Religion and its "rules" - What is a Eruv?

[packman]

Eruvs are everywhere, from Melbourne to Manhattan, from Toronto to Tel Aviv
A Manhattan Eruv

?imgmax=1200

A Massachusetts Eruv:

?imgmax=1200

"Unbeknownst to many, there are translucent fishing lines that wrap around hundreds of cities around the world. Strung high above the heads of pedestrians and roofs of houses, on utility poles and lamp posts, these wires are barely visible and hardly affect the lives of millions that live in these cities. But for the orthodox Jews, these imperceptible wires that run for dozens of miles, mark an important religious boundary that allow the devoted to hold on to their faith.

The wires mark the boundary of a ritualistic enclosure called an eruv, within which observant Jews can perform certain duties that they are not allowed to outside of home, during Sabbath. "

And many of these line of "religious boundary"'s run for miles and miles - maps and more details at:


http://www.amusingplanet.com/2016/03/the-nearly-invisible-wires-that-enclose.html

[edhopper]

1. At some point

when I can collect my thoughts, I am going to write a post about Kosher Laws, another silly, anachronistic set of rules.

[tabasco]

2. If people still exist in 5,000 years

they will find our stupid religions comical, like we see Thor with his hammer and Zeus and all the crazy Greek gods. Unfortunately, they will probably have some new stupid religion. Humans just ain't that smart.

[LanternWaste]

12. Wonder if they'll find politics, national borders, finances and other by-products of the imagination

I too wonder if they'll find politics, national borders, finances and other by-products of the imagination comical, or if we'll simply continue to rationalize them as necessary to human existence as well...

[DetlefK]

3. What if Spider-Man wants to swing through that street but hits that wire?

"Spider-Man! What happened? Are you okay?"

"Argh. Those Jews..."

"What? You're an Anti-Semite?"

"You don't understand! Argh, that hurts. It was the Jews! They... they..."

"Gosh, you are such an asshole!"



"I have an idea for our next headline for the Daily Bugle: "Spider-Man goes on anti-semitic rant!" Robbie! Get me one of those Spider-Man photos where he has his right arm raised!"

[Warpy]

4. I first read about this practice in Israel

where the extreme Orthodox who found Shabat a little too confining for their taste placed string around their houses into the yards so they could at least go out and get a little fresh air and sunlight.

I do love it when the zealots realize how nuts some of their religious dogma is and start to fudge it like crazy. I'm also not surprised those lines extend for miles, they need to take walks and maybe drop the kiddies off at a relative's house.

[MindPilot]

5. And your major appliances have a "sabbath mode".

No work is permitted to be done or caused to be done on the Sabbath. Energizing an electrical circuit is considered causing work to be done, therefore your 'fridge has a setting programed into its controls that disables the light, and delays the compressor start. That way you can open the door without *directly* causing any work to be done.

The range (oven) is similar, the light and the digital display is disabled, and the oven can be kept at a low temperature for warming food. It also disables the 10-hour automatic safety shut-off.

We all get to pay for this so some small religious group can work around their own self-imposed rules.

[snooper2]

8. wouldn't opening the door itself be considered work?

[ProfessorGAC]

10. You're So Technical!

Force times distance, right? Of course, applying the laws of physics to 6,000 year old superstition is a tough alignment to achieve.

[MindPilot]

13. Don't be silly! Of course not.

See, opening the door and activating a circuit that starts the compressor is work. However opening the door and activating a circuit that starts the compressor in five minutes is not work.

Simple metaphysics.

[tkmorris]

6. And people expect me to take their religious beliefs seriously

Can't do it.

[Iggo]

14. Yep, not a chance.

[snooper2]

7. I was trying to figure out what the fuck it was from the pictures and had to read the verbiage

Dumbest thing I have read in fucking weeks LOL- I am dumber now for participating in this thread...

I wonder if it matters if they use 10lb or 20lb test

[Brickbat]

9. "...mark an important religious boundary that allow the devoted to hold on to their faith."

Huh; seems to me it's actually a way for people to get around the rules of their faith.

[annabanana]

21. kerzackly! . . . n/t

[hunter]

11. It seems a harmless thing in comparison to the sick cult of...

... fossil fuels and "economic productivity" which is destroying this planet.

[Arugula Latte]

15. And religious people demand we "RESPECT!" their beliefs ...

I respect the right of people to believe moronic supernatural nonsense, but not the moronic supernatural nonsense itself.

[Mosby]

16. another thread making fun of Judaism

Thanks.

[packman]

17. Oh, come on-

It's a thread making fun of stupid religious customs/laws. As a Roman Catholic I lived my young life in fear of going to hell if I ate meat on Friday or if, when I passed in front of the altar, I didn't genuflect. If you can't laugh at religion, what is its purpose? And any good Jewish comedian knows that is the basis for a lot of jokes.

[Mosby]

18. you know what else is stupid?

The San Carlos Apaches claiming that Oak Flats is some sort of "holy land" where the spirits or whatever landed. How silly is that? Maybe it's time for them to grow the fuck up and quit believing in stupid, superstitious nonsense.

http://www.msnbc.com/msnbc/battle-over-land-sacred-apache-and-lucrative-mining-company

Do you see the problem now? Are native American religious traditions any less stupid that Christianity, Islam or Judaism? If not then why?

[Humanist_Activist]

19. Of they aren't any less stupid, superstition is superstition, regardless of label...

just like those stupid fuckers who claim the largest fucking mountain on the planet as a "sacred space" so no, you can't build a new telescope on land that was already set aside on that mountain for that purpose years ago. The fucked up part is that they don't even go up there where the telescopes are for religious reasons, and the mountain is so goddamned big you wouldn't even notice the telescopes.

http://www.tmt.org/

[Iggo]

20. "Are native American religious traditions any less stupid that Christianity, Islam or Judaism?"

No.