David P. Goldman (“Spengler”), “Memo to Jews: After They Come for the Catholic Church, They Will Come For Us“:
Open the door to “scientific” determination of matters of life and death, and America’s Orthodox Jews — a minority within a minority — will be vulnerable to a new Inquisition. On this issue, there can be no compromise. Agudath Israel is right: Jews should stand by the right of the Catholic Church to determine what is acceptable by its standards, just as we one day will ask the Catholic Church to stand by our right to determine what is acceptable by our standards. To its credit, Britain’s Catholic Church stood by us in 2009 when the English courts shamefully and wrongly ruled that our most basic religious criteria were “racist.” Shamefully and wrongfully, some Jews have failed to stand by the Church under the Obama administration’s persecution. I appeal to these Jews: Don’t be naive. We’re next.
Yes.
Apparently, some Jews are complaining about the Mormon practice of baptizing ancestors. That somewhat unusual belief is what has led to the LDS fantastic collection of genealogy records. Some Mormons seem to have stepped a bit over the line and baptized unrelated dead people. Some were Jews and now some modern Jews are complaining. By no stretch of the imagination does it resemble forced conversion of living Jews in ancient times. It is a bit odd and the church does not encourage it but this is not a good time for inter-religious feuds. As a departed friend used to say, “The ants are fighting with each other and they don’t notice the anteater is coming.”
AFAIK Jews have always resented the retrospective baptizing of Jews and particularly of the ancestors of converts from Judaism.
Jonathon – I can’t blame the Jews for their resentment there.
And while I am not a Catholic what Obama is trying to do to them is outrageous.
The famous quote by Martin Niemoller comes to mind.
I echo Robert Schwartz. We are next. I mean, we are all, Christian and Jew, next. There’s a movement afoot and I think we can all feel it. We need to stick together.
Strange that they’re not threatening Buddhists, Hindus or … uh …
“Strange that they’re not threatening Buddhists”
You can’t threaten a Buddhist. With what?
To contrast religions, I give you the Jewish practice of aeons of sage commentary on religious matters … the Torah carefully preserved as an essential treasure and the Zen section of the Buddha’s massive conspiracy of freedom’s practice of burning the previous master’s commentary.
I have been a Buddhist most of my life. I have met one Lama once and carried out the rest of my practice all by myself. Perfectly normal for a Buddhist. If I had not met that Lama, at my sister’s insistence, it would have made very little difference although I am grateful for the contact. I don’t need no stinkin’ church.
The LDS church approves of baptizing ancestors but, as far as I know, does not approve of random baptisms. You could look upon it as being motivated by goodwill.
Obviously, Jews have a totally different perspective on this, due to a few millenia of experience. But…
As a Catholic, if the Mormons baptize me post-mortem… so what? I’m kinda pleased that someone is concerned about my soul, considering what a half-assed job I’ve done maintaining my own sanctity…
Maybe something that should please both sides – an incantation asking the departed if he wants to be rebaptised – (of course waiting for an answer…..) ;-)
But accepting the baptism only if it is desired and received…