MEME TAGGED By Turtleheart Cove & Regreg23
I have been graciously tagged by:http://turtleheartcove.blogspot.com/.
Let me thank you for tagging me. This type of MEME is very personal, and meaningful to me.
1. Why do you choose the religion you embrace?
As many of you know, I am a Jew by birth (my mother is Jewish, which makes me a Jew, and my father was a Jew as well, a Kohan, which makes me a bat Kohan, literally translated as a daughter of a Kohan, or the High Preist in Judaism.) I did not choose to be a Jew, but was born one. Neither of my parents were very religious, but all of my grandparents were extremely relgious, or as you might have heard called, frum Jews. I feel a sense of responsibility and duty to Jews all over the world, and consider it my obligation to practice Judaism and pass it down to my children as I have. My husband is a Jew as well, although he is not relgious at all. Both of my children consider themselves Jews as well. I love being a Jew, and find it rich in tradition, culture and symbolism. I could not have chosen a better religion for myself, and am very proud of it. Dispite years of persecution, and discrimination, we are here, to experieince and thrive in 2005.
.2. How religious are you? How often do you practice your religion?
How religious am I is probably a relative term. For those frum, or very observant Jews, they would probably not consider me very religious at all, since I do not obey all of the dietary laws, nor practice all of the prohibitions and commandments. I am definitely more than a 3 day a year Jew, which means that I honor my religion on days other than Rosh Hashana and Yom Kipper. I light candles every Friday night, and do not leave my home, and make Shabbath dinner, and keep the Shabbath as holy as possible for me. I do turn on the computer, drive, and participate in other activities, that many religious Jews would frown upon, but this is who I am, and I am proud of it. I also celebrate some other major holidays, and am observant of them as well.
3.Why is this religion the right one for you?
Since I was born a Jew, it is necessarily the right religion for me. The more I have studied Jewish texts and books, the more convinced I am that this is the religion that is completely right for me. I have a very deep belief in God, as well. Sometimes, the idea of God as punishing or fearing is difficult for me to handle, but I do completely agree with the idea that if I love God,then He will protect me.
4. How does the practice of this religion improve your life or what benefit do you recieve from its practice?
Being a Jew gives meaning and value to my life. It centers me, and puts me into contact with others who practice this relgion as well. I pray every day, which makes me feel even more connected.More often than not, I feel an immediate connection with most other Jews. (there are some exceptions, but few rather than more.) There are some Jews who are religious who may seem to be aloof, not talking to other Jews who are less observant then themselves. This has always bothered me, and in the end, I believe that if we cannot find some type of unity among us, then the likelihood of our religion continuing into the furture (maybe for the next 500 years or beyond) is not something that will likely happen, and if it does, there will not be many of us left. Also, many Jews believe in a Messiah, or Moshiach, and one of the ways we can tell when he arrives is when there is peace in Israel, and all Jews get along.
5. Are you spiritual as well as religious? or is one more prevalent than the other?
I am a very spiritual person as well as a religious person. It is difficult for me to define what spirituality means, but I definitely believe in God (see above) and believe that God loves and protects me and my family and loved ones. I also have learned how to trust in God, especially when I am afraid, and know that I am in His good hands always.
Thank you so much turtleheart for this great MEME! It has really enlightened me~
If you want to be tagged, please let me know. Otherwise, if they are able to share, I would like to tag NormalJew, Scott W.,Scott, AP3, Oleah Chadasha, and Lucy Stern. Please copy and past the questions on your own post and answer them accordingly.
Here are the questions from regreg23:
Barbara, you've been tagged...once again! Here are my 5 questions:
1. What is your favorite book? What strikes you most about that book?
There are so many good books, it is difficult to chose one, so I will chose two: The first is The Trial by Franz Kafka. I love this book, as it can be interpreted at so many different levels, from the point of view of the fairness of the legal system, the surpession of sexuality or the drama of dream interpretation. I re-read this book every year and get something new from it. Also, Kafka was a Jew, and I took an on-line class asking us how this particular book could be considered a Jewish book. My other favorite for the shear beauty of the writing and story is The Magician of Lublin by Isaac Bashavias Singer.
