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Monday, August 28, 2006

Revenge of the Skeptic

I’ve been meaning to write this post, for a few days now, but after I watched a certain movie, last night, it pushed me to write it today. Actually, its this movie that has a lot to do with the post. If anyone has been following, there is a certain blogger out there, that has gone through quite a transformation. If you recall, this blogger started out by nailing it down hard on a segment of the Charedi community, especially those involved in the Slifkin ban. And he did it quite well. A large readership formed. At the same time, many discussions transpired about certain difficulties reconciling science and Torah. The threads were spectacular. Some of us heard things we never heard before. Things that were probably never going to be mentioned on the outside. He captivated us with us brute honesty and willingness to tackle these issues. Many people emailed him to thank him for enhancing their emunah. Many people considered him the champion that was going to once and for all bring orthodoxy back to its greatness. There was something in him we never saw before. Of course, that was the beginning.

Fast forward it about a year (or more), and things started to change. Answers to questions were stopping. Atheists and skeptics started taking over. Where once was light, clouds were starting to come in. Commenters witnessed spontaneous bursts of anger due to frustration. Some of us were beginning to see where this might lead… but we had hope. The greatest of the J-bloggers would lead us on. But, others felt there was a dark influence on him from behind. Slowly, from the blog shadows, whispering in his ears that his current life was a lie. Of course, we can’t prove it, but whats for certain is that we all started seeing a change. A change we did not want to see. This was going on for a while. Fighting to sustain some sort of sanity between faith and reason.

But alas, the “other” side had at last ensnared him. A much different blogger rose full of rage and frustration. He is almost non-recognizable, almost a machine. A lot even consider him a menace now more than ever. To top it all, his name was changed.

I’m sure everyone has guessed to what movie this whole situation reminds me of. (No, no, not Grease). I’m also sure everyone recalled that there was a happy ending at the end of everything. And like the movies, I still have hope. Hope that everything will turn around once again for him. I have hope that some sort of answer will be found for some of those questions that ache us…especially for him. I have hope that there WILL be a happy ending.



In the meantime, all attempts to destroy him (metaphorically) are highly encouraged :P

14 comments:

  1. Two questions:

    1) What movie is it?
    2) What on Earth are you talking about?

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  2. 2) If you don't know what he's talking about, you probably don't read the blog he is referring to.

    HH - You already know what I think of this post, I believe.

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  3. Snakes on a Plane!!!

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  4. I assumed he was referring to GH. If that's the case, I don't understand remarks such as

    Hope that everything will turn around once again for him. I have hope that some sort of answer will be found for some of those questions that ache us... especially for him. I have hope that there WILL be a happy ending.

    Do we have any reason to think he's in such bad shape? Or is this just a provocation to get him started blogging again?

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  5. Do we have any reason to think he's in such bad shape?

    I can't speak for HH, but I think that to some extent, the answer is yes.

    Or is this just a provocation to get him started blogging again?

    Not at all. I think that would probably be disastrous for him.

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  6. When you hang around with skeptics and cynics, and they dominate all the conversations, you've got to expect it to rub off.

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  7. אַשְׁרֵי הָאִישׁ אֲשֶׁר לֹא הָלַךְ, בַּעֲצַת רְשָׁעִים;
    וּבְדֶרֶךְ חַטָּאִים, לֹא עָמָד וּבְמוֹשַׁב לֵצִים, לֹא יָשָׁב.

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  8. Is it that they dominate the conversation, or is it that they raise questions that are extremely difficult for the believer to answer? I think that the individual who is drawn to pursue Truth will have to expose themselves to skeptical thought and deal with the consequences. Every great thinker since Hume has had to deal with this, and a lot of wonderful insights have come out of the ensuing struggle. When people bury their heads in the sand and run away from the struggle, you get no insights, no progress, no Truth. You get nothing.

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  9. Gil, Chardal - Both correct.

    Is it that they dominate the conversation, or is it that they raise questions that are extremely difficult for the believer to answer?

    It's both. They raise difficult questions, then dominate the discussion. There's no real chance for a good, sound thought to come across - especially on a blog where cynicism and sarcasm reigns.

    When people bury their heads in the sand and run away from the struggle, you get no insights, no progress, no Truth. You get nothing.

    That's true, but that's not the situation here. Discussions about such serious subjects require thought, honesty, and an allowance for people to make coherent thoughts. Throwaway lines, sarcasm, cynicism, and mockery - along with the tendency of people to take one small issue and throw away a series of worthwhile thoughts - don't add anything to discussion. That people are not interested in getting involved in a mudfight does not mean they are 'burying their heads in the sand' - they simply think that getting involved is a huge waste of time.

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  10. Sheesh people. Its Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith.

    Some Guy: I was referring to the fact that at the end of the whole Star Wars trilogy, Vader returned to being Anakin. And therefore I have hope for him.

