Jewish storytellers and religion

[VitaMan]

Jewish people have been prolific storytellers, overly represented in Hollywood circles since the 1920's, and well represented in other mainstream entertainment.


Is this an extension of the stories that were created in the Old Testament, when God helped them out during their struggles ? Hundreds of other cultures have created their own religious stories, but the Jews seem to be the best at it.

[Slitlikr]

My favorite jew created the dugout stare.

[bb1961]

My fav...Sammy Davis Jr.
A convert... he found
commonality between black
oppression and Jewish communities???

[romroos]

Originally Posted by Slitlikr

My favorite jew created the dugout stare.

+1

[Pbmgd]

In my opinion, this doesn't come from the religion per se but is a result of centuries of pretty shitty history for the Jewish people, especially in Europe. With the exception of a couple hundred years in Spain under the Moors, it's pretty much been discrimination, subjugation and persecution to varying degrees under the Babylonians, Egyptians, Greeks, Romans, Ottomans, various monarchs in Europe, etc. Not to mention more recent history: pogroms in Tsarist Russia, Holocaust by the Nazis, repression under the Soviets. Through it all, Jews used entertainment, often humor, to satirize, make sense of and cope with the often hostile world they lived in. Therefore, entertainment has been a very important part of Jewish culture for centuries. So they have gravitated to it in America.

And yes, Alex Bregman is awesome.

[VitaMan]

I am not a student of religion. But it seems to be when you come with the proposition that God chose us, and all the stuff in the Old Testament, you are not going to have an easy time of it. It means everybody else are just animals. More wars have been fought, and more people have been killed, by religious differences than for any other reason.


A modern parable is the European soccer teams, or even the US sports teams. You show up at the opposing team stadium with the wrong color jersey, and you can be in a lot of trouble.



Christianity has had an easier time of it, at least getting converts. When you have the twin marketing tools of eternal life if you sign up, or burn in hell if you don't sign up, you get a lot of people to sign up.


The Catholic church is the best organized business in the world. Local franchises, local managers, regional managers, all the way to the CEO. Better organized than IBM.



You have to believe in something. If not.....nothing matters. Soon you will be gone.

[bb1961]

[QUOTE=VitaMan;1060867364]



Christianity has had an easier time of it, at least getting converts. When you have the twin marketing tools of eternal life if you sign up, or burn in hell if you don't sign up, you get a lot of people to sign up.

Is this akin to islam...the 21 virgins...who wouldn't want that??
Don't covert and...DEATH TO THE INFIDELS...
I don't remember this in the Christian doctrine...

[kehaar]

More wars have been fought, and more people have been killed, by religious differences than for any other reason.

This is a myth, unless you consider communism/socialism a religion(which I do).

Hitler, Stalin, Mao, Pol Pot, Chavez, etc. butchered and starved far more people than have died in wars of religious origin, particularly Christianity originated.

If small religious wars were to be counted, one would have to count tribal wars(mostly non-religious), as well. There were probably more wars in New Zealand in the relatively short time frame of its human occupation than there have been "religous" wars world wide.

That being said, humans with a thirst for power will use any means necessary to gain that power. Religion is one of the more powerful motivators. But its use in that manner is a human thing, not unlike the yearning for socialism.

Christianity(the teaching of Jesus, not the worship of the old testament) clearly does not teach that war is a means to the end. Many others(old testament beliefs, islam, Shintoism, etc) clearly proffer it as a means to their final acceptance.