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Defenestrate : (V) The act of throwing someone, usually a political opponent or rival, out a window.

2nd Defenestration of Prague : During a power vacuum in the Holy Roman Empire, the Heir apparent to the imperial throne basically dictated that the Holy Roman Empire would become Catholic, revoking the tenet of freedom of religion. In response, a protestant noble leads a mob to Prague Castle, overtakes, captures, condemn as a heretic and then defenestrates two ruling Catholic Imperial Governors touching off the 30 years war between Catholics and Protestants through every country in Europe save England.


I'm guessing the preferable part is the fact that the governors were saved by the fact they landed in a large pile of manure and the pope regarded it as "proof the angels saved the lord and supported catholics." While the catholics reply was "No, it was just horse sh*t that saved them."

I respect you, as you know, Neuf, but this is incorrect. See my above post.

If a person wishes to convert, they should approach a rabbi. A rabbi is obligated to discourage a potential convert at least three times, in order to dissuade someone whose commitment is not sincere. He is also required to teach them as much about Judaism, especially the laws, as the person is able to absorb. This is because it is very hard to live as a Jew, and even harder to someone not born to it, so they should never enter into the commitment without sufficient information. "Here, sign this contract... Oh, don't read it first.," is something Judaism would never require of anyone. We insist that a person read the contract, including the fine print, before making the commitment to Judaism for themselves and all their future descendants.

Judaism also insists that a person should be made aware that, simply by associating with Jews and Judaism, he or she could become a target for anti-Jewish sentiments, laws, customs, and other disadvantages. No one should ever have to find themselves in the middle of another pogrom or holocaust without having known that it was always a possibility.

As if all that weren't enough, Judaism furthermore demands that a convert should be made to understand that there will be conflicts within his or her birth family because of the conversion. While one should always honor one's parents, for instance, they will no longer be -- in a strictly religious-legal sense only, mind you -- one's parents. One is adopted as a child of Avraham and Sarah. One's name becomes "X, son/daughter of Avraham Our Father and Sarah Our Mother." One is called to the Torah by this name, married by this name, and buried by this name.

When one's natural father or mother dies, God forbid, one may attend a funeral only if there are to be no other gods invoked (Krishna, Shiva, Jesus, Isis, Kali, Wotan... nope, none of them); and only if it is held outdoors or in an indoor facility not devoted to the worship of any particular deity -- a convention hall is fine, but not a temple, church, or mosque, for instance. One may mourn, but not in a formal Jewish fashion, unless one's parents also converted to Judaism during their lives, and one does not utter the mourner's kaddish. Attending the baptisms of newborn relatives is problematic, though it can be done, if one can sit or stand outside the room and look inside. Attending weddings, likewise: not in locations devoted to other religions. And none of these family events can be attended if they take place on the Jewish Sabbath or holidays. Given that so many people plan big events for Saturdays "so everyone can come," this may cause friction in the family. It is emotionally difficult to be a convert for these very reasons, and this is one of the strongest reasons that converts are discouraged.



No. You can learn more about the Biblical-and-modern system of atonement here.

Tell it to this guy

Thanks for the information on Judaism to both of you; that's really interesting!

Neuf: Yup. I thought my teacher was lying when we first learned that. (He'd sneak in something completely random and incorrect to make sure we were paying attention blaugh )

Although based on Catholicism, Calvinist churches did not have any statues, icons, or even stained glass. They were built kind of like lecture halls but with less glitz. Calvinism does not have the same tenants as Catholicism, other than the fact they worship the same Holy Trinity, just differently. Catholicism believes you must keep yourself pure of sin at all times to go to heaven. Calvinists believe that you're going to heaven or hell and that's God's plan. So I don't think Catholics have issues of being elect, or else, why bother going to confessional.

I'm not questioning your view, just clarifying the difference between the two.

also if you want to know more about the reformation, lemme know.

I could go on and on about puritanism.

Also... I was involved in a living history museum, I played a Rabbi from the Netherlands named Spinosa who was hired by John Endicott to teach him Hebrew as Endicott, a Puritan Separatist and Governor of the Salem Colony wanted Hebrew to be the common tounge of the people in the Americas. True Story. However Spinosa eventually went back to the Netherlands, it was to much to be the only Jew in a puritan colony. But still I took up his role.

I distinctly remember the day we have a group show up to walk around our museum, and one of the characters, also playing a puritan, noticed that one of the members of the group was a Jesuit Priest.

So he behaved as a puritan in 1530 Salem would when confronted by a Jesuit, he grabbed a pitchfork and said "off my property ya bleedin' papist!"

Much to the surprise of the tour Guide.

Then the comedy happened when the other characters pulled the old puritan away and berated him for not 'loving his neighbor.'

It was very educational.