So far (and I've read only the first couple of paragraphs), it doesn't seem to me to even be a good critique of Calvinism.
So, I haven't yet got to what this fellow says about Judaism's take on the human condition. But it is my understanding that Judaism posits something analogous to the Christian doctrine of "original sin."
Judaism (so I understand) posits that mankind has a dual nature ... I'm not talking about mind-body dualism, here ... as created by God -- one nature is called 'Yetzer HaRa' the other 'Yetzer HaTov.' The term 'Yetzer HaRa' is frequently translated as "the evil inclination" (though, that can be misleading if you go only by the words) and 'Yetzer HaTov' as "the good inclination."
Here is what Wikipedia (keep in mind the source) says about 'Yetzer HaRa.'
So, the Jewish concept of 'Yetzer HaRa' is analogous to the Christian doctrine of "original sin;" like it in some ways, different in others. The most important difference being that the "evil inclination" nature (of the two natures we possess) is not the result of "the Fall," but rather how God created us from the first.
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I think it's more a critique of calvinism than it is of christianity.
So far (and I've read only the first couple of paragraphs), it doesn't seem to me to even be a good critique of Calvinism.
So, I haven't yet got to what this fellow says about Judaism's take on the human condition. But it is my understanding that Judaism posits something analogous to the Christian doctrine of "original sin."
pshasw!
Judaism (so I understand) posits that mankind has a dual nature ... I'm not talking about mind-body dualism, here ... as created by God -- one nature is called 'Yetzer HaRa' the other 'Yetzer HaTov.' The term 'Yetzer HaRa' is frequently translated as "the evil inclination" (though, that can be misleading if you go only by the words) and 'Yetzer HaTov' as "the good inclination."
Here is what Wikipedia (keep in mind the source) says about 'Yetzer HaRa.'
Reading this fellow, expecting to learn anything from him, is a waste of time. That's the best that can be said of this.
So, the Jewish concept of 'Yetzer HaRa' is analogous to the Christian doctrine of "original sin;" like it in some ways, different in others. The most important difference being that the "evil inclination" nature (of the two natures we possess) is not the result of "the Fall," but rather how God created us from the first.
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