    Do we have any reason to think he's in such bad shape?

    yes I do.

    Or is this just a provocation to get him started blogging again?

    No way. He needs a major break.

    Also, I agree with you that many questions arise that people cannot answer, and if you want to search for truth, some things might might come up that you were not prepared for. But I also agree with Gil that sometimes just hanging around with the skeptics is not the best idea. Not because they are all kofers and going after your "yetzer hara," but because many times people just puppet what the skeptics are saying without really learning or investigating all the evidence for themselves. They assume just because they are tearing at your arguments, they are necassarily correct in what they bring up as evidence. I for one, am just as guilty for that.

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  11. they simply think that getting involved is a huge waste of time.

    Most of the blogosphere is a huge waste of time, but I think many people don't get involved in such discussions because it's safer not to get involved. If you just talk to like-minded people, you don't need to expose any of your core beliefs to scrutiny.

    But anyway, I really liked GH's blog. I haven't stopped being a skeptic as a result of what I read there, but I started reading some Jewish books again (even if just Berkovitz and Jacobs and Ralbag), and I even started learning a little with a chavrusah. (Cause I felt seriously outclassed by some of the people who posted there.)

    I had previously kind of given up on the existence of intelligent Jewish thought, and now I see there are a few people out there who are both honest and intelligent, including GH. So I think his blog was a great benefit for me and my connection to religion (such as it is). That's why I was sorry to see it go.

    I'm sorry if he's feeling down right now, for whatever reasons. When I had my own skeptical break, I also felt really shitty for a while. But I think since he's settled and married and all, he will probably start feeling better after a bit.

    Personally, I hope someday that he writes a book, cause he has a lot to say, and he says it well. He could really speak to people who are wondering how to remain connected, but just cannot believe the stories they've been told. I think there are ways to do this, and some of his posts were beginning to illuminate the matter.

    Every definition of God brings about heresy, every definition is spiritual idolatry; even attributing to Him intellect and will, even the term divine, the term God, suffers from the limitations of definition. Except for the keen awareness that all these are but sparkling flashes of what cannot be defined these, too, would engender heresy. (Kook)

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  12. Most of the blogosphere is a huge waste of time, but I think many people don't get involved in such discussions because it's safer not to get involved. If you just talk to like-minded people, you don't need to expose any of your core beliefs to scrutiny.

    Sorry, but no. Why should a person who otherwise is never on blogs waste his/her time answering the questions of a cynical, sarcastic blogger who seems to be more interested in poking fun than in having serious discussion? On a blog filled with people who sometimes spew stuff that they know nothing about, or mock anyone before they can get a full thought on screen? It has nothing to do with safer for these people. They expose themselves to non-"like-minded" people on a regular basis.

    But anyway, I really liked GH's blog.

    Me too, though it started to fade the last couple of months. I also started learning a lot more Torah than I had in a while, somewhat for the same reasons as you.

    I had previously kind of given up on the existence of intelligent Jewish thought, and now I see there are a few people out there who are both honest and intelligent, including GH. So I think his blog was a great benefit for me and my connection to religion (such as it is).

    I had a convo about this with someone almost a year ago. I ran into him in Baltimore, and he said, "It's nice to see that there are some people out there who actually think." I agreed. I think that this fell away as the blog descended the last couple of months, and that's why I think that for now, GH (and probably a couple of others) are better off that he's not running that blog right now.

    Great quote. :)

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  13. Someguy,

    I don't think that it is fear. There are other inteligent blogs where these things are brought up. Onthemainline and yediah, for example, but the conversation there never desolves into the cynical mess that GH engendered.

    I don't think it is fear since most of the people commenting have interactions with people who are not like minded every day - I know I do. I think the issue is that nobody wants to be mocked by cynics and subtle and inteligent people don't really want to use the format of the blog thread to communicate subtle ideas and philosophies - especially when the cynics have already decided that all who do not abide by the standards of scientific skepticism are nothing but fools.

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  14. I read Onthemainline and yediah, and I love both, but they were not the same as GH. Why? Well, for the most part they are both academic. You can exchange some interesting intellectual thoughts there. But GH was more about "how can I reconcile my reason with my religion." The kind of discussion he offered I have not seen anywhere else, via any medium.

    If it's a choice between communicating subtle philosophies via a blog, or not communicating them at all, I would encourage people to blog it out as best they can. IMHO, a lot of people think they have deep and subtle philosophies, but when they try to put them in writing, they fall flat on their faces. (I include myself in that group.) The only way to find out is to lay it out, and let people try to shoot it down.

    While I don't generally encourage people to ridicule others (and I try not to do that, although I know I sometimes fail), sometimes poking a little fun or giving a silly reductio can make someone see an your point in the quickest fashion.

    Anyway, gut shabbos to all.

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