03-23-2006, 03:51 PM
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->ok here's an attempt to answer my own question.
question was "how come the jews always excel at all things intellectual despite having such a lunatic basis for their ruthless religion ??"
firstly about judaism - not that you need telling, but here goes.
most of the original books and stories of Judaism is plagiarised. They took their 6 day creation story from the Enuma Elish of the Sumer and the flood myth sroty from the Gilgamesh. some of the "wisdom" of the OT is also similarly lifted from middle eastern cultures from the Tigris-Euphretes belt to the Nile (as also the Iranians who once ruled modern day iraq as well).
OT is tribal history and the god of OT does precisely what it takes to convince tribal people - wage war, kill, loot, plunder and MAKE MIRACLES happen and MAKE PROPHESIES (the word prophet comes from that - someone who makes prophesies).
if Koenraad Elst's book "a secular look at the bible" is to be believed, then most of the prophets were delusional men with or without schizophrenia. So how come a satellite culture of the Chaldeans can wield so much influence over the whole world for so long??
thats a a difficult question to answer but here are 4 reasons (there could be more) which surely are major factors.
1) GENETICS - genetics tells us that when ever there is a blood mixing, especially between two traditional intelligent peoples, we often get a few extremely smart persons. The blond and often blue eyed askhenaxi are a very god examples of this. the vast majority of jews who are at the top of their professions are ashkenazi. the present day jews have the blood of pretty much everyone - from civilizations like iraqis and egyptians, iranians and romans to progressive societies (those that have contributed to scientific progress in the last 300 years or so) like the germanics, the Rus, the slavs and celtics.
2) CIRCUMSTANCE - jews have been unlucky enough to be at the receiving end of stick ever since day one from the hellenics, romans, iranians, and then in various european countries and finally in Nazi hands. They have also been lucky enough to be parts of very flourishing empires and cities (for example, at the height of Bagdhad's glory there were lots of jews in the Chaliphate, and some very scholarly. Similarly in top european cities like Zurich and Vienna, jews were present in great numbers at those times when the cities were going through periods of great prosperity. and they were also there in Germany when germany made a metioric rise since its founding in 1870). Now both these conditions - when a tiger chases you or when you are born into a very intellectually conducive ambience - often brings out the best in people. some of the greatest jews are german jews and jews from top cities in europe like Vienna and Zurich.
3) LACK OF OPTIONS - since europeans often treated jews and 2nd and 4rd class citizens jews werent allowed to join public office and normal work. So they were forced to go for jobs like money lender or performning arts (music, drama) and craftsman's jobs.
The vice like jewish grip on banking and international finance (just to make it clear, the previous and present chairman of the US federal reserve allan greenspan and ben shalom bernanke, as also the presend and previous chairman of the world bank, paul wolfowitz and wolfhenson are all jews) comes from thie foundation stone of money lending.
The jewish monopoly on Hollywood and most other Arts based business comes from this.
and the jewish streak of excellence in business comes from the small time baker or cobblers shops that they were once forced to run.
the jews are damn good, collectively as a people, at making the best out of any situation and turning the table on circumstance. the other reason is that the constant life of peril and pogrom that they lived in europe made it very clear to them that in times of extreme crisis, one of man's best friend is money. Those who have read "Exodus" by Leon Uris, need no telling about how people like Rothschield and De Schumann managed to influence things jesu before th holocaust.
4) PSYCHIATRY - jews have been told that they are gods chosen people. from day one a jew grows up knowing that he is a special guy, that the world revolves around their people, that they were chosen by god. Any psychologist will tell you that this helps a lot and people who have been told very early in life that they are special kids always have aspirations which are far beyond normal. more of then than not these kinds of people have super ego and are megalomaniacs. they go for and often succed in pulling off very difficult things. the clasic example is Frank Loyyd Wright - who's mother believed with her heart and soul that her son was the incarnate of the irish god Teliesin and used to call him (frank loyyd wright) by as much. he grew up knowing he was god incarnate, and became one of the greatest archetects of all time.
there are other reasons - for example most jews have a relative or two who is very emminent or rich (or both) in some or the other walk of life. and thats also another reason that they have top ambitions and aspirations. the people that the jews try to emulate are more often than not very emminent and erudite.
your takes?
<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Ben ami,
I have been living in Israel for past two years.
I see Jews as anyother people. There is nothing so special about them.
I accept most of your claims that ashkenazi were forced to do money lending and living a life peril and have seen the rise and fall of great cultures and empires, that has given them the advantage.
