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  1. L

    What would you choose?

    You're considering three places in the country to live. Unfortunately, each only offers two of the three things that are important to you, which are: Proximity to family (you like your family) Availability of jobs (two of these places are meccas for your particular field; in the other place...
  2. L

    I really wish I believed

    I don't think I believe in God anymore, but I really wish I could. I particularly wish I could believe in an afterlife. I find death extremely scary now that I don't :(
  3. L

    The order of a Friday night Shabbat service

    I'm hoping that Jewscout or any other Jewish members will add posts about how their service goes :) Here is what we do at the reform synagogue on Friday nights! I may get a few things switched around---there are so many different songs and prayers. Even our rabbi messes up from time to time :p...
  4. L

    People seem to drop anything for money.

    I read an article today in Time that I found really disturbing. It's in the issue with the cover about being 13. Anyway, there was this article describing how several other northwestern states are thinking about taking on the same emissions standards as California, which are very strict. A...
  5. L

    Is human life valued more now than it used to be?

    Is human life valued more now than it used to be a century or more ago? I think it is. A hundred years ago, 500 years ago, there were so many more hazards even in Europe and America that childhood mortality was high and the life expectancy wasn't so high. Children died on treks through...
  6. L

    What are your prejudices?

    The thread about racist remarks got me thinking about prejudices. I'm willing to bet we all have them, even if they aren't racist. There are probably a lot of people who try to be openminded, but I doubt there are many who truly have no sense of prejudice in their mind. I know I tend to be...
  7. L

    Secession

    Do you think the United States would be better off if it were to be split into a group that approves of theocracy and a group that does not? Sometimes I feel like we'd all be a lot happier if we were able to live in communities that represent our own values rather than having to put up with...
  8. L

    If your adult child were to want to convert...

    What would you do? Would you be accepting? Would you respect your child's wishes? How would you handle conflicting holidays?
  9. L

    spelling of G-d

    Why, in the siddur, is a name of G-d sometimes written yod-yod and sometimes in the tetragrammaton yet pronounced the same way in both cases?
  10. L

    How to pick a wedding date?

    So everyone keeps asking if we've set a date, and we haven't yet. But now that we both have jobs, I really want to. I'm thinking late April or early May of 2006. How do you figure out what to pick? Just pick one out of a hat of options?
  11. L

    What do you look forward to every day/week?

    What do you look forward to every day or every week? Every day I look forward to 10 pm, which is when I get in bed and read at least a chapter out of a book. Right now I'm reading an old fave from when I was a kid called On Fortune's Wheel. Every week I look forward to Friday. It's the end...
  12. L

    Tu B'Shevat

    Today is Tu B'Shevat, which basically just means "the 15th of Shevat." It's the new year for trees. Trees have a new year recognition because in Leviticus, it is said that a tree's fruit cannot be eaten for 3 years. The fourth year's fruit is a tithe to G-d. After that, you can use the fruit...
  13. L

    What's your hidden bias?

    This site is interesting--it helps you find your hidden bias by measuring how you respond (at an almost reflexive level) to stimuli. https://implicit.harvard.edu/implicit/demo/selectatest.html I haven't taken the "Judaism vs other religions" one but I probably should :) It's not always...
  14. L

    I told my mom I'm not Christian anymore

    I'm not telling her I'm exploring Judaism, but I did tell her I'm not Christian. It came up in conversation. Her reaction was pretty much what I expected..."Well, it's good you were already baptized then" and "I thought we did a good job teaching you." And I asked her whether she really...
  15. L

    snooping ethics

    If you say something bad about someone to a friend, and the person you were talking about deliberately snoops in order to find out, who is in the wrong? Should you feel guilty? Is it worse to say something mean (though not untrue) about someone to a friend, or to go through someone's private...
  16. L

    What's your secret dream?

    Do you have a secret dream that you haven't told anyone? My secret dream is to act. I want to play Beatrice in Much Ado About Nothing. I don't have any idea how to do this, but that sure would be exciting.
  17. L

    My first Shabbat

    Just in case anyone was wondering what it's like! My fiance and I went to a Reform synagogue not too far from where we live. There was a really large menorah up front, and when everyone had mostly arrived and sat down, the Rabbi (a woman! how cool!) called everyone up to bring a menorah...
  18. L

    Is Christmas secular?

    Is Christmas secular? Should it be celebrated by non-Christians? To what extent are holiday decorations, lights, poinsettias, and Christmas trees religious symbols? If you belong to another faith group, do you celebrate Christmas? Why or why not?
  19. L

    Are you afraid of a higher power?

    For those of you who believe in a higher power (or those who don't and want to weigh in, of course!). Are you ever afraid of this entity (or non-entity)? Do you feel like you just can't be "good" enough? I find that a lot of times I feel like I can't possibly live up to the moral standards...
  20. L

    jewish religion and culture

    One of the religions I'm seriously considering looking into is Reform Judaism. I was just wondering, for those of you who chose Judaism: What is it like to be a part of a religion so closely tied to culture? In the US of course, there is such a strong Ashkenazic (sp?) culture. Is it hard to...
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