2. Where does your love for the people and State of Israel come from?
My love for the State of Israel surfaced later on in life especially when I became familiar with Holocaust literature. I was made aware of how important a Jewish state was for our people, particularly after the extermination of so many Jews during that unfortunate period of time. I feel as sense of deep loyalty to Israel, and would fight for that country and state if it were necessary. I want to move there one day.
3. What do you consider your role in your community/the Jewish community to be?
I am not sure I understand this question, but I consider my role as a Jew to have a responsibility towards my people and my religion, its laws, customs, and rituals. I have raised my children to be Jews, and it is my greatest hope that they will do the same with their children.
4. In light of the current situation with Astro, would you consider the possibility that animals, in general, are kinder/more thoughtful than humans?
Interestingly, animals understand unconditional love in a way quite different from humans. They do not have the baggage and expectations of people, and are they to please us and love us always no matter what. Humans have different expectations, and come with strings often, but then again there are so many dfifferences. Astro and I have a special bond, and I have had him since he was a puppy. He is kind of like everyone rolled into one, and when his time comes, I will miss him tremendously.
5. In your opinion, would John Kerry approach the situation in Iraq differently from George W. Bush? If so, what would he do and what would you do for that matter?
This is a difficult question to answer as I am uncertain that Kerry would have gone to war with the information that Bush had available to him. KNowing that there were no WMD, I think he would have waited to see if in fact Iraq posed any type of actual threat to the United States.
Thank you Eitan for these interesting questions.
Thank you for your minds.
Let me thank you for tagging me. This type of MEME is very personal, and meaningful to me.
1. Why do you choose the religion you embrace?
As many of you know, I am a Jew by birth (my mother is Jewish, which makes me a Jew, and my father was a Jew as well, a Kohan, which makes me a bat Kohan, literally translated as a daughter of a Kohan, or the High Preist in Judaism.) I did not choose to be a Jew, but was born one. Neither of my parents were very religious, but all of my grandparents were extremely relgious, or as you might have heard called, frum Jews. I feel a sense of responsibility and duty to Jews all over the world, and consider it my obligation to practice Judaism and pass it down to my children as I have. My husband is a Jew as well, although he is not relgious at all. Both of my children consider themselves Jews as well. I love being a Jew, and find it rich in tradition, culture and symbolism. I could not have chosen a better religion for myself, and am very proud of it. Dispite years of persecution, and discrimination, we are here, to experieince and thrive in 2005.
.2. How religious are you? How often do you practice your religion?
How religious am I is probably a relative term. For those frum, or very observant Jews, they would probably not consider me very religious at all, since I do not obey all of the dietary laws, nor practice all of the prohibitions and commandments. I am definitely more than a 3 day a year Jew, which means that I honor my religion on days other than Rosh Hashana and Yom Kipper. I light candles every Friday night, and do not leave my home, and make Shabbath dinner, and keep the Shabbath as holy as possible for me. I do turn on the computer, drive, and participate in other activities, that many religious Jews would frown upon, but this is who I am, and I am proud of it. I also celebrate some other major holidays, and am observant of them as well.
3.Why is this religion the right one for you?
Since I was born a Jew, it is necessarily the right religion for me. The more I have studied Jewish texts and books, the more convinced I am that this is the religion that is completely right for me. I have a very deep belief in God, as well. Sometimes, the idea of God as punishing or fearing is difficult for me to handle, but I do completely agree with the idea that if I love God,then He will protect me.
4. How does the practice of this religion improve your life or what benefit do you recieve from its practice?
Being a Jew gives meaning and value to my life. It centers me, and puts me into contact with others who practice this relgion as well. I pray every day, which makes me feel even more connected.More often than not, I feel an immediate connection with most other Jews. (there are some exceptions, but few rather than more.) There are some Jews who are religious who may seem to be aloof, not talking to other Jews who are less observant then themselves. This has always bothered me, and in the end, I believe that if we cannot find some type of unity among us, then the likelihood of our religion continuing into the furture (maybe for the next 500 years or beyond) is not something that will likely happen, and if it does, there will not be many of us left. Also, many Jews believe in a Messiah, or Moshiach, and one of the ways we can tell when he arrives is when there is peace in Israel, and all Jews get along.
