Wednesday, January 09, 2008

A New Fish to Fry

Who, pray tell, would think of writing this sentence in defense of Mormons:
Still, even among those who respect Mormons personally, it is still common to hear Mormonism’s tenets dismissed as ridiculous. This attitude is logically indefensible insofar as Mormonism is being compared with other world religions. There is nothing inherently less plausible about God’s revealing himself to an upstate New York farmer in the early years of the Republic than to the pharaoh’s changeling grandson in ancient Egypt. But what is driving the tendency to discount Joseph Smith’s revelations is not that they seem less reasonable than those of Moses; it is that the book containing them is so new.
Who would decide that Judaism should be ridiculous to those who think Mormons are ridiculous? An atheist? Yes, but say better. A Jewish atheist? Yes, but more. A Jewish atheist who hates Judaism and will try to convince as many people as possible that Judaism should be mocked? Yup. Noah Feldman.

I really really feel sad for his mom.

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