So call it nationality. The point is, the thing that makes a Jew a Jew, even if he or she doesn't practice the religion, has to do with whether or not his or her mother is a Jew, or whether or not the person in question converted to Judaism (a true conversion). This is the traditional view by Jewish law. So if you don't want to call it race, call it something else, but it's not strictly a religion thing.
Judith > Not only is there not a "Jewish race", there is no such thing as race at > all. At least not scientifically, biologically. > > One of the most significant findings of the human genome project was that > there was absolutely no way to ascertain race from samples of people from > widely varying "races". > > Modern science is coming to an agreement that race is a scientific myth. Yes > there is genetic adaptation to environments and those genetic traits can be > in part heretidable, but those are extremly minor genetic variations. Length > of a nose, subtle differences in skin pigmentation, minor variations in hair > density. These things certainly exist and can be seen in noticeable > groupings, but they apparently have more to do with environmental factors > than some mythical "race". Of course these characteristics take significant > generations to change, which explains my "Jewish nose" while I'm not Jewish. > > That's not to say that race doesn't exist entirely, but it's more of a > social construct than a biological empirical fact. The benefits and > detriments of the concept of race in a sociological-only context are still > up for debate. Though personally, I am of the human race and I see any > further distinctions as furthering the "us and them" mentality that causes > social strife. > > Kevin Graeme ______________________________________________________________________ Get the mailserver that powers this list at http://www.coolfusion.com Archives: http://www.mail-archive.com/cf-community@houseoffusion.com/ Unsubscribe: http://www.houseoffusion.com/index.cfm?sidebar=lists
