Шутка Славика навеяла воспоминание. (ch)
Когда я переехала в свою нынешнюю квартиру (в почти полностью еврейском доме) на косяке входной двери был след от предыдущей мезузы, и я подумала, не проявить ли мне солидарность с народом и повесить туда новую.
Но мне было важно знать, что же за текст там кроется внутри. И я начала расспрашивать всех религиозных знакомых. Выяснилось, что текст о том, как надо угождать богу (путем соблюдений некоторых ритуалов), и бог позаботится о тебе. А вот если ты не прислушаешься ко всем этим правилам, бог тебя накажет.
Не повесила я мезузу.
Я плохо реагирую на ультиматумы.

Значит так - я мезузу повесила, и обо мне Б-г позаботился. :-P
Now, почему Б-г "позаботился" о Рабиновиче фиг его знает...*-)

I think that any religious paraphernalia flaunted into fellow man's face is the sign of hypocrisy. The SPIRITUAL relationship with God cannot be presented by a shmata on your head or an outfit or a trinket on your door or on your neck. Anyone who feels closer to God by following a ritual actually proves the weakness of his faith because he works hard on showing his faith to others.
The only reasonable explanation I have of the rituals is to feel the sense of belonging to the group of like-minded individuals. The only reason my husband nailed a mezuza to the door (after TEN years of us having it) is because an ethnic Ukrainian was coming over for dinner. Just to warn a visitor, "You see this? Now, don't say what I think you could be thinking!" We had a pleasant evening.
And if we should be afraid of God's wrath (and hang a thingie on the door), let me quote Elie Weisel, "Fear not God's wrath, but His indifference."

My mother was very proud of me that day. Just so it's clear it was a Canadian-born Ukrainian, if you know what I mean.

__________________
Хочу лето (или нормальную зиму)

I think that any religious paraphernalia flaunted into fellow man'sface is the sign of hypocrisy. The SPIRITUAL relationship with Godcannot be presented by a shmata on your head or an outfit or a trinketon your door or on your neck
1. Why is it a hypocracy?
2. How do you develop a "spiritual relationship with God" if not through religion? Religion is the vehicle to God...

The only reason my husband nailed a mezuza to the door (after TEN yearsof us having it) is because an ethnic Ukrainian was coming over fordinner.
I am not getting this motivation. What exactly were you trying to demonstrate to him? (md)

Religion is the vehicle to God...
See, that's nonsense. If God is omniscient and omnipotent, then he is everywhere. In every particle of the universe he exists. He is as much inside the house of worship as he is inside an ocean trench. God shouldn't need a car to come to you, the faithful, because he's inside you already. A priest is, thus, useless, because he is no more filled with His presence than you are.

You are right - he is everywhere, but how do you develop a relationship with him? Why do we need him (or the relationship with him) at all from your point of you?
If you want to spiritally evolve, how do you measure your evolvement if not through religion?

В этом и содержится проблема организованной религии: люди погрязают в ритуалах, ошибочно полагая, что одно их соблюдение и делает их праведными, совершенно при этом пренебрегая такими понятиями, как элементарная доброта.
I was once in a Hasidic neighborhood, and I had an hour or two to kill. I knew there was a library somewhere around, but didn't know exactly where. So I asked this elderly woman if she could direct me to it. Она окинула меня этаким высокомерно-осуждающим взглядом (и я даже не была при этом как-то вызывающе одета, unless you consider jeans and a body-hugging top to be such), и процедила сквозь зубы, что не знает. А ведь это человек на закате своей жизни. Который ни-че-му за всю жизнь шаббатов и кашрута не научился.

If you choose to develop and evolve your relationship with god, then why would you choose to do so through the fallacy of man-made church? The scriptures weren't faxed here from heaven. How do you REALLY know that God's listening? because some rabbi told someone to say it five thousand years ago?
And I mostly certainly wouldn't measure the evolution of faith by the length of my skirt or by the number of Hail Marys or by the amount of infidels I kill.