Althouse: The U.S. has an ambassador at large for international religious freedom.

December 15, 2014

The U.S. has an ambassador at large for international religious freedom.

It's David N. Saperstein, a Jewish rabbi, confirmed by the Senate last Friday.

23 comments:

mccullough said...: ISIS is beheading Christians who refuse to convert to Islam. The rabbi should set up a meeting with them to discuss how this is not compatible with religious freedom; 12/15/14, 4:20 PM
Achilles said...: "The U.S. has an ambassador at large for international religious freedom."

In the Obama administration his job is to apologize for the actions of Christians around the world an to make Muslims feel comfortable. You get your training for this position from the same person who trains the director of NASA.; 12/15/14, 4:24 PM
mccullough said...: This seems like a good job to cut from the federal budget. Let our diplomats deal with their counterparts on this issue.; 12/15/14, 4:34 PM
Jason said...: Fucking meaningless if Christians at home aren't at liberty to refuse to make a wedding cake without risking fined or forced into bankruptcy.; 12/15/14, 4:48 PM
ddh said...: Why do people say "Jewish rabbi"? Are there any other kind?; 12/15/14, 4:54 PM
The Drill SGT said...: To be fair, the WH is sort of in favor of International Religious Freedom, but not American Religious Freedom.

If however he actually was a voice of conscience speaking out against the PLO, the Chinese, the Islamists, the European anti-semites then he'd be doing a Mitzvah.; 12/15/14, 5:00 PM
traditionalguy said...: Religion is a legalistic set of rules designed to fleece people of some guilt atonement money. But it is a game that many play and few are seriously hurt in the experience.

But when the priests' new game requires murder of humans as an offering to the god demanding submission or infidels will be murdered by beheading, like Mohammed little game, than it needs to be confronted.; 12/15/14, 5:00 PM
Ann Althouse said...: "Why do people say "Jewish rabbi"?"

I said it because "rabbi" is a foreign language word for teacher, so it seemed to need a restriction.; 12/15/14, 5:34 PM
charis said...: A Jewish friend informed me once that 'Jewish rabbi' is redundant. A rabbi is by definition Jewish.

I pass this comment along to the Great Althouse, who often shows a keen interest in words and their meanings.; 12/15/14, 5:38 PM
Ann Althouse said...: Well, ask your Jewish friend to engage with the point I raised.; 12/15/14, 6:09 PM
Ann Althouse said...: Also, I don't agree that many people say "Jewish rabbi." I had a reason to do it, and I don't think I'm wrong. I don't think many people do what I did, but, anyway, my point is that I did it consciously, and with an understanding of the general idea that "rabbi" automatically means Jewish.; 12/15/14, 6:13 PM
Ann Althouse said...: One says "Catholic priest" and "Christian minister" and so forth. I think the noun in these cases is generic enough to justify an adjective nailing down which religion we are talking about, even if no religion but Judaism goes with the noun "rabbi."; 12/15/14, 6:15 PM
MadisonMan said...: So does this mean all the other people in the State Dept stop talking about Religious Freedom because it's not their bailiwick now that someone's been hired to do it?; 12/15/14, 6:24 PM
n.n said...: traditionalguy:

Perhaps an organized religion, which requires financial support for its upkeep and works; but that is true for any and all organizations. However, in its purest form, religion is a moral philosophy, not an organization, other than perhaps a moral consensus. Religion or moral philosophy is a prerequisite for liberty in a diverse (i.e. numerous) society.; 12/15/14, 6:44 PM
Jaq said...: James Taranto made fun of the formulation in a tweet

FYI, you have a couple of defenders.; 12/15/14, 7:12 PM
ddh said...: Pace Althouse, I frequently hear the phrase "Jewish rabbi," often from people who are trying to be precise by unconsciously being redundant. A "rabbi" is the leader of a Jewish congregation, and the word comes from a medieval Latin transformation of the Hebrew "rav," which means teacher or master.

The connection with Judaism is so strong that I am sure that no one hearing "an Orthodox rabbi" would ever think of a Greek or Russian Orthodox priest. In a similar fashion, you can say "Tibetan lama" or "Mongolian lama," but you don't need to say Buddhist lama.

New Yorkers of any religion sometimes refer to an expert adviser as "my rabbi," but that's figurative. Althouse could say, for example, that Meade is her rabbi on everything related to landscaping.; 12/15/14, 7:19 PM
charis said...: My Jewish friend was an elderly lady I knew in Philadelphia twenty years ago. I wouldn't know how to reach or or if she's still alive.

I'd say Catholic priest because a priest might be Orthodox or Episcopal. Good point about Christian minister.; 12/15/14, 7:22 PM
Revenant said...: Fucking meaningless if Christians at home aren't at liberty to refuse to make a wedding cake without risking fined or forced into bankruptcy.

The right being violated in that case is the right to freedom of association, not freedom of religion.

There is nothing in Christianity that forbids baking cakes for homosexuals.; 12/15/14, 7:30 PM
Scott said...: "Jewish" is so twee. Why not just call him a Jew rabbi?

Maybe he's not really a Jew. Maybe he's just a little bit Jewish around the edges.

In any case, it would have been more appropriate to appoint him to Ambassador for Pointless Gestures.

If you're a Jewish Guru, can you lead a congregation?

Or a Jew Guru.

Jewru?; 12/15/14, 8:26 PM
n.n said...: Christianity is tolerant of homosexual orientation. It does not, however, support it's normalization, including selective expansion to engage homosexual couplets in marriage. Christianity functions as a progressive-oriented fitness function, tempered by the moral principles of its religion.; 12/15/14, 9:45 PM
Hammond X. Gritzkofe said...: Our international ambassador at large for
..the right to bear arms?
..abortion?
..sodomy?; 12/16/14, 7:12 AM
Larry J said...: Jason said...
Fucking meaningless if Christians at home aren't at liberty to refuse to make a wedding cake without risking fined or forced into bankruptcy.

You only have the freedoms that leftists allow you to have, and even that is subject to change without notice.; 12/16/14, 8:01 AM
Unknown said...: What other kind of rabbi is there besides Jewish rabbis?; 12/16/14, 9:26 PM