[HANASHIR:1706] Re: the words to rise & shine

[Judy Git <hillel...>]

RIGHT ON, ADRIAN!!  I, too, think that political correctness is getting to be a
ridiculous "pulchan" in our day and age - across the board, not just within
Judaism.  I mean, how many different names have we used for blacks within my
lifetime?  Then there are "sanitation engineers."  And what engineering school
did they go to??  I believe we went from chairman or chairwoman to chairperson -
and now it's just "chair."  I don't know about you, but I don't think I'd like
to be a chair.  As for our "politically correct" liturgy - let's face it folks -
many a time it's not gender neutral - it's feminized.  That's like the so-called
bilingual education which, translated into human language means that kids are
educated in Spanish rather than English.  I, as a female human being, do not
feel in the least bit threatened by having G-d referred to as He or L-rd or king
of the universe.  You see - I know that G-d is NOT a human being and worrying
about his/her gender makes as much sense as worrying about what color eyes He
has.   So - let's chill out here.  I'm with Adrian.

(Important philsophical point to ponder:  Can Michelle row the boat as quickly
as Michael can???  Halleluyah!!)

Judy

Adrian A. Durlester wrote:

> I just gotta get my two agorot in one this one:
>
> It offends me greatly to see the words of this perfectly normal folk song
> corrupted by political correctness.
>
> If we're gonna change that, then why not:
>
> "O, Eternal won't you buy me a Mercedes Benz"
>
> "Michelle row the boat ashore, Hallelujah."
>
> "How many roads must a person walk down, before you call it a person?"
>
> I'm sorry folks. Call me insensitive. Call me a troglodyte. The human race
> has two genders. People throughout history and even now are lorded over by
> others. We may not like it, but we have to acknowledge it. Changing words
> for the sake of political correctness won't change history. And if we change
> all the language of the past, how will we ever learn from our mistakes!
>
> If you're gonna change "He" then I suggest that all use of Shechinah be
> gender neutralized too. And I want no more use of the word Malkah or avadim,
> either. If there are to be no Kings or Lords, then there should be no Queens
> or slaves.
>
> How about "all around us is a genderless manifestation of G-d?"
>
> Shall we begin all blessings with "Baruch Ata V'At?" Do we need this
> duality? The Xtians already have a Trinity. We got one G-d, who is all
> things to all people-no matter how G-d is called. Isn't that enough?
>
> Political correctness is taking over our lives. Next thing you know, the
> Tyrant Anti-Defamation League will insist we stop bad mouthing Haman and
> Hitler.
>
> When we use the ancient Hebrew words, we are not endorsing the misogynist,
> patriarchal society of our ancestors. We can let the words speak to us in
> our own time. Just as we can find understanding of the human-Divine
> relationship through the marriage metaphor of Hosea without embracing the
> male dominant society to which it was addressed (and whose sensibilities
> were likely more offended than our own by Hosea's words to them.)
>
> There won't be much left of the original language of Torah, prayers, folk
> songs, anything if we keep insisting that older works be changed to suit our
> modern sensibilities. Do we fear that by uttering these words we might begin
> to emulate our ancestors? If we do, then we have very little respect for
> ourselves.
>
> I have less of a theological problem with "additions" that make things
> inclusive (like adding imahot.) Using he/she might be awkward but it's a
> damn sight better than using "it." But I still wonder at their necessity.
>
> I ask only that you respect my right to have a differing opinion.
>
> Adrian
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: owner-hanashir (at) shamash(dot)org [mailto:owner-hanashir (at) 
> shamash(dot)org]On
> Behalf Of Ketzev2 (at) aol(dot)com
> Sent: Sunday, November 08, 1998 8:23 AM
> To: hanashir (at) shamash(dot)org
> Subject: [HANASHIR:1699] Re: the words to rise & shine
>
> I believe that there are only five (5) "official verses to this song, all
> other variations are extra, if you will.
>
> One point: In our 90's egalitarian society I've encountered a "change" that
> I
> really think works for the last line of the chorus of this song.
>
>       ".....children of One G-d!"     instead of "......Children of the
> Lord!"
>
> Try it out - Works really nicely, and we're more sensitive too!!
>
> Steve ----------------------------------------------------------------------
> --
> Adrian A. Durlester  -  durleste (at) home(dot)com
> http://members.home.net/durleste/
> Student, Vanderbilt University Divinity School
> http://divinity.lib.vanderbilt.edu/vds/vds-home.htm
> Music Director, Congregation Micah, Nashville, TN
> http://www.micahnash.org/
> Home phone (615) 646-9788
> Nextel cel-phone (615) 207-2661
> You can page me from http://www.nextel.com
> List-Owner for hanashir (at) shamash(dot)org; Co-Owner for L-Torah (at) 
> shamash(dot)org
> http://uahc.org/hanashir
> Editor, Bim Bam (for Torah Aura Productions)
> http://www.torahaura.com/
> Evening Program Chair, CAJE 23 - San Antonio TX, Aug 9-13, 1998
> http://www.caje.org
> Alternate Email: aad (at) iname(dot)com  adriand (at) aol(dot)com