Are these Jewish Israelis? Why on earth would any Jewish family celebrate Islamist violence? I guess it goes to prove there are creeps in all countries and all cultures.

Katherine- Israel has, sadly, useful idiots of its own. Have seen/read stuff sometimes, whilst “drunk”-Googling Bibi and stuffing down Classic Lays on a sleepless night, that almost sent me out to the grocery to get some Pistachio ice cream LOL! You would think, living that close to the mad mullahs, it would be hard to be so usefully idiotic and so idiotically useful. Not so. But it does seem that they have less of them, proportionally, than we do…..As to this couple, Christopher is right. Maybe they’ll have some ideas for “playful” costumes in Hell, like dressing up as a 3-month-old baby girl and a 4-year-old boy stabbed in the heart in their sleep!

I like Purim. One of my dearest friends is Jewish and she loves it, too.

The Book of Esther never mentions God, but is in the Hebrew Scriptures. And it has a story about Haman and his ten sons who had a plot to kill the Jews.

They were all hanged. And…Hitler begins with an “H,” as does Haman, and ten of Hitler’s henchmen in the killing of the Jews were hanged after Nuremberg.

Cue “Twilight Zone” music.

I’ve tried selling this story to my Jewish friend, but she says I’m nuts. Maybe there are some conspiracy/prophecy nuts on MCJ who will buy it.

As to costumes or Purim – what the heck. Jewish guys don’t shave during Purim and everybody has a good time.

The Jews have been through alot. Let them have whatever costumes they want for Purim. It is a holiday of “letting go.”

One other comment about my dear Jewish friend.

A couple of years ago when I was in Boston, we went to Holy Transfiguration Monastery in Brookline, an Orthodox monastery, for Vespers.

As women are not allowed in the chapel, she was in a separate room with a window into the chapel. With her was an Orthodox nun who told her when to sit and stand during Vespers. And my friend went along with it.

One of the most courteous gestures I have ever seen.
Was very kind and respectful on her part. And I have gone to services at the synagogue with her. Too bad most people don’t do this. Plus, I got to wear a beanie while there. Hoo-rah!

My God, have you read the comments after the story? “The Jews did it! The Jews did 9/11! And all to stir up trouble for the poor, innocent Muslims!”

Dr. Mabuse

Why is that surprising? After all, the Jews bombed Pearl Harbor and killed Kennedy, so what would you expect?

Also, the Jews are the reason we can’t get Hostess Snowballs anymore.

Just as an FYI Holy Transfiguration Monastery is not in communion with any canonical jurisdiction of the Orthodox Church. They belong to a schismatic sect called HOCNA. See here…
http://hocna.info/

Don Janousek,
“…she says I’m nuts.” Say it aint so Don!

Dale Matson

Well….you know how them Jews are.

Dale Matson

Before moving to Oregon, my friend was an Assistant Professor at UMass-Boston.

One year she had a graduate assistant who was Russian.

My friend told her that it was very ironic that a Jewish woman was giving her house guest, a Russian Orthodox Christian, rides to Divine Liturgy.

The grad assistant said it was more than ironic – it was unbelievable. But, also a nice thing to do.

Don,
I’ve heard the Orthodox Church attendance is about 50/50 men and women. If this is so, to what do you attribute so many men? Is there a rite of passage for males in the Orthodox Church?

Dale Matson

I think the high male attendance in Orthodox churches is because they teach real Christianity, not the metrosexual squish that many churches now teach. Orthodoxy is the church of Christ Pantocrator, of Hell for sinners, of the Sacred Mysteries, of fighting for the Faith.

The churches I attend have no pews. As an Orthodox priest once told me, “You do not need to sit on your butt in the presence of God.”

Also, I think traditional Roman Catholicism was also very masculine. My uncles on my father’s side plowed, fed cattle, butchered hogs and then knelt in the Latin Mass on Sunday morning.

Christ said, “I came not to bring peace, but a sword.”

True Christianity demands vigorous battle against the demons and the Prince of this world. And that takes real men.

Dale Matson

In my last post I should not have said “Hell for sinners.”

