When I was growing up, we never cared about anything other than whether or not we were all going to agree on what to do that day. There were cultures among us, yes, the hoods, the smokers, The Cool Kids, the popular kids, the emos, the kids who were hippy wannabes, etc., but we never saw color. I didn’t even know what a Jew was or wasn’t until I was an adult. I decided I’m just gonna keep acting locally and love everybody that I can. Social media, no thanks. Have a Merry Christmas, Dr. Gaty!
Where I spent formative years (North NJ) maybe 20% of each class was Jewish. Our public school marked Hanukkah as well as Christmas. If you'd made remarks about Jews being evil people would have looked at you like you were insane.
It's easier for us to say things like, "the Jews do ____" or "Black people are ____" or "Israel is ____" or "America is ____" or other such generalities that are psychological more simple and chewable than the actual truth which really forces us to say things like "I don't know" or acknowledge the multi-faceted robustness of reality. This reality often contains apparently (at first glance) contradictory truths but in fact exist simultaneously.
People sometimes yammer about how the "Rothschilds", meaning, Jews, are behind all the evils of globalization. And I want to ask, how much Jewish DNA does it take to get in on the cut? Why don't my Jewish friends realize they're calling the Great Reset shots? Maybe people who think Jews really call all the shots didn't grow up near any. Like my best friend's mother, who got out of Germany before she got rounded up and sent to a death camp, and her father who had an electronic tube business that died when transistors took over, and giving him a nervous breakdown. They were people trying to raise a family, but somehow they'd be subsumed in the shadowy master class that is destroying the Church in the US. Big disconnect.
Have you already written about your coming to Christ? I would love to read it. I, too, am a late-comer Christian.
You might like Allie Beth Stuckey, also of Blaze Media, more than Whitlock. She once had a podcast against abortion that brought me to tears with her passionate plea.
Anyway, forgive me for this ineloquent question…and I totally agree with 100% of what you wrote here but it brings to mind something that’s been percolating in my thoughts lately, there are people who say that Jews are the one group that you are never allowed to criticize lest you be accused of antisemitism? I absolutely do not subscribe to any conspiracies about any group of people, least of all Jews, but I am also extremely wary about being told not to speak against someone or something whatsoever under the threat of derision/social suicide. I’ve seen this question play out in more than one comment section over the last few years, I wonder, given your unique background, if you have any clarifying thoughts? Or if you are even aware of the dynamic I am describing?
I love Allie Beth! I think if you search the archives here you can find several links to her show, I have already come out publicly as a proud “relatabro” : )
I would view it less as me coming to Christ as Christ coming to me, here’s something of an introduction to it:
Obviously you shouldn’t criticize Jews as a group. But if you know you’re not an antisemite don’t let bullies scare you away from criticizing someone who happens to be Jewish. For instance, George Soros is an atheist who despises the God of the Jews, and a Nazi collaborator who worked with Nazis to help steal Jewish property (he’s Hungarian, like my family, so fir all I know he could well have stolen our belongings). But there are certain quarters who will call you antisemitic for attacking him. I would just say ignore those quarters, they’re liars and they do far more harm than good to Jewish causes as a whole.
We’re at the point now that bad faith actors will pile on accusations of hatred, fascism, racism, white supremacy, antisemitism etc at anyone who dissents from the latest groupthink fad - before they rush out the door to attend the latest pro-Hamas rally. I’m beyond taking them seriously and advise you to mock them, too.
I’m so glad y’all liked it! No, I do not have a teen specific list, but I think all the ones I recommend should be family appropriate unless I note otherwise
I’m glad you clarified being deliberately absurd, as this Latter-day Saint loves your Substack. You may know that LDS tend to hold Jews in extremely high regard and I imagine the reverse is true as we were allowed to build the BYU Jerusalem Center. Personally, my best friend from 5th grade through high school graduation was the rabbi’s daughter. She and her family added enormous richness to my growing up years. All the best to you and Merry Christmas!
