Zone1 The unconditional covenant God made with the Jews (AKA Israelites/Hebrews including converts, excluding Arabs)

[rosends]

I'm using this.

great!
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God gave man this drive for several fundamental reasons: [1, 2, 3, 4]

• The Engine of Life: The Rabbis of the Talmud teach that the Yetzer Hara is the drive for food, wealth, family, and procreation. Without it, humans would lack the motivation to build homes, marry, or pursue a career. [1, 2, 3]
• The Opportunity for Free Will: Judaism posits that goodness has no true value if it is automatic. By providing a powerful pull toward selfishness or instant gratification, God gave man a meaningful choice. Resisting temptation allows individuals to consciously earn their moral character. [1, 2]
• Achieving Greatness: The sages teach that a person who successfully channels and redirects their natural passions into serving God and helping others ultimately achieves a higher spiritual level than an angel, whose goodness is merely inherent. [1, 2]

To help humanity balance this internal drive, God gave the Torah as a guide and an "antidote". The goal is not to completely destroy human desires, but to master and channel them toward holy purposes

so that's what you used. Note how it points out the value of resisting temptation? See how it mentions becoming higher than angels? All of this supports what I have been saying. You reject Judaism and embrace that African Church notion from the 1800's.

 

[ding]

great!
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so that's what you used. Note how it points out the value of resisting temptation? See how it mentions becoming higher than angels? All of this supports what I have been saying. You reject Judaism and embrace that African Church notion from the 1800's.

God doesn't need to tempt us. God does not need to entrap us. God does not need to set us up for failure. All of which would make God look like a dick.

 

[rosends]

God doesn't need to tempt us. God does not need to entrap us. God does not need to set us up for failure. All of which would make God look like a dick.

"doesn't need"?
you don't get to make rules for God.

 

[ding]

"doesn't need"?
you don't get to make rules for God.

I'm not. I'm viewing God in the best possible light.

"MEN frequently think that the evils in the world are more numerous than the good things, that just isn't the case. It must be admitted as a fact that it cannot be said of God that He directly creates evil, or He has the direct intention to produce evil; this is impossible His works are all perfectly good. He only produces existence, and all existence is good. God is perfect goodness, and that all that comes from Him is absolutely good. Consequently the true work of God is all good, since it is existence. ALL the great evils which men cause to each other because of certain intentions, desires, opinions, or religious principles, are likewise due to non-existence, because they originate in ignorance, which is absence of wisdom. The numerous evils to which individual persons are exposed are due to the defects existing in the persons themselves. We suffer from the evils which we, by our own free will, inflict on ourselves and ascribe them to God, who is far from being connected with them. Man himself is the author of this class of evils." Maimonides

 

[rosends]

I'm not. I'm viewing God in the best possible light.

you mean, what you think is the "best possible light." Clearly I think my understanding is the best possible light and yours is weird and silly because it puts your opinion about a transcendent divinity.

"MEN frequently think that the evils in the world are more numerous than the good things, that just isn't the case. It must be admitted as a fact that it cannot be said of God that He directly creates evil, or He has the direct intention to produce evil; this is impossible His works are all perfectly good. He only produces existence, and all existence is good. God is perfect goodness, and that all that comes from Him is absolutely good. Consequently the true work of God is all good, since it is existence. ALL the great evils which men cause to each other because of certain intentions, desires, opinions, or religious principles, are likewise due to non-existence, because they originate in ignorance, which is absence of wisdom. The numerous evils to which individual persons are exposed are due to the defects existing in the persons themselves. We suffer from the evils which we, by our own free will, inflict on ourselves and ascribe them to God, who is far from being connected with them. Man himself is the author of this class of evils." Maimonides

great -- you are taking a translation of a rabbinic opinion. Do you want others that disagree with this assessment? Or do you stop when you find something which (could) support your opinion?

Is anyone against the rational teachings of Maimonides?

I am new to Judaism and am intrigued by Maimonides and his teachings but I do not know the opinions of this particular teacher - a man of such vigor and influence - by the many different congregati...

judaism.stackexchange.com

feel free to read up on all the others.

 

[ding]

you mean, what you think is the "best possible light." Clearly I think my understanding is the best possible light and yours is weird and silly because it puts your opinion about a transcendent divinity.

great -- you are taking a translation of a rabbinic opinion. Do you want others that disagree with this assessment? Or do you stop when you find something which (could) support your opinion?

Is anyone against the rational teachings of Maimonides?

I am new to Judaism and am intrigued by Maimonides and his teachings but I do not know the opinions of this particular teacher - a man of such vigor and influence - by the many different congregati...

judaism.stackexchange.com

feel free to read up on all the others.

These have always been my beliefs. I have one simple rule I follow. God isn't a dick. God is good.

 

[rosends]

These have always been my beliefs. I have one simple rule I follow. God isn't a dick. God is good.

great. It is wonderful that you have beliefs. I have beliefs as well -- I see God as perfect so what he does is the definition of good. Therefore the creating of something that tempts man is good as well because of the opportunity it creates for growth. But again, these are beliefs -- spiritual opinions. So arguing against someone else's belief or insisting that your opinion "makes more sense" is useless.

 

[Hafar1014]

nothing exists independent of God.

deciding what God "needs" is a fool's errand.

That's a weird statement, "God is good." It makes no sense to me. God is God. Imposing your human sensibility of what God should be doing based on your idea that God is "good" is personal to use and irrelevant to anyone else.

p.s. I did a quick search and found that the phrase/idea is from African Christian churches in the 1800's. So it is meaningless to me.

God tempted Adam and Eve to eat the fruit and that was good

 

[ding]

God tempted Adam and Eve to eat the fruit and that was good

Did Moses part the Red Sea?

 

[Hafar1014]

Did Moses part the Red Sea?

Of course not did Jesus come back from the dead of course not. Grow up

 

[ding]

Of course not

Is that a widely held Jewish belief?

did Jesus come back from the dead of course not. Grow up

Yes, he did. 100%. The OT was Jews seeking God. The NT is God seeking men.

 

[Hafar1014]

Is that a widely held Jewish belief?

Yes, he did. 100%. The OT was Jews seeking God. The NT is God seeking men.

No the NT is Men forcing converts

 

[ding]

No the NT is Men forcing converts

Nope. The OT is full of Jewish embellishment. The NT is full of historical facts.

 

[ding]

No the NT is Men forcing converts

I think it's wonderful that you agree with me that the OT is full of Jewish embellishments.

 

[Hafar1014]

Nope. The OT is full of Jewish embellishment. The NT is full of historical facts.

ITs bunch of lame parables and simple minded nonsense. Its dumbed down

 

[ding]

ITs bunch of lame parables and simple minded nonsense. Its dumbed down

The NT documents when and why Jesus is worshipped as God. How else do you explain how, when and why people began worshipping Jesus as God and explain why the NT makes a concerted effort to show it as an historical event?

 

[ding]

Of course not

Is Moses not parting the Red Sea a widely held Jewish belief?

 

[TruthSeeker112125]

so evil is good?
Is 45:7...

YAHWEH, or "HaShem/Gd, as ya'll call Him, did not Create evil.

 

[TruthSeeker112125]

Is that a widely held Jewish belief?

Yes, he did. 100%. The OT was Jews seeking God. The NT is God seeking men.

The Old Testament/Tanach, is not "Jewish":..... It's Yisraeli

 

[rosends]

So the text is wr

YAHWEH, or "HaShem/Gd, as ya'll call Him, did not Create evil.

So the text is wrong?