QUESTION...

**bono** · 07-24-2005, 06:23 AM

What is Kabala?
Seems to be catching on like wild fire in Hollywood (i.e. Brittany Spears, Madonna, etc)
I'm aware that it's a religion, but what exactly are the beliefs?
Danke!

**ColoradoVike** · 07-24-2005, 06:45 AM

Cabala is a form of Jewish mysticism that favors a symbolic, rather than literal, interpretation of the Torah. It's like the new Tantric Yoga, but there's bondage too.

**bono** · 07-24-2005, 06:48 AM

is it similar to Christianity? If so, in what way?
thx!

**SKOL** · 07-24-2005, 07:06 AM

As Colorado said, the Kabbalah is involved in "Mysticism", often described as "the dark side of judaism". One quote says, "Today, many well-known celebrities have popularized a new age pop-psychology distortion of kabbalah (I have heard it derisively referred to as "crap-balah") that has more in common with the writings of Deepak Chopra than with any authentic Jewish source."

The Bible is pretty clear about religious teachings found elsewhere. Comparing the books of the bible to the supposed "wisdom of man", Ecclesiates 12:11 says: " As regards anything besides these, my son, take a warning: To the making of many books there is no end, and much devotion [to them] is wearisome to the flesh".

**ColoradoVike** · 07-24-2005, 04:33 PM

"bono" wrote:

is it similar to Christianity? If so, in what way?
thx!

well in the sense that Judaism and Christianity both revere the old testament and use it as a foundation for their beliefs, there is a similarity.

Some people (and really, no one can be an authority on what happened ~2000 years ago) *speculate* that Jesus practiced a form of Cabala. Hence, some feel there is cause to connect further cabala to the onset of christianity.

If I may ask, what piqued your interest in this topic?