My dad (grew up LDS but we’re no longer practicing) can read Hebrew and spent some time in Jerusalem. I grew up knowing a lot of tidbits about Judaism and I just thought it was totally normal. He was always talking about how we should respect every religion regardless. It wasn’t until I was in my 30s that I heard that some “Christians” didn’t like Jews because they “killed Jesus”. It literally never crossed my mind at any point and I also don’t know any LDS person of that mindset. But recently I’ve read a lot of things online about LDS people and I have to wonder if any of these people have actually met one in real life.... LOL.
Those old movies had such beautiful classical music that seemed to just kind of wrap around the story. hey I really just got into the wardrobes, the scenery and the beautiful music. thank you for the reminder!
When I think of (non religious) Jewish people I think of George Soros as the chief among them. I don't mean to even think of him as a Jewish person but he is always brought up as Jewish when being criticized. Why is that? There is a peculiar thing about the Jewish people in that they are known as God's "Chosen". So why would anyone want to hang on to their Jewish heritage who does not believe in God? Many do. It is similar to the divide in America between the left, who seem to hate American Heritage but want to lead Americans to destroy America as it has always been known. I think it is time to call out the destruction (dark to me) side and the construction (light positive side to me) to stop the destruction, demonizing, undermining, hatemongering of all things good (light). Who wants to live in a dark, hateful, gloomy world? In my view, you have to want not see the difference in order to be unaware of it. Many scriptures (teachings of Christ) point to this very topic. I respect the Jewish people a lot for several reasons but I do see some very disturbing things among the secular part of those who call themselves Jews but do not espouse anything to do with a God. Go figure. A key trait of the dark side is continual half truths and much dishonesty accompanied by putting themselves forward falsely as caring about the masses (proletariat). They care about power.
lol I was just writing about Soros on a comment below. He is one of the biggest donors to far left wing causes so any far left winger will attack you for criticizing him, and even call you antisemitic, even though Soros himself hates Jews big time. Here’s a good article on this bad faith partisan talking point:
When I was growing up, we never cared about anything other than whether or not we were all going to agree on what to do that day. There were cultures among us, yes, the hoods, the smokers, The Cool Kids, the popular kids, the emos, the kids who were hippy wannabes, etc., but we never saw color. I didn’t even know what a Jew was or wasn’t until I was an adult. I decided I’m just gonna keep acting locally and love everybody that I can. Social media, no thanks. Have a Merry Christmas, Dr. Gaty!
Amen. Merry Christmas!
Where I spent formative years (North NJ) maybe 20% of each class was Jewish. Our public school marked Hanukkah as well as Christmas. If you'd made remarks about Jews being evil people would have looked at you like you were insane.
I get that - I’m a recovering Catholic - but I do my best not to even judge Catholics! 😜
It's easier for us to say things like, "the Jews do ____" or "Black people are ____" or "Israel is ____" or "America is ____" or other such generalities that are psychological more simple and chewable than the actual truth which really forces us to say things like "I don't know" or acknowledge the multi-faceted robustness of reality. This reality often contains apparently (at first glance) contradictory truths but in fact exist simultaneously.
People sometimes yammer about how the "Rothschilds", meaning, Jews, are behind all the evils of globalization. And I want to ask, how much Jewish DNA does it take to get in on the cut? Why don't my Jewish friends realize they're calling the Great Reset shots? Maybe people who think Jews really call all the shots didn't grow up near any. Like my best friend's mother, who got out of Germany before she got rounded up and sent to a death camp, and her father who had an electronic tube business that died when transistors took over, and giving him a nervous breakdown. They were people trying to raise a family, but somehow they'd be subsumed in the shadowy master class that is destroying the Church in the US. Big disconnect.
Have you already written about your coming to Christ? I would love to read it. I, too, am a late-comer Christian.
You might like Allie Beth Stuckey, also of Blaze Media, more than Whitlock. She once had a podcast against abortion that brought me to tears with her passionate plea.
Anyway, forgive me for this ineloquent question…and I totally agree with 100% of what you wrote here but it brings to mind something that’s been percolating in my thoughts lately, there are people who say that Jews are the one group that you are never allowed to criticize lest you be accused of antisemitism? I absolutely do not subscribe to any conspiracies about any group of people, least of all Jews, but I am also extremely wary about being told not to speak against someone or something whatsoever under the threat of derision/social suicide. I’ve seen this question play out in more than one comment section over the last few years, I wonder, given your unique background, if you have any clarifying thoughts? Or if you are even aware of the dynamic I am describing?
