Rabbis Quotes

Like Christian Churches, different Jewish Sects had differing views on whether homosexuals should be ordained as rabbis. This Seminary was opposed, hence drawing the protestors.

Spinoza was one of the most feared intellectuals in human history—feared that is by the established power structures. He is the only known person who was excommunicated by the Catholics, the Jews and the Muslims—all were forbidden to read his works. He was the enemy of authority and advocated personal reason as the guide for men.

leaders of Turkey and Israel Both countries used to be highly secular states with extensive separation between church and state. As secular democracies they tended to view the world similarly. However, then the outlook was more religious—one Islamic and the other, Jewish. Their world views have become different.

Spinoza was one of the most feared intellectuals in human history—feared, that is, by the established power structures. Spinoza’s ideas were considered so radical and dangerous that he was the only man in history who was excommunicated by the Catholics, the Jews and the Muslims. This quotation is an example of why the religions were so fearful of his ideas. Essentially, he stated that Priests, Pastors, Rabbis, Imams and all clerics have no monopoly on understanding, knowledge, or wisdom. Each man was to think for himself and clerics should have to prove their claims and convince people, not ask them to have faith in their ideas and instructions. Spinoza himself was a religious Jew and produced all his work to try and persuade others. He challenged all clerics of all religions to do the same. When people started to listen to Spinoza, the clerics wanted to get rid of his influence. Therefore they banned all from talking to him and above all banned his books and other writings.

The Islamic Holy Book even recommends against friendships with Christians and Jews. See {584381}.

New York State was so concerned about the separation of church and state that they would not allow any religious cleric or official, to serve in any position of the state militia or government. Delaware had earlier placed the same prohibition against clerics serving in any branch of the government. See {621428} The Bill of Rights did not go that far, but there are a few religions that also support this notion. Perhaps the most dramatic example was Pope John Paul’s prohibition of Priests running for elective office.

The Roman Catholic Clergy as well as the Vatican was quite corrupt in Luther’s time which was one of the reasons for his reform effort. Throughout history some clerics have abused their positions and roles and acted as impediments to the faith in their own religions.

Hadadi are the Ultra Orthodox Jews of Israel and Rauchberger. At the time the Reform Jewish Movement, the most popular branch of Judiasm in America, was not regognized in Israel where only Orthoxox Jewry is officially recognized by the Conservative government. In this case, the Israeli Jewish Refom Movement had taken the Jeruselem to Court for violating the Israeil Constitution. 9 of the public libraries in Jeruselem were segregated by gender in different hours. That meant that a mother could not take her son to one of these public school libraries and teach him to select books or particiapate in library activities or services. The Haradi did not believe in separation of church and state and in this telling quotation, the Rabbo insists that the people will do as their rabbis instruct regardless of the laws or the Constitution.

The clergy of the colonies were split on the American Revolution, but those clergy who supported the revolution made a huge contribution to the individual American’s intellectual view of the legitimacy of Parliament’s making laws governing the American Colonies. The anti-British clerics called for action while other forces of colonial America urged caution.

Some of the Homopbobic Rabbis prevailed on the government to block adoptions by homosexual couples who are otherwise well qualified.

This quotation is important for two reasons. First, it shows how important the clergy of the nation were in calling for the passage of the bill. Second, it illustrates the total blind spot that Southern leaders had on the Segregation issue. It never occurred to Russell and many other Southerners that discrimination and denial of civil rights WAS a moral issue. They saw it purely as political.

Ingersoll was considered to be the greatest orator and political thinker of his day, but his overt atheistic views curtailed his elected political career.

Spinoza’s ideas were considered so radical and dangerous that he was the only man in history who was excommunicated by the Catholics, the Jews and the Muslims. This was his observation after his first excommunications -- by his Jewish Congregation in Amsterdam.

This title of his essay shocked his fellow politicians and may churches that a Congressman would attack churches. Few abolitionists were that outspoken over the disgraceful role that most American Churches had in refraining to oppose slavery. At the time, most Protestant, Roman Catholic, and Jewish clerics either supported slavery or were reluctant to publicly criticize slavery. At the same time the Quakers and many other congregations and clergymen were among the most outspoken and fervent abolitionists. They were very much in the minority,