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From: mcdaniel@uiucdcsb.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.religion.jewish
Subject: Re: Afterlife
Message-ID: <27400007@uiucdcsb.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 19-Nov-84 19:39:00 EST
Article-I.D.: uiucdcsb.27400007
Posted: Mon Nov 19 19:39:00 1984
Date-Received: Wed, 21-Nov-84 01:03:09 EST
References: <1902@pegasus.UUCP>
Lines: 63
Nf-ID: #R:pegasus:-190200:uiucdcsb:27400007:000:2766
Nf-From: uiucdcsb!mcdaniel    Nov 19 18:39:00 1984

I posted the original question.  I received exactly one (1) reply, by
private mail.  (I wonder why there were no more replies -- was I
offensive? was it a simple-minded question?)  Anyway, here's an excerpt:

======================================================================

From ihnp4!ihuxs!megann Sun Oct 28 00:04:03 1984
Apparently-To: !uiucdcs!mcdaniel
Status: RO

[In my orginal posting, I mentioned that I am not Jewish, and asked
"well, how many Jews do YOU know named McDaniel?"  I should have
known better!]
hi there tim.  i saw your posting in net.religion.jewish,
and couldn't resist replying.  you see, my name is mcroberts,
and i AM jewish, although a jew by choice, which is a nice
euphemism for a convert.  but, i do know a family in dayton,
ohio by the name of mcdime who are quite jewish from quite
far back.  so what's in a name?

anyhow, i hope you'll get more definitive answers to your
question about jewish views of the afterlife.  the major
one has to do with the messiah coming and ushering in the
messianic age.  at that point, it is believed that the
"righteous of all the nations" will be resurrected and live
together in perfect utopian bliss.  the covenant of noah
will be in effect (which includes only a vegetarian diet --
because of that, a little-known tradition that animals should
be fed before people eat, like family pets, in anticipation
of the messianic times when we will live in total peace
with the animal kingdom as well -- guess what?  i'm also
an animal lover.)

as for what happens to those who die in the meantime, my
impression is that we sort of punt a lot.  some standard
phrases include things like "the l--d wouldn't create
people just to destroy them again."  of course, jewish
thought is vehemently against any notion of doing good
deeds in hope of a reward (good deeds are to be done 
because of their intrinsic value), so one loses the whole
christian folklore of "be good so you can go to heaven."
but, if you push it far enough, that's probably not held
to completely, either.
. . .

=================================================================

So that's all I received about it.  C'est la vie.

------------------
If I am obnoxious or if I flame, please find it in your heart to forgive me.
If I am confused, ignorant, or wrong, please gently enlighten or correct me.

UNIX is a trademark of ATT.  VAX and PDP are trademarks of Digital
Equipment Corp.  The opinions expressed above are my own, and are not
in any way indicative of the opinions of any other entity or group of
entities in this universe.  Void where taxed or prohibited by law.
This space for rent.  She bop, she bop.

Tim McDaniel
Usenet: ...{pur-ee|ihnp4|convex}!uiucdcs!mcdaniel
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