[Yaakov ben Avraham]

That would be the Bronze Age, actually. & we're talking, presumably, about an adult child. One presumes that a literal non-adult human would not have aquired such low habits as regular drunkenness. If he has, I think the parents are more @ fault than the child. On a purely personal level, I believe that the Torah is entirely applicable in 21st Century life. HOWEVER, & this is a major caveat, I believe that Jewish law, whilst divine in origin & thus immutable, must be interpreted afresh for every age. You gave me 2 choices. Orthodoxy or Liberal Reform. Of course I choose Orthodoxy. But if Traditional Conservative (as opposed to Modern Conservative) is an option, then yes, I'll take it. There is still a literal belief in Maimonides' 13 Articles of Faith & the Scripture as Divine. There is simply understanding that circumstances change, & interpretations must as well in some cases.

[Rama Set]

I did no such thing. I gave you a choice between Reform and Atheism.

[Rushy]

Why do you keep arguing with this guy? There are two options:

1. He is trolling you because he gets some strange sort of amusement out of this.

or

2. He really is a Jewish nutjob, in which case your words are meaningless anyway.

And you better not give me some bullshit Lorddave answer "I have nothing better to do" you know damn well there is something better you could be doing than arguing with a troll or a nutter.

[Rama Set]

I was holding out for an admission that he indeed cherry picks the Torah because he has been known to admit he is wrong in the past. You are likely right, and I have given up on Yaakov based on the choices you presented. I want to lock him, EJ and Scepti in a room and see who comes out alive.

[Alchemist21]

You know, putting druggies in the same jail only strengthens their connections...

[Blanko]

If you believe God appeared to a nation on a mountaintop why don't you believe the Earth was created in 6 days 6,000 years ago?  Is that all of a sudden too incredible?

I have never understood why people consider YEC to be "extreme". Does it really make more sense for Abrahamic religions to believe that God created the Universe billions of years before his chosen people would come around, instead of, you know, simply creating the Universe in a given "aged" state? It could have simply been "simulated" until the point of its creation, to the extent that it needn't conflict with evolution and the like.

I mean, I'm not religious, but it doesn't seem that silly to me. Considering you're already putting a ridiculous amount of value on your own existence, you might as well go all the way with it.

[Yaakov ben Avraham]

Putting EJ in a room w/ me is going on on the other board. Its interesting. For God to have created the world in an 'aged' state would make him a liar.

[Blanko]

Why's that? The Genesis itself doesn't suggest the world wasn't created as "aged". Adam and Eve weren't created as infants. Plants weren't created as saplings.

[Yaakov ben Avraham]

Blanko, you have a point. I would have to examine the commentaries on the matter. I don't have an answer for you @ present. Your point is taken, though.

[Saddam Hussein]

Thanks for bumping this thread, Rushy.

[Rama Set]

Thanks for bumping this thread, Rushy.

Jelly you did not necro it after several years?

[Yaakov ben Avraham]

Well, Rama, EJ was in the same room as me in AR on the other board. You know they tolerate pretty much anything in there. But he managed to get himself banned for extreme racism. It will either be 90 days or a permaban. The mod is taking a few days to think about it. It appears you have your answer. I came out alive. It seems EJ has quite an issue w/ Jews. His ethno-religious hatred was directed @ Jews generally, & me particularly. If you want to read the thread, it is 'A month? A whole flippin month' in AR. I do admit my Yiddish got a little harsh. But he was asking for it.

[Yaakov ben Avraham]

And Rushy, to answer your implied question, no, I'm not a troll. I am what in your eyes would probably qualify as a 'Jewish nutter'. I don't deny having what many people regard as strong views. Even among my fellow Jews, my views are often perceived as extreme.

[Tintagel]

I do admit my Yiddish got a little harsh. But he was asking for it.

It is my fervent hope that one day I will be able to walk away from an argument and say this. 
BRB, learning Yiddish.

[Yaakov ben Avraham]

To be honest, I'd like to do the same. I can curse quite well in Yiddish, but I don't speak the language. That is common among Jews who grew up in less observant homes. I chose to be observant as an adult. As a child, the family was secular & did not use Yiddish or go to shul.

[Ghost Spaghetti]

Oy vey, sounds like you're being a complete shmuck, although it does dake chutzpah to admit as such amongst goyim.

[/Hollywood Yiddish]

[man-bear-man]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=R66r_XMoDkk

[jroa]

Yaakov, just to clarify, EJ was being abusive and spewing personal attacks in both the upper and lower fora and had been warned to stop.  The hate speech in the lower fora was the straw that broke the camel's back. 

[Yaakov ben Avraham]

Jroa, I see. I thought when his dialog w/ me re: Proofs had been moved to AR w/ warnings to us both that he'd have been smart enough to modify his conduct in the Upper Fora, as I was. As for the racial talk, I did not know whether that was allowed in Lower Fora or not. I do not consider myself racist, although I admit I can get a bit triumphalistic about being Jewish when really pushed. But it would not have occurred to me to insult him racially, but only personally. @ this point, I'll be curious to find out if the ban stays @ 90 days or goes permaban.

[jroa]

At this point, the alt accusation is just speculation, although it is shared by many.  However, lacking concrete proof, his ban will remain 90 days.

Also, the lower fora is very relaxed, in the context of the rules, compared to the rest of the fora.  However, excessive hate speech and personal attacks will still be dealt with.