(Mostly) Jewish, was Beijing, now California
One gentleman I was talking to on my last visit to Houston suggested that his problem with politics in Texas was the desire on the part of some politicians to declare Christianity to be the state religion of Texas.
I regret not pointing out at the time that Texas already has a state religion.
High school football.
Religion and science are two quite different things and we need them both. Science takes things apart to see how they work. Religion puts things together to see what they mean. And the pursuit of explanation — how do things work — and the pursuit of meaning — why am I doing this, why am I here — those are two really fundamental areas of human intelligence and they’re just different.
via A Conversation with Rabbi Jonathan Sacks | February 20, 2015 | Religion & Ethics NewsWeekly | PBS.
Explanation and meaning. Absolutely brilliant.
Rabbi Sacks is not everyone’s cup of tea, but he is as quotable as Hillel. His great gift to us all is his ability to pithily clarify complex issues without oversimplifying them. Every time I read one of his books, I find myself stopping to think about every two paragraphs.
What a gift.
Israel must remain distinct from the nations, as mind remains distinct from matter. And that distinctiveness is morally justifiable only by virtue of Israel’s vocation for all mankind.
To me, there can be no greater leap of faith than the assumption by scientific fundamentalists that if something cannot be observed by human faculties (even mechanically enhanced) or understood by the human intellect, it simply cannot exist.
“There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, Than are dreamt of in your philosophy”.
– Hamlet (1.5.167-8)
Hebrew Hutong 