Andy Bachman

Andy Bachman

Spiritual leader at Congregation Beth Elohim, a Reform synagogue in Brooklyn

Rabbi Andy Bachman is the spiritual leader at Congregation Beth Elohim, Brooklyn's largest Reform synagogue. He is also the co-founder, along with his wife Rachel Altstein, of Brooklyn Jews, a unique cultural and learning programs for Jews in their 20s and 30s. He was ordained by Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in 1996 and has a BA in history from UW-Madison. From 1998-2004, he was Executive Director of the Edgar M. Bronfman Center for Jewish Student Life at NYU. In 2007, Rabbi Bachman was named as one of the Forward's Fifty most influential Jews in North America. He writes a blog, documenting his life as a congregational rabbi at andybachman.com Close.

Andy Bachman

Spiritual leader at Congregation Beth Elohim, a Reform synagogue in Brooklyn

Rabbi Andy Bachman is the spiritual leader at Congregation Beth Elohim, Brooklyn's largest Reform synagogue. He is also the co-founder, along with his wife Rachel Altstein, of Brooklyn Jews, a unique cultural and learning programs for Jews in their 20s and 30s. more »

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That's Cable TV Talk, not Leadership

Most Americans, I believe, are deeply practical and work too hard to be messing around with one of the sacred documents of our diverse democracy.

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All Comments (16)

alan rabin:

I agree 100% with rabbi bachman. Mr. Huckabee's suggestion is of the same order as john McCain's statement that the constitution says that the U.S is a Christian country. Don't any of those conservatives ever read the first amendment?

Canyon Shearer:

Dear Thomas...you missed the message. Read John 3.

Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.

I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.

Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.

NANCY SPITALNICK:

dO RELIGION AND POLITICES MIX? It seems that God has its place in our mind and soul, and politics shouldn't dictate what we feel in our soul. It's hard to take Huckabee seriously, and I tend to think that he is dangerous.

NANCY SPITALNICK:

dO RELIGION AND POLITICES MIX? It seems that God has its place in our mind and soul, and politics shouldn't dictate what we feel in our soul. It's hard to take Huckabee seriously, and I tend to think that he is dangerous.

NANCY SPITALNICK:

dO RELIGION AND POLITICES MIX? It seems that God has its place in our mind and soul, and politics shouldn't dictate what we feel in our soul. It's hard to take Huckabee seriously, and I tend to think that he is dangerous.

NANCY SPITALNICK:

dO RELIGION AND POLITICES MIX? It seems that God has its place in our mind and soul, and politics shouldn't dictate what we feel in our soul. It's hard to take Huckabee seriously, and I tend to think that he is dangerous.

NANCY SPITALNICK:

dO RELIGION AND POLITICES MIX? It seems that God has its place in our mind and soul, and politics shouldn't dictate what we feel in our soul. It's hard to take Huckabee seriously, and I tend to think that he is dangerous.

NANCY SPITALNICK:

dO RELIGION AND POLITICES MIX? It seems that God has its place in our mind and soul, and politics shouldn't dictate what we feel in our soul. It's hard to take Huckabee seriously, and I tend to think that he is dangerous.

Thomas Baum:

TO CANYON SHEARER:

You wrote, "Dear Thomas...you missed the message.

No, I didn't miss the message, the message was and is LOVE, as in God-Incarnate, Love-Incarnate.

The message's name was Jesus, Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews.

Take care, be ready, see you and the rest of humanity in the Kingdom.

As I have said before and say again, God wins, satan loses, a tie is unacceptable.

Sincerely, Thomas Paul Moses Baum.

Canyon Shearer:

Dear Thomas...you missed the message.

Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.

I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.

Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.

Thomas Baum:

TO NORRIE HOYT:

Yes, it is simple and one of the things that the bible says is, "I will send the simple to confound the wise", how true.

Hope you're doing fine.

God is so much nicer than some want Him to be.

God is so much more forgiving that some want Him to be.

God is Pure Love and if Love shines thru us than His Image is shining thru us.

It doesn't matter if someone believes in God, He is real whether people believe or not.

God is a searcher of Hearts and Minds, not of religious affiliations or lack thereof in other words no one is going to get over on God, He can see right thru the bull.

It is important what you do and why you do it and what you know.

It doesn't matter if you say and/or believe that Jesus is True Man and True God, which He is, because He is not the petty egomaniac that some think that He is.

I, for one, am glad that God is nothing like some that know His Name think that He is.

For those that get upset with my pronouns, God is not a He, a She or an it, even tho God-Incarnate was a male member of the human race, a Jewish Man.

The constitution with it's seperation of church and state is very comparable to what Jesus said, "Give to Caesar what is Caesar's and to God what is God's".

Doing the right thing should come from the heart not the laws of the state.

One of the things that I have noticed about the bible is that some people seem to know every word in it but don't seem to know anything about Who the bible is trying to point to.

I don't know if you or anyone else knows it but I didn't ask to be a messenger but I have said YES.

Take care, be ready, see you and the rest of humanity in the Kingdom.

Sincerely, Thomas Paul Moses Baum.

BGone:

Before we can make a determination about Gods, who's God is who's God, we need to come to an elementary understanding of God.

The God of all is revealed at http://www.hoax-buster.org/sellyoursoul That would be the one in the burning bush wouldn't it? You know, the God that lives in fire that's the same kind of fire found, (only?) in hell.