I love Allie Beth! I think if you search the archives here you can find several links to her show, I have already come out publicly as a proud “relatabro” : )
I would view it less as me coming to Christ as Christ coming to me, here’s something of an introduction to it:
https://gaty.substack.com/p/trans-substantiation-part-1
Obviously you shouldn’t criticize Jews as a group. But if you know you’re not an antisemite don’t let bullies scare you away from criticizing someone who happens to be Jewish. For instance, George Soros is an atheist who despises the God of the Jews, and a Nazi collaborator who worked with Nazis to help steal Jewish property (he’s Hungarian, like my family, so fir all I know he could well have stolen our belongings). But there are certain quarters who will call you antisemitic for attacking him. I would just say ignore those quarters, they’re liars and they do far more harm than good to Jewish causes as a whole.
We’re at the point now that bad faith actors will pile on accusations of hatred, fascism, racism, white supremacy, antisemitism etc at anyone who dissents from the latest groupthink fad - before they rush out the door to attend the latest pro-Hamas rally. I’m beyond taking them seriously and advise you to mock them, too.
I hope that answers your question!
Do you have somewhere a list of old movies you recommend for teens? Thanks to you we watched The Winslow Boy and all loved it.
I’m so glad y’all liked it! No, I do not have a teen specific list, but I think all the ones I recommend should be family appropriate unless I note otherwise
I’m glad you clarified being deliberately absurd, as this Latter-day Saint loves your Substack. You may know that LDS tend to hold Jews in extremely high regard and I imagine the reverse is true as we were allowed to build the BYU Jerusalem Center. Personally, my best friend from 5th grade through high school graduation was the rabbi’s daughter. She and her family added enormous richness to my growing up years. All the best to you and Merry Christmas!
My dad (grew up LDS but we’re no longer practicing) can read Hebrew and spent some time in Jerusalem. I grew up knowing a lot of tidbits about Judaism and I just thought it was totally normal. He was always talking about how we should respect every religion regardless. It wasn’t until I was in my 30s that I heard that some “Christians” didn’t like Jews because they “killed Jesus”. It literally never crossed my mind at any point and I also don’t know any LDS person of that mindset. But recently I’ve read a lot of things online about LDS people and I have to wonder if any of these people have actually met one in real life.... LOL.
Merry Christmas!
Those old movies had such beautiful classical music that seemed to just kind of wrap around the story. hey I really just got into the wardrobes, the scenery and the beautiful music. thank you for the reminder!
When I think of (non religious) Jewish people I think of George Soros as the chief among them. I don't mean to even think of him as a Jewish person but he is always brought up as Jewish when being criticized. Why is that? There is a peculiar thing about the Jewish people in that they are known as God's "Chosen". So why would anyone want to hang on to their Jewish heritage who does not believe in God? Many do. It is similar to the divide in America between the left, who seem to hate American Heritage but want to lead Americans to destroy America as it has always been known. I think it is time to call out the destruction (dark to me) side and the construction (light positive side to me) to stop the destruction, demonizing, undermining, hatemongering of all things good (light). Who wants to live in a dark, hateful, gloomy world? In my view, you have to want not see the difference in order to be unaware of it. Many scriptures (teachings of Christ) point to this very topic. I respect the Jewish people a lot for several reasons but I do see some very disturbing things among the secular part of those who call themselves Jews but do not espouse anything to do with a God. Go figure. A key trait of the dark side is continual half truths and much dishonesty accompanied by putting themselves forward falsely as caring about the masses (proletariat). They care about power.
lol I was just writing about Soros on a comment below. He is one of the biggest donors to far left wing causes so any far left winger will attack you for criticizing him, and even call you antisemitic, even though Soros himself hates Jews big time. Here’s a good article on this bad faith partisan talking point:
https://thefederalist.com/2022/11/29/for-the-left-antisemitism-is-little-more-than-a-partisan-talking-point/