5. Are you spiritual as well as religious? or is one more prevalent than the other?
I am a very spiritual person as well as a religious person. It is difficult for me to define what spirituality means, but I definitely believe in God (see above) and believe that God loves and protects me and my family and loved ones. I also have learned how to trust in God, especially when I am afraid, and know that I am in His good hands always.
Thank you so much turtleheart for this great MEME! It has really enlightened me~
If you want to be tagged, please let me know. Otherwise, if they are able to share, I would like to tag NormalJew, Scott W.,Scott, AP3, Oleah Chadasha, and Lucy Stern. Please copy and past the questions on your own post and answer them accordingly.
Here are the questions from regreg23:
Barbara, you've been tagged...once again! Here are my 5 questions:
1. What is your favorite book? What strikes you most about that book?
There are so many good books, it is difficult to chose one, so I will chose two: The first is The Trial by Franz Kafka. I love this book, as it can be interpreted at so many different levels, from the point of view of the fairness of the legal system, the surpession of sexuality or the drama of dream interpretation. I re-read this book every year and get something new from it. Also, Kafka was a Jew, and I took an on-line class asking us how this particular book could be considered a Jewish book. My other favorite for the shear beauty of the writing and story is The Magician of Lublin by Isaac Bashavias Singer.
2. Where does your love for the people and State of Israel come from?
My love for the State of Israel surfaced later on in life especially when I became familiar with Holocaust literature. I was made aware of how important a Jewish state was for our people, particularly after the extermination of so many Jews during that unfortunate period of time. I feel as sense of deep loyalty to Israel, and would fight for that country and state if it were necessary. I want to move there one day.
3. What do you consider your role in your community/the Jewish community to be?
I am not sure I understand this question, but I consider my role as a Jew to have a responsibility towards my people and my religion, its laws, customs, and rituals. I have raised my children to be Jews, and it is my greatest hope that they will do the same with their children.
4. In light of the current situation with Astro, would you consider the possibility that animals, in general, are kinder/more thoughtful than humans?
Interestingly, animals understand unconditional love in a way quite different from humans. They do not have the baggage and expectations of people, and are they to please us and love us always no matter what. Humans have different expectations, and come with strings often, but then again there are so many dfifferences. Astro and I have a special bond, and I have had him since he was a puppy. He is kind of like everyone rolled into one, and when his time comes, I will miss him tremendously.
5. In your opinion, would John Kerry approach the situation in Iraq differently from George W. Bush? If so, what would he do and what would you do for that matter?
This is a difficult question to answer as I am uncertain that Kerry would have gone to war with the information that Bush had available to him. KNowing that there were no WMD, I think he would have waited to see if in fact Iraq posed any type of actual threat to the United States.
Thank you Eitan for these interesting questions.
Thank you for your minds.
10 Comments:
1. Why do you choose the religion you embrace?
I am shamanic oriented in my religion, it is nature based, and not afraid to admit that sometimes the Universe is not Benign. So I call myself a Pagan, just so people have a concept of that natural base. Many fear the word Pagan, but to me it just means, Nature oriented and Not of the Big(3), Christian, Jewish, Muslim. (but I do have many Tibetian Buddhist belief systems)
I choose it because of the Gnosis I need in my religion, I must experience my spiritual self, and shamanism has allowed me a freedom and responsibility that i did not get with organized, or Avatar based type religions. I seek the connection myself with no in between party nessesary.
2. How religious are you? How often do you practice your religion?
Daily, I greet the rising sun, not in worship but in recongition that it feeds our planet, and solar system, and is our LIFE in this part of the galaxy. At noon I also commune, as at sunset and before sleep. It is a basic Four post polarity for the day,, similar to many traditions. At other times there is more but this is the basic theme each day.
3.Why is this religion the right one for you?
First it says Harm no living thing. Second Because it allows me to evolve into whatever happens next,,, I am very open to spiritual experience and adept at finding the similarities with others religions. For me, I want to be in a current that is totally Human, primal, I need a religion that taps into the atavistic realm, I need to be able to touch the Source myself.
I know that I am Divine, never have doubted it, and do not think that is prideful nor a human full of it. I am a Co Creator with the Divine, I can not shirk my responsiblity as such.
