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Dan The Chainsawman
Joined: 05 May 2005
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 Posted: Sat Nov 25, 2006 3:55 am Post subject: Converting to Judaism?? |
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Ok this is a serious question. I am not attempting to mock anyone of the Jewish Persuasion in anyway. Please don't anyone get the idea that I have some sort of hidden agenda here.
A person I know is actually considering converting to Judaism. He certainly isn't a close friend or anything, but he seems sincere about his interest otherwise I wouldn't be bothering. Given that fact I volunteered to post on Dave's and ask if their are any 'Synagouges' (spelling??) in Seoul.
From what I gathered there is a service on the Yongson army base in Seoul, but is there anything else out and about?
Thanks
Dan
Oi Vey!
here you can email the fellow at if you want at [email protected] or post the information and I will pass it along. |
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SPINOZA
Joined: 10 Jun 2005
Location: $eoul
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| Posted: Sat Nov 25, 2006 4:30 am Post subject: |
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Mate,
Your friend is a moron.
Whilst anyone can convert, with some validity, to Judasim, ultimately the Jews are a race. One cannot fully become a Jew like one can become a Christian or a Muslim. Your buddy will be regarded - rightly - as a plastic Jew.
Jews come from Israel and have maintained a genetic identity (no matter how dubious) despite the 2000 years they did not live in Israel. If you're not genetically Jewish, you're not a Jew. Really, one cannot convert, in the same way I or you cannot become German or Korean.
Judaism is not merely a religion. It is a racial heritage also. You should inform your rather silly friend of this.
Your rather silly friend CAN convert - fair enough. But he or she is not truly a Jew. Rightly so in my opinion. One cannot become genetically different.
There is much more to Judaism than your friend believes, I suspect. |
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Dan The Chainsawman
Joined: 05 May 2005
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| Posted: Sat Nov 25, 2006 4:35 am Post subject: |
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| Are you Jewish? |
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SPINOZA
Joined: 10 Jun 2005
Location: $eoul
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| Posted: Sat Nov 25, 2006 4:47 am Post subject: |
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No. I have no genetic relation to Isreal whatsoever. My genes are English, Welsh, Irish and Spanish. I also do not subscribe to Jewish theology. I don't subscribe to any theology.
Judaism has racial baggage. Christianity and Islam do not. That's why you never see Jews proselytizing.
Actually, for what it's worth, I make Judaism the best religion of the big three. Jesus and Mohammed have had a wildly negative effect on humanity. Trust me - I'm no fan of the State of Israel, but it's small-fry, a little fish, in comparison to the effect Islam and Christianity have inflicted.
Last edited by SPINOZA on Sat Nov 25, 2006 4:47 am; edited 1 time in total |
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kingplaya4
Joined: 14 May 2006
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| Posted: Sat Nov 25, 2006 4:47 am Post subject: |
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| SPINOZA wrote: |
Mate,
Your friend is a moron.
Whilst anyone can convert, with some validity, to Judasim, ultimately the Jews are a race. One cannot fully become a Jew like one can become a Christian or a Muslim. Your buddy will be regarded - rightly - as a plastic Jew.
Jews come from Israel and have maintained a genetic identity (no matter how dubious) despite the 2000 years they did not live in Israel. If you're not genetically Jewish, you're not a Jew. Really, one cannot convert, in the same way I or you cannot become German or Korean.
Judaism is not merely a religion. It is a racial heritage also. You should inform your rather silly friend of this.
Your rather silly friend CAN convert - fair enough. But he or she is not truly a Jew. Rightly so in my opinion. One cannot become genetically different.
There is much more to Judaism than your friend believes, I suspect. |
Most Jews would argue with you on that point. I'm half Jewish and I've talked to a number of Jews about this issue. Most will insist that its a religion, although if pressed they will admit there is a racial component too. Judaism in its history has rarely been a religion that seeks out converts, but if your friend is serious about converting, most rabbis would be happy to accomodate him.
That said there are a variety of types of Judaism nowadays, and I'm sure there are some that would prefer to not have converts and are more into the racial component, I'm speaking of the majority. I would be shocked if your friend encountered any difficulty joining a reform synagogue, provided he isn't a white power mole. On the Seoul thing, I have no idea. |
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Dan The Chainsawman
Joined: 05 May 2005
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| Posted: Sat Nov 25, 2006 5:04 am Post subject: |
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Errr... remember this fellow isn't what I would call a friend. I barely know him, but he does seem quite sincere in his desire to join up.
Will he have to get his shrub trimmed? |
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butlerian
Joined: 04 Sep 2006
Location: Korea
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| Posted: Sat Nov 25, 2006 5:08 am Post subject: |
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| My advice would be to ignore Spinoza. Many people have converted to Judaism succesfully. It all depends on the kind of Judaism (for example, reformed or orthodox), and the people who he will be in close proximity of. As for his remarks on who has made the least negative impact on society - how can he possibly remark on this? He should come back when he is a Professor of religion after many years of studying the extremely complex issues surrounding all of this. |
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Dan The Chainsawman
Joined: 05 May 2005
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| Posted: Sat Nov 25, 2006 5:29 am Post subject: |
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So do you have any information on temples you can pass along?
