If I were to pick a religion...

[7luminaries]

Originally Posted by Scibat

If I were to pick a religion...to devote myself to, I think it would be Judaism. Of the major religions, it seems the most rational and the most scholarly. Part of me wishes I had been born Jewish or had grown up around some people of Jewish faith and had converted. Sadly I am too old, fat and faithless these days to convert to any religion.

LOL! there is room for all at the table my friend.
I always felt the whole point of any tradition was just as Hillel said..
and Buddha and Jesus & tons of others have said...

To show us how simple it is...
Just do unto others... and love God, yourself, & one another with heart, soul, and everything you have.

Of course the rest you have to figure out for yourself but those are the big items...

Peace,
7L

[7luminaries]

Originally Posted by Honza

I think we are always that. Whatever shape or form we are in. There is no "I was not myself way back when" or "I am not myself now". We are always our true self - even if we are in some form of denial.

LOL...YES. Agreed.

Originally Posted by Scibat

If I were to pick a religion...to devote myself to, I think it would be Judaism. Of the major religions, it seems the most rational and the most scholarly. Part of me wishes I had been born Jewish or had grown up around some people of Jewish faith and had converted. Sadly I am too old, fat and faithless these days to convert to any religion.

Scibat, your sentiments are very sweet. However, according the to Torah there is no need for you to convert to be a Jew or to devote yourself to a specific religion.

If you like, you can study sections of the Torah that apply to all humanity. But most importantly, set yourself on a path of life and grow each day

-esther

I read some of the talmud earlier this year, and I must say I was pleasantly surprised. It was like a good philosophical debate with yourself, and it worked both my analytical brain and my sense of wonder.

[RabbiO]

Originally Posted by drake

I read some of the talmud earlier this year, and I must say I was pleasantly surprised...

Just curious... What were you expecting??

B'shalom,

Peter

Originally Posted by Honza

I think we are always that. Whatever shape or form we are in. There is no "I was not myself way back when" or "I am not myself now". We are always our true self - even if we are in some form of denial.

Beautifully said, Honza.

Originally Posted by RabbiO

Just curious... What were you expecting??

B'shalom,

Peter

Well, now that you mention it I guess I was expecting it to be kind flat and boring actually..like a long list of rules or something. lol My bad! I'm glad I was curious enough to find out otherwise!

I often do that actually - unconsciously judge something before I have any knowledge of it and then love it when I catch a glimpse of the real thing. I'm a programmer and I really love my work, but in the past I had always imagined this sort of thing to be super boring, like math class. But it is NOTHING like math class. Its more like building your own world using a magic language that many other humans are mystified by.

hey drake!

I'm also a computer programmer (as a hobby) and I happen to be a religious jew, spending 5+ hours every day on sections of the Talmud. There is a LOT in common with computer programming and Talmud study, both of them ultimately being about the creation of a logical structure wherein all the various functions are able to interact appropriately. My learning partner hates it when I throw in 'if/then/else' statements or organize things in 'switch' lists.

i agree with you about jadaism. i like this religion!