I should have said “Hell for unrepentant sinners”

God is not merciful – He is mercy, just as He is justice. All who call upon Him will be forgiven and saved.

Dale, what Don said. Frederica Greene says that Orthodoxy is a “masculine” religion, and men are drawn first to the bells and whistles aspects of it; there are lots of things to do and tweak in Orthodoxy. Typically, men convert first, and their wives end up converting three to five years later. My wife has waited nine years to convert, but she can be stubborn.

Aha! Found it. Here is an article Frederica Matthewes – Greene wrote about men in Orthodoxy.
http://www.antiochian.org/node/17069

Put down the bottle Don. You’ve had enough.

sybil marshall wrote: “Israel has, sadly, useful idiots of its own.”

Indeed. A large number of them. That’s how Ha’aretz and the many so-called peace organizations keep going.

In fact, Israel’s inept PR, half-measures in Gaza, and large, vociferous loony Left contingent make it hard for even some right-wing Israelis I know to support Israel now. Why support a country whose leadership constantly wimps out in the international political arena and on the ground in their own neighborhood? You can’t save anyone from themselves. “A house divided” and all that.

Don,
Thanks for the response. I just wrote an article on our San Joaquin blog about “Manning Up”. I think the feminist spirit has harmed the church much more than people realize. Elizabeth Cady Stanton is listed as a holy woman by TEC and she was an atheist. It is more important to them that she was a feminist than a Christian. My sermon on “Manning Up” yesterday was well received by the men and less so by the women. The problem is that there are so few real men available as mentor models for young men. Young men are sitting in sports bars and in front of the TV engaging in Play Station II and role playing games like Everquest.

Dale & Don– you are so right, WRT the touchy-feely (etc) style/(lack of)substance infecting churches. I may never get my husband near another church again, because of it. A good many of us women can’t stand it either. I would go to a traditional RCC if we had one within range, but I fear he would not, after all we have been through WRT “church”…..Those touchyfeely places aren’t even really what they present, counterproductive as it is; under all the Nice, they are disfunctionally full of convoluted/interlocking co-dependencies and hotbeds of vicious passive-aggressive attacks. No surprise there, of course– “horizontalized”/feminized church cannot end up any other way. Bweeeuu. Dale, good luck & Godspeed, addressing this with your people.

I guess now that Bush isn’t around to kick anymore, people are stuck blaming 9/11 on the joooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooos!

The Pilgrim,
Thanks for the link. I was edified.

From what I understand about Purim (I’m not Jewish and don’t have any Jewish friends so this is just from reading), one of the aspects of its popular celebration is mocking Haman and, by extension, all persons/entities who have persecuted and oppressed the Jewish people throughout history.

The Talmud IIRC states that on Purim it is OK to drink adult beverages until one can no longer tell the difference between “Blessed be Mordecai” (Esther’s cousin/guardian who helped her defeat Haman) and “Cursed be Haman”. It is also customary, during the reading of the Book of Esther in the synagogue, for children to bring noisemakers like whistles, kazoos, rattles, etc. and set them off whenever Haman’s name is mentioned.

I’m guessing that the Twin Towers costume was actually intended to make fun of the 9/11 terrorists but the joke definitely got lost somewhere along the way.

So I guess an Auschwitz oven costume would be a real hit, huh?
Probably not.

As usual, Dean Munday nails it concerning the religion of anti-peace, injustice, racist hate, misogyny, rape, violence, slavery, intolerance and war.

Rev. Matson, Anthony Esolen agrees with you. Have you read his article, The Unseen Victims and A Priesthood of Fathers in Crisis Magazine?

There is a ministry to help men become the men God meant them to be – Fraternus – founded by a marriage/family therapist in Florida who also leads Theology of the Body and sexual healing seminars. http://www.fraternus.net/staff.php

Other such ministries have been springing up around the country. I can’t think of anyone better equipped to do something like that than YOU, sir.

Confessor,
Thanks for the link. A fully developed and individuated Christian man is an incarnation of the Gospel light. They have a necessary role to play and an obligation in mentoring boys into manhood. Young boys will not become men via Play Station II, motorcycle clubs, gangs, etc. Real men are also immune to the attacks of radical feminists.