AtheistNexus.org dicussion on Jews and circumcision and a mention of JW intolerance over holidays

Are Atheists too judgmental??
Posted by Freethinker31 on September 12, 2014 at 5:59pm in Atheism
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I do  not believe in god or the fables  in the bible, mainly because  there is  no way to prove  any of it.....I therefore  consider  myself  an Atheist...............Since  I have joined  A/N  I have found  many who not only are Non Believers ,like myself, but who criticize ethnic cultures  different  from their own.....As a  Free Thinker, I try to respect  other cultures  that I do not  understand.........There are some strange rituals performed  by some which are perfectly  normal  to them  but  are difficult  for others  to comprehend.....Isn't that  why  people  travel  to different lands to learn  other peoples  customs?.....When we go to their land  should we  try to tell them  that what they are doing  is wrong and should  be  forbidden?  Absolutely not,  unless you do not value  your life............My point is that being an Atheist should only be  related to not Believing  in Theism.....Why are  so many of us  trying  to tell others  with  different  ethnic  backgrounds  how they should  live their lives........I am particularly referring  to the procedure done  to infant  boys  of the Jewish culture known as circumcision......It has been accepted  in the Jewish culture and performed  for thousands  of years.....Yet many consider  it a form of torture without  acknowledging  the fact it is  a common  procedure for Jews......Today, some Jews  are  questioning  it.....That is their right.....Others do not have that right  to  tell a Jew  what  they can and should  do......It is  something  that has  to be  decided  within  the Jewish  Community..........It is like  calling a Black the N word which  is  very demeaning and yet  some  call their own  kind  the N word  but it is ok.......Respect for another's  culture  is the only way  we can  all get along  and live  together.......Being  an Atheist does not give us the right  to disrespect rituals  performed by others and to cast  judgement  on them...... 
Tags: circumcision



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Replies to This Discussion
 Permalink Reply by sk8eycat 3 hours ago

All the best parts of the winter holidays....the lights, bringing evergreens indoors, feasting, gift-giving, singing, etc... have pagan origins.  They have a natural origin...our planet's axial tilt and lengthening days...not supernatural.  And they are KIND.
That's why JeeHoover's Witlesses shun them all.  (They don't "do" birthdays, either...nor do they vote, but they sure howl when they think their constitutional rights to annoy other people are being abused!)
My Aspie sister has been a JW for almost 50 years; they are the only people who will put up with her....to them her obsessions are natural.
She has learned not to bring that shit up around me!
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The Jehovah's Witnesses can be pretty intolerant towards people who celebrate holidays, birthdays or people who are involved in politics and vote. They certainly do complain when their constitutional rights to convert others to their specific denomination of Christianity are being abused. It is a bit hypocritical. I am an ex-JW. Sk8eycat's autistic JW only has JW friends who view her religiously-based obsessions as "natural", I'd say that her autistic JW sister's obsessions are unhealthy.









 Permalink Reply by Bertold Brautigan 5 hours ago

@sk8eycat - The xians stole the Solstice celebrations from the various northern European pagans, and filed off the serial numbers, gave it a new name, and were shocked that most people weren't fooled a bit..
I love how you put this. Unfortunately they did the same thing with Plato's "higher world," and they're still fooling people with that crap.
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 Permalink Reply by Idaho Spud 4 hours ago

I like your wording also Felaine. "filed off the serial numbers..."  Well done!
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 Permalink Reply by sk8eycat 3 hours ago

@Bertold and Spud...I confess that I stole that expression from Robert A. Heinlein; he used it a lot, particularly when talking about fiction writers in general....and most especially himself.
He also wrote, in Glory Road, that the more primitive a culture, the more complex its mandatory traditions.  I thought about that while watching the clip from "Fiddler on the Roof"....and while looking at the photo of the "insulted" Muslims in Page 1 of this discussion.
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 Permalink Reply by Idaho Spud 2 hours ago

Felaine, even stolen, I'm impressed with your command of the language, especially your memory.
I can almost never think of the word or phrase to humorously or well express what I mean.
To refresh my memory, I have a file where I store all the phrases and words I like, that are connected to religion, that I've stolen from people, but it's still a pain to run through it, so it very seldom gets used.
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 Permalink Reply by Bertold Brautigan 43 seconds ago

I've been known to er, appropriate a nice turn of phrase on occasion myself.
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 Permalink Reply by Joan Denoo 15 hours ago

Travis, I agree! Well stated!
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 Permalink Reply by Idaho Spud 4 hours ago

I agree Carl.
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 Permalink Reply by Joan Denoo 15 hours ago

Daniel Dennett - "Religion gives people a gold plated excuse to stop thinking" 


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 Permalink Reply by Loren Miller 5 hours ago

I think we have to stop honoring people for stopping thinking.
-- Daniel Dennett
Not just yeah, but HELL, YEAH!!!
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 Permalink Reply by Freethinker31 14 hours ago

@ Joan....I do not  feel like  a victim..All this  attention  is empowering  me  to  fight on....I admit  I was taken aback  by how many  disagreed with me, and  I did  feel beaten the first day, but I am now  energized  and ready  to fight  for my  principles.......I do  understand  where  everyone is coming  from  but  everyone fails  to recognize  that I am from  a culture that  approves  of   circumcision on male babies......Do we not  have that right ?.....Everyone  is free  to not have it done on their  child....I never  said  it should....It is an  accepted  procedure  on Jewish  male babies  and  even  Jewish  mothers  can  refuse  to have it performed  but most  do  not.....You can't  change  it...Sorry...
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 Permalink Reply by Travis Hedglin 13 hours ago

If everyone in a culture approved of appendectomies at birth, despite nothing being wrong with appendix, would you not have that right? No, you wouldn't.

Your appeal is stating that you should have a right to force circumcision onto another person, a helpless and powerless person, but that its alright because it is socially acceptable.

Why don't you start kicking doors down and circumcising adult men? Too chicken?

Oh, too bad, you can only do it to the weak and powerless.
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