Re: Dear Dr. Laura...

[Shulamit Levine <shulamit@TRANSPORT.COM>]

At 07:32 -0800 12-06-2000, Michelle Trusty-Murphy wrote:
>I agree that Dr. Laura has chosen particular passages of the Bible to follow
>and particular passages to ignore. She is a hypocrite.  Dr. Casey points out
>that hypocrisy in a sarcastic and ironic tone.  However, I have problems with
>both Dr. Laura and Dr. Casey's letter to her.

I've seen similar tactics used with Christian fundamentalist homophobes
with great success.  They don't know what how to respond when their
hypocrisy is pointed out in a humerous way.

>
>Karen Armstrong writes, in her book _A History of God_ that "every religious
>tradition tries to make God in their own image."  I think that Dr. Laura does
>her best to make God into her own image, which, of course, is a blasphemous
>act in any sense of the word.

Agreed.

>The Talmud provides an understanding of the complexity of the questions Dr.
>Casey has presented, and illustrates the tradition of questioning and
>considering the implication of every action rather than simply following words
>blindly, believing that you have, by doing so, possessed the secret of God.

The point of the letter wasn't to debate Jewish law but to point out how
hypocritical "Dr." Laura is.
>
>The Talmud's attention to questions and discussions rather than absolutes
>would provide both Dr. Laura and Dr. Casey food for thought.  While the Bible
>seems specific and clear in its words, the Talmud shows the difficulty of the
>interpretation of each word.

Dr. Casey wasn't advocating absolutes...the letter in question was using
humor and irony to show that "Dr." Laura is a blasphemous hypocrite.

>I worried deeply about Dr. Casey's now widely circulated "Dr. Laura" piece
>because it appears to suggest that Jews live in some Biblically prehistoric
>and barbarous time which allows slavery, etc.  When I showed it to a Christian
>friend of mine, she laughed--then said, "That is why Dr. Laura should be a
>Christian--she doesn't have the New Testament to guide her."

I don't agree.  I've seen the same tactics used to point out the hypocrisy
of "Christian" anti-gay groups such as the OCA...it reaches people on a
level that standard political arguments don't.  It is especially useful if
it is coupled with an analysis of the Biblical quotes in question, and in
the case of "Christian" homophobes including the "new testament" as
well...especially the stuff about not casting the first stone and "judge
not lest ye be judged."
>
>I didn't forward Dr. Casey's piece to anyone outside this listserve when I
>read it because I was aware of its possible anti-Semitic uses--even though I
>honestly do not believe that Dr. Casey would intentionally create the piece
>for that reason, or intend any possible anti-Semitic use of the piece.

I don't see that.

>Nonetheless, the anti-Jewish overtones of the Dr. Laura piece is one reason
>why it has been circulated by others so widely, and the very reason I felt I
>needed a traditional Jewish way to answer his questions when I read it.  The
>Talmud, and it's spirit of questioning and understanding of complexity, was
>the best way I knew to answer him.

The same letter has been making the rounds of Jewish email lists, and your
response is the first I've seen that considers the letter anti-Semitic.  I
see it as a tool---one among many---to counter the hate of a "Jewish"
homophobe.
>
>Clearly, Dr. Laura would not only be put in her place by a good Talmud
>reading, she would also be silenced for quite a long time--it is a very big
>book.
>
Now that's the best argument for her reading Talmud.  *G*  Anything to shut
her up before she does more damage.

>I am perplexed why you would think I was defending Dr. Laura by asking Dr.
>Casey to read the Talmud.
>

Because I saw a simple quip which I took to mean that you thought Talmud
would support "Dr". Laura's homophobia.  Had you sent this response
instead, I might have still disagreed with you but not made the same
assumption about your intent.  This second email of yours is
well-thought-out and, while I don't totally agree, it leaves room for
discussion and debate in a way that your first response doesn't.

Shulamit

Equal Rights and Equal Access:  Accept nothing less!

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mailto:shulamit@transport.com

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