Recent Comments

1. about 4 hours ago on The Argyle Sweater

   Oh, Jesus is coming back. Soon. In about two weeks!

   (this is sarcasm, people)

2. about 4 hours ago on The Argyle Sweater

   And the Californians who do believe in a supernatural perfect creator entity (the 60% of the population of the state, just like most other states — down from around 75% a couple of decades ago, a percentage which hopefully drops lots further, and soon) probably aren’t even True Christians™, either. Right, Crim?

3. about 5 hours ago on The Argyle Sweater

   “The universe doesn’t care if …” . Like the universe is a sentient entity.

   I don’t know if there is a single person who does not anthropomorphize. I don’t know if it is something innate, or if we learn it from infancy via socialization with adults who speak using that terminology. I do know I catch myself doing it constantly.

4. about 5 hours ago on The Argyle Sweater

   Is there some place in the USA that requires proof of intercourse before the state or municipality recognizes a marriage as valid? I’ve lived where a bloody bedsheet is hung on the balcony or from a window as proof a newlywed bride was a virgin.

   But to prove consummation (sexual intercourse did in fact take place), whaddya gotta provide for evidence? A video, I suppose, would do the job these days. Photographs, maybe, since about 1850. Before then, about the only way that occurs to me is if you produced 3rd party eyewitness testimony.

5. about 5 hours ago on The Argyle Sweater

   Texas is especially better at losing the ability to supply electrical power to its citizenry when extreme cold fronts arrive and stay for a while.

6. about 5 hours ago on Warped

   Trump: I am gonna lock ‘em all up (unless they say what I tell ‘em they’re allowed to say, and only say that).

7. about 5 hours ago on Lisa Benson

   The hatred emitted by KR. It gushes, seemingly without end. One has to suspect self-loathing at its root.

8. about 6 hours ago on Lisa Benson

   Biased? Probably. Additionally, though, ignorant if not oblivious. Or simply incompetent.

9. about 6 hours ago on Lisa Benson

   … but may not be acknowledged according to Orthodox standards or in the state of Israel. Though the different branches of Judaism have varying requirements for conversion, it is safe to say that the conversion process is very meaningful for whoever decides to undertake it.

   Ultimately, to be Jewish is to be a member of a culture, a religion, and a peoplehood. Jews are unique in that they are one of the few, if only, “people” in the world that encompass both a religious, cultural and national aspect. They are often referred to as Am Yisrael meaning the “People of Israel.” To be Jewish is to be many things all at once.

   From Learn Religions

   learnreligions. com/what-is-jewish-2076773

10. about 6 hours ago on Lisa Benson

    People of Jewish descent who do not practicing the religion of Judaism because they do not believe in supernatural entities are still people who are Jewish.

    To be Jewish means that you are part of the Jewish people, a part of “The Chosen,” whether because you were born into a Jewish home and culturally identify as Jewish or because you practice the Jewish religion (or both).

    Cultural JudaismCultural Judaism includes things such as Jewish foods, customs, holidays and rituals. For instance, many people are born into Jewish homes and are raised eating blintzes and lighting Shabbat candles, but never step foot inside a synagogue. According to Orthodox and Conservative Judaism in America, or by traditional standards worldwide, Jewish identity is automatically bestowed on babies of Jewish mothers. In Reform Judaism, Jewish mothers or fathers, not just the mother’s lineage, results in a Jewish child. This Jewish identity stays with them throughout life even if they don’t actively practice Judaism.

    Religious JudaismReligious Judaism includes the beliefs of the Jewish religion. The way a person practices the Jewish religion can take many forms, and partially for this reason, there are different movements of Judaism. The main denominations are Reform, Conservative, Orthodox, and Reconstructionist Judaism. Many people who are born into Jewish homes affiliate with one of these branches, but there are also those who do not.

    If a person is not born Jewish, s/he can convert to Judaism by studying with a rabbi and undergoing the process of conversion. Merely believing in the precepts of Judaism is not enough to make someone a Jew. They must complete the conversion process in order to be considered Jewish. The most stringent conversion process is accomplished in Orthodox Judaism and can be recognized by all sects of Judaism. Reform, Reconstructionist, and Conservative conversions may be recognized within their own branches of Judaism, but may not be acknowledged …