Biblical Scapegoating? In the aftermath of the October 7 attacks, Benjamin Netanyahu invoked a powerful biblical phrase: “Remember what Amalek has done to you.” He later clarified that he was referring to Hamas, not Palestinians as a whole. But the word itself carries a gravity that cannot be easily contained. “Amalek” is not simply anContinueContinue reading “Remember Amalek”
Category Archives: religion
“The Elephant and the Angels”: An Analysis
This essay by John Murray Cuddihy, published in Uncivil Religion: Interreligious Hostility in America (eds. Robert N. Bellah & Frederick E. Greenspahn, Crossroad, 1987), is a provocative sociological and theological critique of what Cuddihy calls “Jewish theodicy”, the way Jewish discourse handles the problem of evil, specifically anti-Semitism, and argues that this discourse carries anContinueContinue reading ““The Elephant and the Angels”: An Analysis”
Celebrating Holika
Holika comes from a Hindu myth and is connected to the spring festival Holi. The word refers to both a mythological figure and the bonfire ritual called Holika Dahan. Holika Ceremony In the legend, Holika was the sister of the demon king Hiranyakashipu. The king demanded everyone worship him instead of the god Vishnu. HisContinueContinue reading “Celebrating Holika”
Dr Bob, Brain Mechanic 