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The Dangers Of Homosexuality

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muman613:

--- Quote from: Zelhar on March 16, 2009, 04:40:43 PM ---Muman I have to admit that I Jewish view on sexual purity is the least subject of interest for me. Even so, I completely respect your view about this matter. Now regarding Kabalah- it belongs to the mystic realm. It is not science and not Halacha. I guess Kabalistic reasoning helps some Jews accept or understand better the mizvot, If that is so it serves its purpose. However I don't think Kabalah is a good thing to teach and preach for secular Jews, Jews should accept the Torah and willingly do so. There is an epidemic of Jews who know very little about real Judaism yet for spiritual and even materialistic reasons they follow Kabalah i.e- they do Kabalat shabat, and make a pilgrimage to sages' tombs.

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You realize that "Kabbalat Shabbat" simply means Accepting Shabbat... Kabbalah means 'to receive' or 'receiving'... Every Jewish congregation sings Lecha Dodi when Shabbat arrives, it has little to do with Kabbalah.

http://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/260256/jewish/Greeting-the-Shabbat.htm

From http://www.mechon-mamre.org/jewfaq/kabbalah.htm


--- Quote ---
Mysticism in Judaism

When non-Jews ask about Judaism, they commonly ask questions like:  Do you believe in heaven and hell?  In angels or the devil?  What happens to the soul after death?  What is the nature of G-d and the universe?  The answers to questions like these define most religions; in fact, some people say that the purpose of religion is to answer these kinds of questions.  Yet from a Torah viewpoint, most of these cosmological issues are wide open to personal opinion.  The areas of Jewish thought that most extensively discuss these issues, Kabbalah and Jewish mysticism, were traditionally not even taught to people until the age of 40, when they had completed their education in Written Torah and Oral Torah (in other words, in Bible and practical Law).

Mysticism and mystical experiences have been a part of Judaism since the earliest days.  The Bible contains many stories of mystical experiences, from visitations by angels to prophetic dreams and visions.  The Talmud considers the existence of the soul and when it becomes attached to the body.  Jewish tradition tells that the souls of all Jews were in existence at the time of the Giving of the Torah and were present at the time and agreed to the Covenant.  There are many stories of places similar to the Gentiles' heaven and hell.  The Talmud contains vague hints of a mystical school of thought that was taught only to the most advanced students and was not committed to writing.  There are several references in ancient sources to ma'aseh bereishit (the work of creation) and ma'aseh merkavah (the work of the chariot [of Ezekiel's vision]), the two primary subjects of mystical thought at the time.

In the middle ages, many of these mystical teachings were committed to writing in books like the Zohar.  Many of these writings were asserted to be secret ancient writings or compilations of secret ancient writings, and some probably are.  It is important to remember, however, that such secret writings that are not the results of public debate in authorative rabbinical courts must never be understood (actually misunderstood) as contradicting the laws that were openly discussed and properly enacted.  All too many Jews as a practial matter have rejected the law and have prefered to practice their misunderstandings of Kabbalistic books or their rabbis' misunderstandings of them.  This is simply inexcusable:  The proper subject for such writings is why we do what we do when we observe the Torah, not what we need to do to observe the Torah.

Like most subjects of Jewish belief, the area of mysticism is wide open to personal interpretation.  Some traditional Jews take mysticism very seriously.  Mysticism is an integral part of Chasidic Judaism, for example, and passages from kabbalistic sources are routinely included in traditional prayer books.  Other traditional Jews take mysticism with a grain of salt.  One prominent Orthodox Jew, when introducing a speaker on the subject of Jewish mysticism, said basically, "it's nonsense, but it's Jewish nonsense, and the study of anything Jewish, even nonsense, is worthwhile".  While we do not say that Kabbalah is nonsense, many things said in its name are clearly nonsense.

The mystical school of thought came to be known as Kabbalah, from the Hebrew root Qof-Bet-Lamed, meaning to receive, to accept.  The word is usually translated as "tradition".  In Hebrew, the word does not have any of the dark, sinister, evil connotations that it has developed in English.  For example, the English word "cabal" (a secret group of conspirators) is derived from the Hebrew word Kabbalah, but neither the Hebrew word nor the mystical doctrines have any evil implications to Jews.
...

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http://4torah.com/searchtorah.html?cx=000576332529071427539%3Abzerp_-qia8&cof=FORID%3A11%3BNB%3A1&q=kabbalat+Shabbat&sa=Search#2160

the thing:
It seems that where I live, in the UK, they are really trying to make homosexuality the norm, and marriage between man and women the abnormal. For example they have made it compulsory to teach children from the age of 5 that homosexuality is normal and acceptable.

Just out of interest what is the Judaic punishment for sodomy, and general homosexuality?

Thanks

the thing

Hanketcham:
I do not discriminate nor hate homosexuals. 
However, I am not a homosexual and feel no urges for such a thing, though truthfully, i find the idea of women loving women very majestic and sexually powerful.   

As far as the Kabbalah, its esoteric mysticism is powerful, with unfathomable depth, both ground-shaking and mind-shattering in its perspectives of reality.  i am in awe of Kabbalah.  It puts the meanings of the scriptures beyond the limitations of literal translations. 

Harzel:
@Muman: I mentioned Kabalat Shabat as an example for a ritual that people like to perform even though they are not religious. The connection by name is incidental, although I think the ritual was invented in 17th Zefat, which was the center of Kabalah.

@the thing: The situation you described is very bad, I don't think that there is such a thing as homo-lesbian community and I think it is completely wrong to force people to accept their agenda. There is a clear difference between tolerance and acceptance IMO.

In Jewish law the maximum punishment for sodomy and possibly to other forms of homosexual relations is death. However I think that the offense must be done in public in front of witnesses and the condemned should have been warned before.

Sefardic Panther:
Wayiqra 20:13
We'ish asher yishkav et-zachar mishkevey ishah to'evah asu shneyhem mot yumatu dmeyhem bam
(If a man has intercourse with another man in the same manner as with a woman, both of them have committed a disgusting perversion. They shall be put to death by stoning)

In Bereshith ch.19 Hashem Himself destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah because all the inhabitants were homos. I was once told that Hashem does not destroy San Francisco because homosexuality is a far bigger affront when done in the Holy Land.

Yes I am a “homophobe” as every decent human being should be! Homosexuality is unnatural! We don’t see it in the animal kingdom and it is pointless because it produces no offspring. Even worse than homosexuality itself is how this perversion has become acceptable in western society and it’s the people who speak against it who are demonized (?!). Will western society stop at this perversion or will incest, bestiality and pedophilia become acceptable next? The politically correct crowd advocating homosexuality should eat plenty of prunes. That will show them what the tuchis is for!!!

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