Comments on: G-DCast: Noah by Matthue Roth

By: TM

TM — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 18:22:05 +0000

It just occured to me that we may be living on the equivalent of an atom inside God.

By: Grand Muffti

Grand Muffti — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 15:59:20 +0000

Muffti thinks you are talking out your ass but he loves the analogy!

By: ck

ck — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 15:40:21 +0000

It does get cold at night in California Muffti. And how do you explain something ontologically that doesn’t lend itself to such things? We have no way to understand omniscience because we have never experienced it. It’s like when Eric Cartman tried to explain “appetizers” to Starvin’ Marvin. Coming from famine ravaged Ethernopia, Starvin’ Marvin had no concept of “appetizers.” When Eric Cartman said “You see Starvin’ Marvin; this is what we call an appetizer. This is what you eat before you eat, so that you’ll be more hungry,” Starvin’ Marvin couldn’t understand what the fuck he was talking about. Appetizers? That’s craaazy!

No wonder you’re skeptical Muffti.

By: grandmuffti

grandmuffti — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 15:06:47 +0000

How do spiritual people find the patience to discuss theological issues with pompous ass skeptics? Closer to the point, why would they even try?

Coz you just can’t help yerselves mostly…as for CK, Muffti would rather end up in the scenario he describes than believe outdated mumbo jumbo. In any case, living in california, he probably won’t end up cold.

Tom, i’ts a good question why people put themselves through that sort of torment. But isn’t it something like this – part of the goodies you get with religion is a text that represents absolute truth as it comes stamped and approved by God himself. if that book turns out to be as fraught with multiple interpretive possibilities, complex and multiply decipherable metaphors and parables that are designed to show moral lessons rather than represent true history, doesn’t it just fade into another book comparable to Aesop’s fables, full of nice stories but a record of no real history? And once you think it’s not designed to be an accurate objective report of anything, why think that the bits about God and his character are accurate objective reports of God and not just more fable and moral lesson-giving bits and pieces designed to coddle and teach you rather than inform you ontologically about your maker?

That’s just a guess though. Muffti is sure there is some miracle by which it can all work out.

By: Mixed Multitudes - My Jewish Learning: Exploring Judaism & Jewish Life » Blog Archive » Noah, Meet Youtube.

Tue, 28 Oct 2008 14:21:19 +0000

[...] there was the wave of Jewish blogs raving, then the New York Times. Now it seems to have led to erudite observations about why Jewish education turned out the way it is, and what the potential for Torah [...]

By: TM

TM — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 07:58:36 +0000

Ooooh, good video. Provocative.

By: Tom Morrissey

Tom Morrissey — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 23:37:58 +0000

I agree, but my sense is that a lot of people torment themselves and needlessly put their own faith at risk with sweating the details. I mean, can anyone really justify every biblical report, act, event, etc. as being literally true? (It’s tougher for Christians, because the NT has sometimes conflicting accounts.) Plenty of people try, alas.

By: ck

ck — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 23:28:52 +0000

Oh Tom, does it really matter? People are going to believe what they want to believe. What’s far more relevant are the universal moral themes that can be discerned from this passage. Some will have you believe that being nice to uh… members of the doucheoisie, is a value that can be arrived at absent any sort of divinely revealed moral imperative.

So is it? That’s a more interesting question I think.

By: Tom Morrissey

Tom Morrissey — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 23:09:36 +0000

This has to be one of the most problematic biblical narratives for those who insist on a literal reading, because the protagonist is a human being and not God. I suppose if this one can be explained away, such things as the parting of the Red Sea are child’s play.

Having read the above comments,– which is it, guys (and girls)? A matter of faith, in which case we don’t have to sweat the details? Or a story that can and must be empirically explained?

By: Jack

Jack — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 20:36:40 +0000

It’s a 300 cubit boat. It had to have been a miracle that all the animals just showed up, fit inside and survived for 40 days.

It is the same concept as that bag that Hermione brought to help out Harry in the Deathly Hallows book. Nice to be a geek.