Personally, I am not to word about the fellow. He seems pretty thick skinned considering I poured a half a glass of hite on him and then gave him a wedgie later. I doubt a few hard assed orthodox Jews are going to get him down. |
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alabamaman
Joined: 25 Apr 2006
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endofthewor1d
Joined: 01 Apr 2003
Location: the end of the wor1d.
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| Posted: Sat Nov 25, 2006 6:34 am Post subject: |
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| kingplaya4 wrote: |
| Most Jews would argue with you on that point. I'm half Jewish and I've talked to a number of Jews about this issue. Most will insist that its a religion,... |
can you see the irony in this? i've always felt a little odd at not quite understanding judaism, but i think a few others have exposed themselves in this thread as well, so i'll share the questions i've always been curious about.
kingplaya has said that judaism is mostly a religion, but preceded that comment with "i'm half jewish". how can one be 'half jewish'? surely that has to be a racial thing. how can a person 'half-believe' in a religion? but if you claim to be half jewish, and then claim that most of being jewish has to do with religion.... well, that's too much math for my beer-soaked brain to deal with tonight. |
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kingplaya4
Joined: 14 May 2006
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| Posted: Sat Nov 25, 2006 7:06 am Post subject: |
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| endofthewor1d wrote: |
| kingplaya4 wrote: |
| Most Jews would argue with you on that point. I'm half Jewish and I've talked to a number of Jews about this issue. Most will insist that its a religion,... |
can you see the irony in this? i've always felt a little odd at not quite understanding judaism, but i think a few others have exposed themselves in this thread as well, so i'll share the questions i've always been curious about.
kingplaya has said that judaism is mostly a religion, but preceded that comment with "i'm half jewish". how can one be 'half jewish'? surely that has to be a racial thing. how can a person 'half-believe' in a religion? but if you claim to be half jewish, and then claim that most of being jewish has to do with religion.... well, that's too much math for my beer-soaked brain to deal with tonight. |
Really, it's up to you what you want to be. Someone might never atttend church, not live what's typically considered a Christian lifestyle and consider themselves a Christian, while some more orthodox Christians would say that they weren't a "true Christian". Being that I'm not a practitioner of Judaism most Jews would not consider me Jewish. But here I disagree with them, because there is evidence of a racial component, as DNA testing has been done on a number of Jews and they have common DNA with Middle Eastern people as well as each other.
That said, my statement of myself as half Jewish is pretty much irrelavent to the discussion, because at least in my experience, just about any Jew who is at all religious will claim that I'm not, and these are the people your acquaintance will have to be concerned with, not the secular Jews who claim it as a racial origin. I guess its confusing being that there are different opinions on the matter by both Jews and non-Jews.
And yes to my knowledge he would have to be circumsized if he is not already, but the rabbi of the sect he chooses would give him the definitive answer of course.
Despite Spinoza's rantings, he probably should think it through thoroughly, its probably a little more significant of a change and commitment than joining the local Presbetyrian sp? church, but if it's what he wants then I'm sure he can convert.
I'll give Spinoza credit though, Korea is a soft country, I'm eating a soft donut right now, and my floor is so soft I usually sleep on it. |
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flotsam
Joined: 28 Mar 2006
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| Posted: Sat Nov 25, 2006 7:06 am Post subject: |
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Er, with a Catholic mom and a Muslim dad, can't you be half-Catholic?
Judaism is just more complicated than the other Asian religions practiced by Europeans and the European diaspora. But, of course, converting to Judaism is perfectly possible(Does anyone really think those genetic lines have been maintained to any real degree for the past 4000 years?) and it isn't as asinine of a thought as, say, thinking you are an acknowledged convert to Hinduism(by real Hindus, I mean) because you sing "Hare, hare" and don't drink beer. That's just crazy.
I myself cam converting to Northern Mutt because I want to be more like Spin. ^^
(And let's all keep in mind our buddy's recent PM debacle--he's got a bone to pick with Johnny-Jew but he can't find any in the gefilte--and it make him MAD.  ) |
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catch22
Joined: 05 Sep 2006
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| Posted: Sat Nov 25, 2006 7:53 am Post subject: |
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| Whatever religion you want to be, please be. As long as your intention is to be a good person, then Jesus, Buhdda, Mohammed, etc, will be happy with you. And how can judaism be a race when there are Russian, German, and British, etc. jews? |
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RACETRAITOR
Joined: 24 Oct 2005
Location: Seoul, South Korea
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| Posted: Sat Nov 25, 2006 8:54 am Post subject: Re: Converting to Judaism?? |
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| Dan The Chainsawman wrote: |
Oi Vey!
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That's what Jewish skinheads say. |
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insamjunkie
Joined: 04 Oct 2006
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| Posted: Sat Nov 25, 2006 9:42 am Post subject: |
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...
Last edited by insamjunkie on Fri Jan 05, 2007 3:06 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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