Goldstein and Major Hasan - National Post letters

Jacob Mendlovic criticisizes orthodox Judaism for having the prayers - Thank God for not having made me a Jew or a woman. This morning Moishe Goldstein wrote that we shouldn't worry about these prayers because the essence of real Judaism is to do unto others as you want others to do to you and love your neighbour as yourself. However we should worry if his interpretation of the objectives of Judaism is correct. The prayers about women and gentiles can be interpreted in a positive way, but mostly they will be interpreted as they are read, that is, negatively. Therefore, Goldstein's answer to Mendlovic should be that these prayers should not be said as they lead readers away from true Judaism. This is the same problem in Islam where prayers or the Koran lead people away from what Tarek Fatah would call "true Islam. If the object of religions is peace or a proper encounter with others and the devine, then prayers and passages of all religions that lead people away from these objectives must be eliminated. Passages in religious books that lead people in the wrong direction at best are ignored and at worst lead people to actions such as that taken by Major Hasan yesterday. It is harmful to our society to keep these passages as parts of our respective religions.