4. How does the practice of this religion improve your life or what benefit do you recieve from its practice?
It forces me to Grow. I cannot remain stagnant when one of the basic tenents of my belief system is that the only constant is Eternal Change.
Since I do not have an Anthropomorphic image of Deity, I am more free than most in my ability to do what I feel is nessesary for my own growth. I don't have to ask permission to experience the divine.
5. Are you spiritual as well as religious? or is one more prevalent than the other?
Linguistic tricks such as this question are best answered with the word, Mu.
Mu.
Thanks Barbara for another fun thought provoking blog.
May be you say this is off post comment. But your title attracted me. I think women become ladies when at the verge of thinking. No?
Please let A Pagan Soujourn know you did this, she's collecting the answers for a class.
Awesome answers,btw.
I have altered most of the questions because I do not embrace a religion as such, I follow a path instead.
1.Why do you choose the path you embrace?
I was raised in a loving Southern Baptist home. The church was not of the strict, hell fire and brimstone type, but was instead what I refer to as ‘social Baptist’ and followed a much softer view of Baptist interpretation. As I grew into my teenage years the teachings did not ring true for me and I drifted away from belief in God and the church. It was my opinion that religion and God were for the weak.
Years passed.
Occasionally I would wonder 'what is this thing called God?' and came to the conclusion that whatever made up the power of the universe had to be what was inside me. That made sense. The same sense that I felt when I came to understand my sexuality and that my sexuality was acceptable because it was what I was born with and what I had experienced my whole life. It rang true.
In 1984 my partner and I went to hear a mediation master, Swami Chidvilasananda speak at a local hotel. She said, ‘The basic teaching of Siddha Yoga is: God dwells within you as you’. She spoke what I had believed all those years and I sobbed softly the entire hour she spoke. I went on to study meditation at local centers and ashrams across the country. In 1987 I traveled to the SYDA International Headquarters in Ganeshpuri, India.
2.How often do you practice your path?
I try to integrate the path into my daily life in every way I can. It now exists as the basis of my spiritual life without any strict practice.
3.Why is this path the right one for you?
It rang true for me and has remained such.
4.How does the practice of this path improve your life or what benefit do you recieve from its practice?
By connecting me with a Higher Power shows me I am not separate from God, but am instead an integral part of God as a whole. It allows me to keep my life simple. The acceptance of reincarnation relieves me of a lot of sorrow. It has truly altered the way I see the world and its inhabitants.
5.Are you spiritual as well as religious? or is one more prevalent than the other?
I do not embrace a religion, as I stated earlier.
Thanks for posting your answers. I am gald to see alternate viewpoints other than Pagan. I hope this continues to travel to other religions as well. Thanks for passing it on.
Would you be willing to put links to each of the people you tagged, so we can visit their sites (and see their answers)? Thank you.
Scott w. I realy loved your answers. Your answers were also very close to my own, and I am Jewish. See, not so different, once you get right down to it.
Also, Sojourner, I was tagged, and here is my link:
htt://israelrules.blogspot.com
-OC
Thank you scott, scott w and Olah for participating and allowing me to know each of you a bit better. It is humbling to see how each person defines him/herself in relationship to relgion and/or spirituality, and I agree with OC that ultimately, most of our beliefs are intertwined in some way or another.
What a wonderful way to get to know someone --- this was a refreshing read Barb.
Beautiful post-I have just one comment:
You said:
"I did not choose to be a Jew, but was born one."
And yet..
"I could not have chosen a better religion for myself, and am very proud of it."
So you ARE a Jew by choice! :) Like so many other things, it's all a matter of attitude..
Barbara, you've been tagged...once again! Here are my 5 questions:
1. What is your favorite book? What strikes you most about that book?
2. Where does your love for the people and State of Israel come from?
3. What do you consider your role in your community/the Jewish community to be?
4. In light of the current situation with Astro, would you consider the possibility that animals, in general, are kinder/more thoughtful than humans?
5. In your opinion, would John Kerry approach the situation in Iraq differently from George W. Bush? If so, what would he do and what would you do for that matter?
Be'tikva, Eitan.
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