Last week we discovered that Christians only believe in one deadly sin, blasphemy in spite of the question indicating there are at least 7 of them. Adding blasphemy increases the set to 8 if one wishes the other 7 to be deadly as well.

It's my understanding that Jews consider blasphemy to be a capital sin as well. That's assuming there is any truth to the story about why Jesus was crucified found in the Gospels, (good newses).

Maybe we can explain all our God-woes by noticing that when the word God is spoken the being in the burning bush is the one meant. We now know without the slightest fear of error that being is the fallen angel Lucifer -the biggest Devil of them all and there's a lot of Devils.

So when we examine the Gods of candidates for high office we need to take that into account. We've already caused 86% of Americans to blaspheme every time they recite the pledge. The notion of making Lucifer the official God of the USA would seem to be in order. The country is now going to where? For the past 7, (fat years?) we've been under the enlightened tax-lowering, gas-guzzling leadership of "born again" Bush? Huck is simply suggesting making it official as though it's not already.

Sale of soul brings the big money only to those who lead the multitudes to hell. Where did Moses end up leading the Israelites? Where do the righteous candidates suggest leading the country? Where is the country right now -are we not already there? Some say the wilderness, the desert is hell while others claim it's paradise. And the Bible says both are correct.

Athena:

Amending the Constitution is more difficult than the Huckster seems to think it is. We haven't had an amendment since we allowed 18-year-olds to vote, and that was back in the 1960's or early 70's. Remember the ERA? It failed. Recent attempts to amend the Constitution to ban flag-burning and same-sex marraige have failed as well.

The Constitution was amended to ban something once - liquor - back in the early part of the 20th Century. It didn't work so well, because they repealed it about 20 years later.

Norrie Hoyt:

Canyon,

What you wrote is too complicated for me - I'm a simple person.

Jesus said "Love thy neighbor as thyself."

The Buddha made clear that compassion is key to enlightenment.

Can't we just leave it at that and let the theologians and metaphysicians spin their complex doctrines for their own amusement, and leave us simple folk alone?

Regards.

Concerned The Christian Now Liberated:

Yes indeed, The US Constitution and its Bill of Rights already are the Standards of the Singularity and Humankind. And these Standards provide a shining beacon for backward, Dark Age, Islamic theocracies to someday follow.

And comments like those of "Preacher Huck" will also be discarded in the future by the enveloping knowledge concerning the errors in the foundations of all religions.

Huckabee's Anabaptist roots should proclude him from seeking to change anything in the government, but alas, the Congregationalists, the Church of Christ, and the Baptists have fallen from a great height.

The United States Constitution is one of the greatest things that has ever happened to Christianity. It outlawed constantinianism and sacralism. It saved the church from another dark-age, it kept the Presbyterians, the Catholics, the Episcopalians, and any other group who felt that the church and state should be married from taking over caesar's throne. The government is a separate entity from the church, for an entirely different purpose.

The church should be interested in preaching righteousness, not mandating it. The government should be interested in reprimanding unrighteousness, not executing it.

I don't understand why we are surprised to see a call to modify the Constitution to a more sacralist view. Even if it is in the very minor piece to outlaw abortion and unholy matrimony. This has been the evil intention of men ever since the fourth century AD.

You'd think we'd learn from the last ~50 years in America and the last 1600 years in the world. The Christian church has failed terribly in trying to take over the government; the conversion of a nation starts in the churches, in the streets, and with the individuals. Paul in Ephesians said, "Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another." He didn't say, "Let each one of you work together to capture the Senate so they can make ambiguous laws to appease your conscience."

I will not argue for a reversal of the Scopes Trial, I will not argue for a reversal of Rowe-v-Wade, and I will not argue that a man and a man cannot marry. Instead I will preach the law and the Gospel, repentance and faith, and the resulting converts will renounce evolution on their own, the mom-to-be with the mind of Christ will not murder her baby, and the man will see the sanctity and symbolism of marriage and seek out a godly woman.

We’re all going to stand before God someday, and because I care about you, I want to make sure you’re ready for that day. Most people would say they’re a good person, but they’re comparing themselves to other people, when they need to compare themselves to God, to perfection. Let's see how you look in God's eyes.

If you’ve ever taken God’s name in vain, then God sees you as a blasphemer, and this you know, that no blasphemer will see the kingdom of God.

If you’ve ever told a lie, then God sees you as a liar, and all liars will have their place in the lake of fire!

If you’ve ever stolen anything, then God sees you as a thief. If you’ve ever hated anyone, then God sees you as a murderer. If you’ve ever looked at someone that wasn’t your spouse with lust, then God sees you as an adulterer.

Your conscience bears witness to your transgession, it has recorded every time you haven’t obeyed your parents, every time you have coveted something, every time you knew something wasn’t right and did it anyways, and every time you could have stopped something bad from happening and didn’t.

The wages of sin is death, we have amassed the punishment of Hell, all that stands between us and everlasting torment is the day of our death, it is appointed once for a man to die, and then the judgment.

But God doesn’t want you to go to Hell. He gave us His only begotten Son, so that whosoever trusts in Him shall not perish, but have everlasting life. Jesus Christ, God in the flesh, gave Himself up to die in your place on the cross. He took your punishment so that you can be absolved on Judgment Day, then He rose from the grave and defeated our greatest enemy, death.

Repent of your sins and turn towards the Saviour, and you will see Heaven, not because you’re a good person, but because you’re a bad person forgiven by a good God.

Please think about this, don't let another day go by without calling out to God for forgiveness.

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