The End of the World As We Know It

Rapture Cartoon, originally uploaded by rbtenorio.

Today is May 21, 2011, which some folks would have us believe is the Rapture and the end of the world. But how exactly will it happen? The Devil has all the answers in the latest episode of "The Devil Made Me Blog It"!

Can Horus Help Hosni?

Egyptian Gods cartoon, originally uploaded by rbtenorio.

Satan journeys into the realm of the ancient Egyptian gods -- the falcon god Horus, the cat god Bastet and the jackal god Anubis among them -- to try to bail out the modern Egyptian dictator Hosni Mubarak in the latest episode of "The Devil Made Me Blog It"!

Midterm Mariachis for Democrats

Dia de los Muertos, originally uploaded by rbtenorio.

Two major occasions are coming up soon -- the Mexican festival of El Dia de los Muertos and the American festival of Election Day. Satan persuades Frank Faust that once the partying is over, the Democratic Party will defy the pundits' predictions and be alive and kicking. Read more in the latest episode of "The Devil Made Me Blog It"!

Should Ground Zero Mosque Relocate?

NYC Mosque cartoon, originally uploaded by rbtenorio.

The move to build a mosque near Ground Zero has drawn criticism from the Right, cautious approval from the Left, and an attempt at compromise from New York Gov. David Paterson. Now it's Satan and Frank Faust's turn to weigh in ... in the latest episode of "The Devil Made Me Blog It"!

An Aztec View on Drug War, World Cup

Aztec Cartoon, originally uploaded by rbtenorio.

In this corner, we have Satan, the scourge of morality in the Judeo-Christian world. And in this corner, we have Quetzalcoatl, the Aztec god whom Emperor Montezuma II fatally confused with Spanish conquistador Hernan Cortes. The two deities journey into an Aztec world of jaguars, pyramids and plumed serpents to talk contemporary Mexican problems -- and a little World Cup soccer on the way -- in an "interfaith" episode of "The Devil (And Quetzalcoatl) Made Me Blog It"!

Forgetting the Fundamentals

The relationship between the Secular Left and the Religious Right often resembles a battlefield. And the Left needs to know when to call a cease-fire and recognize opportunities for alliance-building, not ideological warfare.
This came to mind on an issue that is bitterly contested between American liberals and conservatives: The Israel-Palestine conflict. The Left has shown a tendency to demonize its opponents without realizing that some of those foes might actually share liberal goals.
Last week, in the New York Review of Books, Peter Beinart bemoaned that young liberal American Jews have lost their parents' identification with Israel and Zionism. Yet this became an unfair jeremiad against young American Jews whose identification with Israel and Zionism is strong: the Orthodox, who tend to be more right-wing.
Beinart's description of liberal young'uns shows his bias. "Because they have inherited their parents’ liberalism, they cannot embrace their uncritical Zionism," he writes. "Because their liberalism is real, they can see that the liberalism of the American Jewish establishment is fake." The assumption is that only young liberals can be so perceptive, so discerning.
Of course, Beinart ignores the fact that Israeli conservatives have worked quite well on occasion in forging peace deals with their Mideast neighbors. It was, after all, the former Irgun terrorist/prime minister Menachem Begin who signed the historic accord with Egypt ... and the former Lebanon warmonger/prime minister Ariel Sharon who got the settlers out of Gaza.
Yes, current prospects on the right, whether in Israel or the US, do not look terribly appetizing, especially with unsavory characters like Avigdor Lieberman holding power in Israel. If young liberal American Jews turn away from Israel and Zionism as a result, and the leadership vacuum is filled with more bellicose voices, then what could result is Beinart's nightmare scenario of "an American Zionist movement that does not even feign concern for Palestinian dignity and a broader American Jewish population that does not even feign concern for Israel."
If the liberal movements in both the US and Israel want to reverse this trend, they should stop demonizing the right-wingers and seek common ground with them toward a peaceful future. If Begin and Sharon found paths to peace, there is no reason why today's right-wingers can't do the same. Here's a thought: Maybe whoever buys the wine for Orthodox services in Israel and the US could get it from Cremisan Cellars, a winery located on the border between Jerusalem and the West Bank. Such small yet significant steps could help move both Left and Right in the direction of a peaceful future.

Sharansky: Power to the Peoplehood

Natan Sharansky, the former Russian refusenik and Israeli Cabinet member and the new head of the Jewish Agency, has a mission: Peoplehood. He wants Jews to think more about themselves as a worldwide people and less about the religious and Israel-connected aspects of Judaism. Reports the Forward:

(Sharansky) and a tight group of ideological allies … believe that the Jewish Agency must now become a global promoter of Jewish identity, particularly among the young. Peoplehood, according to its proponents, is defined as a sense of connectivity between Jews who share a common history and fate.

