Pastor Dave's Column

[Queen K]

I worked Saturdays in a synagogue in Vancouver for three years, and a couple of summers on Gabriola at Camp Miriam, a Habonim Dror summer camp. I have seen where the idealism comes from. Religion and politics is always a terrifying combination.

When I arrived in Israel, I too was idealistic, but became disenchanted by the time I was on the boat to Cypress.

[Mr Danksworth]

[Queen K]

:digging:

Ahh yes, I forgot myself, how dare I have my own experiences and opinions, and GASP, express them appropiately on an open forum. I know you won't have to look this up: Smite him, someone.

[Mr Danksworth]

Ahh the joy of being shabbat goy.

[chickenlittle]

Kind off topic but could an Evangelical please explain to me why you fear homosexuals?

I am evangelical. I don't fear homosexuals. My best friend is gay. Unfortunately the Christian church today has the same problem that the religious Hebrews had in the time of Christ. People are busy trying to save themselves by pleasing God. (i.e. following their interpretation of the 10 comandments, constatantly remainding themselves of how much better they are than the sinners). The reality is everyone falls short of the glory of God. Everyone is a sinner. Everyone is unworthy of God's love. No matter how good one views oneself to be one is no where near good enough for God. Sin is not simply doing something on the big list of no nos that the bible provides. It is when we place anything as being more important than God. Whether this idol is money, sex, church, work, family or booze it ultimately comes back down to pride and selfishness. This includes the belief that you can save yourself by being good. This belief is means that you are convinced that you don't need the Grace of God because you are good enough on your own. Maybe Pastor Dave should pick up a copy.

In Jesus's day he spent most of his ministry trying to convince the Pharisees of how badly they need slavation. There is no shortage of Pharisees in the Christian Church today. I encourage anyone who is interested in this subject to read a great little book called "The Prodigal God" by Timothy Keller. It is a quick easy read that takes one of Jesus's most well known parables and looks at it from the perspective of the audience in Jesus's day. Probably a bigger eye opener for Christians than for non-Christians.

[hellomynameis]

Everyone is a sinner. Everyone is unworthy of God's love. No matter how good one views oneself to be one is no where near good enough for God.


It is when we place anything as being more important than God. Whether this idol is money, sex, church, work, family or booze it ultimately comes back down to pride and selfishness.

I'll be back at 4pm

[Phoenix Within]

Everyone is unworthy of God's love.

And this one sentence shows the greatest falsehoods believed by Christians, and it's what keeps you all in the dark.

[Queen K]

Kind off topic but could an Evangelical please explain to me why you fear homosexuals?

I am evangelical. I don't fear homosexuals. My best friend is gay. Unfortunately the Christian church today has the same problem that the religious Hebrews had in the time of Christ. People are busy trying to save themselves by pleasing God. (i.e. following their interpretation of the 10 comandments, constatantly remainding themselves of how much better they are than the sinners). The reality is everyone falls short of the glory of God. Everyone is a sinner. Everyone is unworthy of God's love. No matter how good one views oneself to be one is no where near good enough for God. Sin is not simply doing something on the big list of no nos that the bible provides. It is when we place anything as being more important than God. Whether this idol is money, sex, church, work, family or booze it ultimately comes back down to pride and selfishness. This includes the belief that you can save yourself by being good. This belief is means that you are convinced that you don't need the Grace of God because you are good enough on your own. Maybe Pastor Dave should pick up a copy.

In Jesus's day he spent most of his ministry trying to convince the Pharisees of how badly they need slavation. There is no shortage of Pharisees in the Christian Church today. I encourage anyone who is interested in this subject to read a great little book called "The Prodigal God" by Timothy Keller. It is a quick easy read that takes one of Jesus's most well known parables and looks at it from the perspective of the audience in Jesus's day. Probably a bigger eye opener for Christians than for non-Christians.

Thank you for reminding my why I left the Building.

[Phoenix Within]

Thank you for reminding my why I left the Building.

You're with Elvis?

[Queen K]

Thank you for reminding my why I left the Building.

You're with Elvis?

Ha ha! Never thought of Elvis! When I wrote that I was thinking about why I won't ever again set foot in a Church, the BUILDING. In the Pagan Thread I'd qualify as a Pagan if one was the believe all one has to do is commune with Nature and Meditate. But I don't believe that for a second either.

[Queen K]

Ahh the joy of being shabbat goy.

The weak retreat: name calling.

[Mr Danksworth]

I was the shabbat goy. It has nothing to do with name calling.

[sunluvr]

A Shabbat goy, Shabbos goy or Shabbes goy (Yiddish: שבת גוי, shabbos goy Modern Hebrew: גוי של שבת goy shel shabat) is an individual who regularly assists a Jewish individual or organization by performing certain acts for them on the Biblical Sabbath which are forbidden to Jews within Jewish law. The phrase is a combination of the word "Shabbos" (שבת) meaning the Sabbath, and "Goy", which literally means "a member of another nation" but practically means a "non-Jew" (in Biblical Hebrew "goy" means simply "a nation", but in Mishnaic Hebrew it is used in the sense of "a non-national", i.e., "a non-Jew").

Judaism prohibits certain types of work on the Sabbath, known as "melakha". Within certain guidelines (as dictated by the Shulkhan Arukh, the most authoritative Jewish code of law), a non-Jewish individual under certain circumstances may perform certain acts which are beneficial to Jews but would be forbidden for them to perform. Generally speaking, a Jew should respect a non-Jew's right to rest on the Sabbath, and therefore he may not ask a non-Jew to perform a service prohibited on the Sabbath by the Jewish law, nor may the Jew get benefit ("hana'a") from such a service. Nevertheless, a non-Jew is not expected to keep the Sabbath like a Jew. Hence a Jew may benefit from work performed by a goy if the goy perform this work for his own good and of his own free will. A borderline case is when a Jew hints to a non-Jew that he wants him to perform a certain service without explicitly asking him. These borderline cases are considered legitimate in most Jewish communities. Furthermore, in many Jewish communities it is considered legitimate to hire a non-Jewish worker to perform certain services on the Sabbath, providing that the non-Jew is paid in advance, so that the payment seems like a kind of gift rather than a salary. This way, the principle of the non-Jew performing the service of his own free will is still adhered to, at least formally. It is more appropriate if the non-Jew enjoys his own service in a way. For example, if his job is to take care of the heating system, it is more appropriate if this system also heats his own room or apartment, so that he enjoys it as well and not just the members of the Jewish community.

A "shabbat goy" is not needed for performing life saving services, known as pikuach nefesh. For example, according to Jewish law, Jewish physicians can work on the Sabbath because their work is needed to save lives in cases of emergency. They must, however, avoid any unnecessary work forbidden on the Sabbath.

In certain households and synagogues a particular non-Jewish person (invariably not a member of the home/synagogue) may be designated as the Shabbos goy for that place. This individual is usually one who would be present regardless of this role, such as a babysitter or a synagogue maintenance crew member, and is typically paid for the work. Before the 20th century Shabbos goys most commonly lit (or re-lit) stoves in Jewish homes in the winter. In the 20th century Colin Powell and Mario Cuomo both assisted their Jewish neighbors in this way.[1][2] The artists Martin Scorsese[3] and the adolescent Elvis Presley[4] similarly helped neighbors.

[Mr Danksworth]

I know it's from wikipedia but could you please post your sources. You shouldn't just cut and copy.

[sunluvr]

I know it's from wikipedia but could you please post your sources. You shouldn't just cut and copy.

Sorry, I won't try and help anymore. Good bye.