BEGIN:VCALENDAR VERSION:2.0 PRODID:-//wp-events-plugin.com//7.2.2.1//EN TZID:America/Los_Angeles X-WR-TIMEZONE:America/Los_Angeles BEGIN:VEVENT UID:9419@uucpa.org DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20210123T160000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20210123T170000 DTSTAMP:20210225T214948Z URL:https://www.uucpa.org/events/sacred-text-reading-group-2021-01-23/ SUMMARY:Sacred Text Reading Group DESCRIPTION:Sacred Text Reading Group \n\n\nA weekly online sacred text re ading group with Amy\n\nUsing a spiritual-practice approach\, in each sess ion we will explore a different brief scriptural text in depth. The aims o f the sessions are educational (learning something about the texts and tra ditions)\, spiritual/moral (discovering what the texts ask of us)\, and co mmunity-building (getting to know each other better). Amy will have a vers ion of the text available to share\; “bring” your own if you like. All are welcome\, as are your suggestions of future texts. About half our rea dings so far have been those suggested by group members.\n\n\n\n\nOur text for Saturday\, January 23\, is from Moses Mendelssohn’s Jerusalem. Mend elssohn was a German Jewish philosopher influential in both the German enl ightenment and the Jewish enlightenment movements (also the grandfather of composers Felix Mendelssohn and Fanny Mendelssohn Hensel). Jerusalem (178 3) is a seminal work that’s addressed to both German political authoriti es and Jews in Germany as well as a general audience. It explores the role s of church and state\, coercion and persuasion\, and assimilation. In ter ms of his policy\, Mendelssohn argued that the Prussian (German) state sho uld tolerate the Jewish religion and that German Jews should give up rabbi nic jurisdiction to German judges. These sections give some of his reasons why.\n\n \;\n\n\n\nFrom Section 1.2:\nOne of the state’s principal efforts must be to govern men through Sitten (a people’s sense of morali ty) and thoughts. Now\, the only way to improving people’s thoughts and thereby their Sitten is by convincing them of the things you want them to believe. Laws don’t alter thoughts\; arbitrary punishments and rewards d on’t produce any principles\, don’t improve any Sitten. Fear and hope are not criteria of truth. Knowledge\, reasoning\, and  conviction are th e only things that can come up with principles which will find their way i nto Sitten with the help of authority and example.\n\nFrom Section 1.15\nW hen it comes to convictions and principles\, then\, religion and state are on a par: both must avoid any semblance of coercion or bribery\, and conf ine themselves to teaching\, scolding\, persuading\, and reprimanding.\nIt ’s different with actions. The relations between God and man require act ions only insofar as they lead to convictions\; the relations between man and man require actions period. An action brought about by coercion can st ill be beneficial to the public\; but an action is religious only to the e xtent to which it is performed voluntarily and with the right intention.\n \nFrom Section 2.19\nEven now that is the best advice that can be given to the House of Jacob. Adapt yourselves to the Sitten and the constitution o f the land in which you have been placed\; but hold fast to the religion o f your fathers too. Bear both burdens as well as you can!\n\n\n\n\nThe fu ll text of Jerusalem can be found at https://www.earlymoderntexts.com/asse ts/pdfs/mendelssohn1782.pdf\n\n\n\n\n\nHow to join:\n\n Join this class f rom your Web browser: https://zoom.us/j/81668329988\n Join this class usi ng the Zoom app: Meeting ID: 816 6832 9988 Passcode: 123123\n Join this c lass by phone: 669 900 9128 US (San Jose)\, Meeting ID: 816 6832 9988\n J oin this class by one-tap on mobile phones: +16699009128\,\,81668329988#\, \,\,\,*123123# US (San Jose)\n Phoning in\, but not in the Bay Area?  Fi nd your local number: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/kbpLGu3jDm\n\n\n\n ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.uucpa.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/03 /Online-Sacred-Texts-Reading-Group.png CATEGORIES:Adult,Classes,Learning,Small Groups END:VEVENT BEGIN:VTIMEZONE TZID:America/Los_Angeles X-LIC-LOCATION:America/Los_Angeles BEGIN:STANDARD DTSTART:20201101T010000 TZOFFSETFROM:-0700 TZOFFSETTO:-0800 TZNAME:PST END:STANDARD END:VTIMEZONE END:VCALENDAR