This could spark the biggest redefinition of Jewish identity since Moses came down from Mount Sinai, and it seems like a positive step. The Diaspora scattered us across the globe, and its effects keep us disunited today. Most of my coreligionists in the greater Boston area of Massachusetts are fellow Ashkenazim and not Sephardim or Mizrahis. When I think Jewish cuisine, I imagine bagels, lox and latkes instead of a Mediterranean meze. There are differences in how the different strands of my people celebrate holidays, but I couldn’t tell you what those differences are.
That said, Jewish organizations in Greater Boston have taken laudable measures to welcome Jews from other countries into the community. Several years ago, an Ethiopian Jew working in the Boston area spoke about her heritage at the Vilna Shul. The Boston Jewish community has also come together to mark the anniversary of the tragic bombing of a Jewish center in Buenos Aires, Argentina. These steps are heartening, for belonging to a people implies a sense of collective care, and we can’t care about each other if we don’t know about each other: who we are, where we live, how we worship. (Argentina was No. 7 on the list of countries with the largest Jewish populations in a 2006 study.) More steps in this direction would certainly be welcome.
What is troubling, though, about Sharansky’s idea of peoplehood is that it “is not predicated on having any kind of religious or spiritual identity,” the Forward reports. One possibility for this is rooted in Sharansky’s own experiences in Israel. In “Israel at Sixty: An Oral History of a Nation Reborn,” he said:

(There) are so many groups that belong to different worlds that religion becomes not something that unites us with the generations before and with our future, but a political tool that divides people, a lack of tolerance among different groups…

Yet it seems that if Sharansky encourages Jews worldwide to think of ourselves as one people across many cultures, he can similarly encourage us to think of ourselves as one people across many religious wavelengths. No matter where we are today, our ancestors were there in some form when Moses recited the Ten Commandments. (Whether they heeded them or not is another story.)
Overall, though, Sharansky’s idea deserves praise. The Diaspora may have scattered us, but appreciating our cultural diversity can bring us back together.

The Sins of Leviticus

Leviticus Cartoon, originally uploaded by rbtenorio.

What is the right way to respond to outdated and/or offensive ideas about religion? This question came up for me this past weekend, as the Torah portion discussed in synagogue services, Kedoshim, came from the Book of Leviticus and included the infamous anti-gay Chapter 18. Satan and Frank Faust have more to say in the latest episode of "The Devil Made Me Blog It"!

Sarah Palin, Queen Esther & Strong Women

Palin Purim Cartoon, originally uploaded by rbtenorio.

During her political career, Sarah Palin has considered the role of women in the public sphere, saying of current Secretary of State Hillary Clinton:

Compared to the guys she squared off against, a lot of her supporters think she proved what Margaret Thatcher proclaimed: 'If you want something said, ask a man. If you want something done, ask a woman.'

Perhaps Palin should also look beyond 20th and 21st-century leaders like Thatcher and Clinton for proof of this statement -- and consider, say, the story of Queen Esther, heroine of the Jewish holiday Purim, which I celebrated this past Saturday. Read more in this week's cartoon.

Sarah Palin and Chanukah

Palin Chanukah Cartoon, originally uploaded by rbtenorio.

We've already heard one Republican's take on Chanukah -- Sen. Orrin Hatch of Utah. What words of wisdom might Sarah Palin have to offer? Find out in the latest episode of "The Devil Made Me Blog It"!

Joe Wilson, Serena Williams, Kanye West and Yom Kippur

Yom Kippur 2009 Cartoon, originally uploaded by rbtenorio.

Much ink has already been spilled in writing about the sins of Joe Wilson, Serena Williams and Kanye West. Now it's time for God and Mephistopheles to voice their views, in a special Yom Kippur-themed edition of "The Devil Made Me Blog It"!

Obama's Purpose-Driven Inaugural

Rick Warren Cartoon
Originally uploaded by rbtenorio

President-elect Barack Obama has chosen Pastor Rick Warren to deliver the invocation at Obama's inaugural. Does this represent a betrayal to Obama's supporters? Satan and his liberal pal discuss this in the latest episode of "The Devil Made Me Blog It"!

God endorses Obama

God Cartoon
Originally uploaded by rbtenorio

It's Election Day, and a process that started going into motion two years ago is approaching its end. For this historic occasion, I've brought together two experienced pundits -- namely, God and Satan -- to talk about the final stages of the campaign and, of course, which candidate they prefer. Find out more in the latest episode of "The Devil Made Me Blog It"!

Ruminations and reflections

Welcome to the first installment of my weekly R&R ... only this R&R stands for "Ruminations and Reflections." I'd like to make this a Wednesday feature. Here goes:
At sunset on Tuesday, my muse and I went to an interfaith event at Harvard University. Muslim students had an opportunity to hear the Iftar prayers recited during the month of Ramadan. About 50 students came to worship. After the service, everyone got to sample Middle Eastern cuisine. Members of student cultural groups performed in concert, and then the audience listened to an address from Sally Quinn, founder and co-moderator of the "On Faith" blog hosted by Newsweek and the Washington Post. Quinn reflected on the role of religion in contemporary culture, criticizing right-wing fundamentalism and encouraging students to learn more about religion in general.
I appreciated that Harvard made room for religion; it's a subject on which the United States needs to stay up-to-date.