But, Giving Genetics as a reason for jewish intelligence sounds racist.
bengurion.
question was "how come the jews always excel at all things intellectual despite having such a lunatic basis for their ruthless religion ??"
firstly about judaism - not that you need telling, but here goes.
most of the original books and stories of Judaism is plagiarised. They took their 6 day creation story from the Enuma Elish of the Sumer and the flood myth sroty from the Gilgamesh. some of the "wisdom" of the OT is also similarly lifted from middle eastern cultures from the Tigris-Euphretes belt to the Nile (as also the Iranians who once ruled modern day iraq as well).
OT is tribal history and the god of OT does precisely what it takes to convince tribal people - wage war, kill, loot, plunder and MAKE MIRACLES happen and MAKE PROPHESIES (the word prophet comes from that - someone who makes prophesies).
if Koenraad Elst's book "a secular look at the bible" is to be believed, then most of the prophets were delusional men with or without schizophrenia. So how come a satellite culture of the Chaldeans can wield so much influence over the whole world for so long??
thats a a difficult question to answer but here are 4 reasons (there could be more) which surely are major factors.
1) GENETICS - genetics tells us that when ever there is a blood mixing, especially between two traditional intelligent peoples, we often get a few extremely smart persons. The blond and often blue eyed askhenaxi are a very god examples of this. the vast majority of jews who are at the top of their professions are ashkenazi. the present day jews have the blood of pretty much everyone - from civilizations like iraqis and egyptians, iranians and romans to progressive societies (those that have contributed to scientific progress in the last 300 years or so) like the germanics, the Rus, the slavs and celtics.
2) CIRCUMSTANCE - jews have been unlucky enough to be at the receiving end of stick ever since day one from the hellenics, romans, iranians, and then in various european countries and finally in Nazi hands. They have also been lucky enough to be parts of very flourishing empires and cities (for example, at the height of Bagdhad's glory there were lots of jews in the Chaliphate, and some very scholarly. Similarly in top european cities like Zurich and Vienna, jews were present in great numbers at those times when the cities were going through periods of great prosperity. and they were also there in Germany when germany made a metioric rise since its founding in 1870). Now both these conditions - when a tiger chases you or when you are born into a very intellectually conducive ambience - often brings out the best in people. some of the greatest jews are german jews and jews from top cities in europe like Vienna and Zurich.
3) LACK OF OPTIONS - since europeans often treated jews and 2nd and 4rd class citizens jews werent allowed to join public office and normal work. So they were forced to go for jobs like money lender or performning arts (music, drama) and craftsman's jobs.
The vice like jewish grip on banking and international finance (just to make it clear, the previous and present chairman of the US federal reserve allan greenspan and ben shalom bernanke, as also the presend and previous chairman of the world bank, paul wolfowitz and wolfhenson are all jews) comes from thie foundation stone of money lending.
The jewish monopoly on Hollywood and most other Arts based business comes from this.
and the jewish streak of excellence in business comes from the small time baker or cobblers shops that they were once forced to run.
the jews are damn good, collectively as a people, at making the best out of any situation and turning the table on circumstance. the other reason is that the constant life of peril and pogrom that they lived in europe made it very clear to them that in times of extreme crisis, one of man's best friend is money. Those who have read "Exodus" by Leon Uris, need no telling about how people like Rothschield and De Schumann managed to influence things jesu before th holocaust.
4) PSYCHIATRY - jews have been told that they are gods chosen people. from day one a jew grows up knowing that he is a special guy, that the world revolves around their people, that they were chosen by god. Any psychologist will tell you that this helps a lot and people who have been told very early in life that they are special kids always have aspirations which are far beyond normal. more of then than not these kinds of people have super ego and are megalomaniacs. they go for and often succed in pulling off very difficult things. the clasic example is Frank Loyyd Wright - who's mother believed with her heart and soul that her son was the incarnate of the irish god Teliesin and used to call him (frank loyyd wright) by as much. he grew up knowing he was god incarnate, and became one of the greatest archetects of all time.
there are other reasons - for example most jews have a relative or two who is very emminent or rich (or both) in some or the other walk of life. and thats also another reason that they have top ambitions and aspirations. the people that the jews try to emulate are more often than not very emminent and erudite.
your takes?
<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Ben ami,
I have been living in Israel for past two years.
I see Jews as anyother people. There is nothing so special about them.
I accept most of your claims that ashkenazi were forced to do money lending and living a life peril and have seen the rise and fall of great cultures and empires, that has given them the advantage.
But, Giving Genetics as a reason for jewish intelligence sounds racist.
bengurion.