, howerver, agree that Kabbalah, much like Wicca, tends to get abused on the order of Christianity as far as pop-culture goes.
And in Garnerian traditions of Wicca, the Kabbalah is used for personal ceremonial work. The difference is that the practioners of Garnerian Wicca are taught what the Hebrew means.
I have a book on the Kabbalah written by Isreal Regarde. It goes pretty deeply into the spiritual use of the Kabbalah and the Tree. The Wiccan Traditions that I have practiced in use the Kabbalistic Cross exercise to "open auras". (Mental preperation for ritual work, it's harmless.)
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Cthulhu/Asmodeus when you're tired of voting for the lesser of two evils
Brother Cutlass of Reasoned Discussion |
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Valiant Dancer
Forum Goalie
USA
4826 Posts |
Posted - 06/29/2005 : 06:59:11 [Permalink]
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quote:
Originally posted by woolytoad
quote:
In cryptic and mystical terms, Kabbalah explores the nature of God and the universe. Rabbis have traditionally believed the philosophy behind it is so complicated that it could only be taught to ultra-religious Jewish men over 40 who had spent their lives studying Judaism.
In 1971, with virtually no money, Karen Berg and her husband, Philip Berg — the spiritual leader known to followers as the Rav — opened their first Kabbalah Centre, turning traditional Jewish wisdom upside down by offering Kabbalah study to women and non-Jews. The Bergs had a simple but radical idea: Kabbalah wasn't just for elite Jewish scholars but was something that could be simplified and taught to everyone.
It's really funny but yeah, exactly what expertise do these people have? The guys who have been studying it recommend it can only be taught to ultra-religous 40 yr olds. While I'm sceptical about that, there may indeed be some rather deep philosophical ideas.
The Rabbis have it right. These people are morons.
And rather funny since it is not the first time the Kabbalah was offered to non-Jews. Isreal Regarde was a member of the Golden Dawn movement (circa 1890) and his involvement in Ordo Tempus Orianus(sp) laid the foundation for the Kabbalah's inclusion in Garnerian Wicca. Garnerian Wicca considers the study of the Kabbalah to be a lifetime persuit as the concepts are quite complicated. There are varying degrees of proficiency and some specific study for work is preferrable. |
Cthulhu/Asmodeus when you're tired of voting for the lesser of two evils
Brother Cutlass of Reasoned Discussion |
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