abe smith

Compare this thread w/ the other current one here at Infidels about "define 'murder'."

As all definitions and especially all LEGAL definitions are
MAN-MADE. therefore (as w/ all others) the meaning of the label "Jew/Jewish" is determined by the person/s or (human) agency who defines it.
Any attempt (therefore)
here at Infidels by earnest (young) thinkers to nail-down a "true" and "real" definition of "Jew" or of any other term/label is feckless.
I am NOT certain, but some legislators define a "Jew" as the (natural = body-born )child of a "Jewish" mother..... and that leads you to infinite regress.... I believe the sovereign state of Israel does have a legal definition of the term "Jew"; you could look it up....

fando

I unerstand this need, which is something I wanted to address. Briefly, the term Jewish is something which was defined by others who had no good will towards the Jewish people. If you had a certain kind of last name, or looked a certain way, you were branded Jewish regardless of how you saw yourself. And because of the tragic events of the first half of the last century, everyone so defined naturally picked up a feeling of oneness. The problem with this is that descendants who don't feel part of that oneness cannot escape from it, and those who weren't part of that oneness to begin with have the most difficult time joining. It is for these people that I weep.

Janaya

I think that in the past certain labeling 'boxes' would apply, since usually no one traveled very far from their homes. And 'usually' you could lump reilgious belief, ethnicity, and nationality together into an all encompassing label. However, times have changed. It is very difficult nowadays to define someone by just one term or descriptor or definition. Has our ability to evolve/differentiate grown faster than our ability to label such? I think so. Or maybe technology has enabled us to see so many 'exceptions' to the 'rule'. Hmmm. Maybe it's time to invent some new terms/names/labels? Or is that really necessary? Perhaps we only to throw off the past and see all people as individuals? Perhaps we need to reserve judgement until said individuals have expressed their opinion to current issues. Hmmmm.



(damn, I am thinking a lot since joining this board...my head hurts...lol)