Were the United States, Civilized Society Founded on 'The Seven NoahideLaws'?

According to U.S. Public Law,  102-104 they were.

The text reads:

H.J.Res.104

One Hundred Second Congress of the United States of America

AT THE FIRST SESSION

Begun and held at the City of Washington on Thursday, the third day of January, one thousand nine hundred and ninety-one

Joint Resolution

To designate March 26, 1991, as `Education Day, U.S.A.'.

Whereas Congress recognizes the historical tradition of ethical values and principles which are the basis of civilized society and upon which our great Nation was founded;

Whereas these ethical values and principles have been the bedrock of society from the dawn of civilization, when they were known as the Seven Noahide Laws;

Whereas without these ethical values and principles the edifice of civilization stands in serious peril of returning to chaos;

Whereas society is profoundly concerned with the recent weakening of these principles that has resulted in crises that beleaguer and threaten the fabric of civilized society;

Whereas the justified preoccupation with these crises must not let the citizens of this Nation lose sight of their responsibility to transmit these historical ethical values from our distinguished past to the generations of the future;

Whereas the Lubavitch movement has fostered and promoted these ethical values and principles throughout the world;

Whereas Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, leader of the Lubavitch movement, is universally respected and revered and his eighty-ninth birthday falls on March 26, 1991;

Whereas in tribute to this great spiritual leader, `the rebbe', this, his ninetieth year will be seen as one of `education and giving', the year in which we turn to education and charity to return the world to the moral and ethical values contained in the Seven Noahide Laws; and

Whereas this will be reflected in an international scroll of honor signed by the President of the United States and other heads of state: Now, therefore, be it

Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,

That March 26, 1991, the start of the ninetieth year of Rabbi Menachem Schneerson, leader of the worldwide Lubavitch movement, is designated as `Education Day, U.S.A.'. The President is requested to issue a proclamation calling upon the people of the United States to observe such day with appropriate ceremonies and activities.

Speaker of the House of Representatives.

Vice President of the United States and

President of the Senate.

Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, the 'Lubavitcher Rebbe',  1902-1994. His birthday has been regularly recognized by special Congressional declarations. These were effected by declaring his birthday "Education Day."
The proclamations go as far back as 1976. Rabbi Schneerson's name appears in every bill and the date moves about on the Julian calendar to follow the wandering cycles of the Babylonian lunar calendar used by Judaism. In 1991, Congress coupled Rabbi Schneerson's birthday recognition with a declaration stating that the Talmud Noahide Laws are "the basis of civilized society and upon which our great Nation was founded".
— US Congress

The package on the Rebbe's forehead is a tephillin (or phylactery) which, as described by Reverend Dr. Abraham Cohen, "consists of two small leather cases with straps attached, in each of which is inserted parchment inscribed with four Biblical passages: Exod. xiii. 1-10, 11-16; Deut. vi. 4-9, xi. 13-21. That is the traditional method of fulfilling the law: 'Thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be for frontlets between thine eyes.' (Deut. vi. 8)"
— Reverend Dr. Cohen

In 1989, U.S. President George Bush Sr signed a proclamation stating in part that:

The Seven Laws of Noah (are) the principles of moral and ethical conduct that have formed the basis of all civilization..."

Well, you learn something every day don't you?

I never knew that the U.S. - indeed civilization itself was based on the Talmudic 'Noahide Laws'... Did you?

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To View Trailer for: World Peace, click here. Directed by: David Jasse For Windows & Macintosh Computers

About - World Peace On April 16, 1989 President George Bush accepted a proclamation declaring Education Day which declared acceptance of "The centuries-old Seven Noahide Laws recorded in the Old Testament." Is World Peace Possible? What are the Seven Noahide laws? How are we going to implement them? Why did G-d bring a flood to the world? This educational compelling presentation containing practicing Noahides, Leading Rabbis and Philosophers will give a detailed explanation of the Seven Commandments of Noah, and how they will ultimately lead to World Peace in our Time. Just what are these laws and how are we going to implement them? This presentation containing practicing Noahides, Leading Rabbis and Philosophers will give a detailed explanation of the Seven Commandments of Noah, and how they will ultimately lead to World Peace in our time.

'World Peace'

A Description of the Noahide Laws

The Noahide Laws are defined in the Talmud, largely in Chapter VII of Tractate Sanhedrin, particularly: 56a, 56b, and 57a.

GEMARA. … Our Rabbis taught: seven precepts were the sons of Noah commanded: social laws; to refrain from blasphemy, idolatry; adultery; bloodshed; robbery; and eating flesh cut from a living animal …

— Babylonian Talmud, Tractate Sanhedrin 56a
Soncino 1961 Edition, pages 381-382

A contemporary promoter of the Noahide Laws, Rabbi Shmuley Boteach, is a Hasidic Jew, a Kabbalist,  and a disciple of the late Rabbi Schneerson. Rabbi Boteach expresses the Noahide Laws in this language:

The Jews have the 613 commandments of the Torah to observe. Non-Jews have the Noahide commandments, included within which are prohibitions against idolatry, theft, murder, adultery and incest, cruelty to animals, blasphemy and the responsibility to establish and maintain courts of justice in a just society.

— Rabbi Boteach

In the following Talmud excerpt, we see that Jews (Pharisees believe that they have) Divine authority to enforce the Noahide Laws on non-Jews.

GEMARA. … If a heathen [son of Noah] blasphemed, employing substitutes of the ineffable Name, he is in the opinion of the Sages punishable by death. Why so? — Because it is written, as well the stranger, as he that is born in the land [when he blasphemeth the name of the Lord, shall be put to death].

— Babylonian Talmud, Tractate Sanhedrin 56a
Soncino 1961 Edition, page 381

Gentiles Executed for Violating Noahide Laws

Here the rabbis argue and decide that heathens are put to death for idolatry, and any other violation of the Seven Laws, as well:

GEMARA. … With respect to idolatry, such acts for which a Jewish court decrees sentence of death [on Jewish delinquents] are forbidden to the heathen. This implies that they are merely forbidden, but their violation is not punished by death! - R. Nahman b. Isaac answered: Their prohibition is their death sentence.

R. Huna, Rab Judah, and all the disciples of Rab maintained: A heathen is executed for the violation of the seven Noachian laws; the Divine Law having revealed this of one [murder], it applies to all.

— Babylonian Talmud, Tractate Sanhedrin 57a
Soncino 1961 Edition, pages 387-388

The translator, Rabbi Dr. H. Freedman, amplifies the text in a footnote:

1. I.e., in speaking of heathens, when the Tanna teaches that they are forbidden to do something, he ipso facto teaches that it is punishable by death; for only in speaking of Jews is it necessary to distinguish between prohibition and punishment.

— Rabbi Dr. H. Freedman

Death Sentence Endorsed Today

It would be a mistake to believe that contemporary promoters of the Noahide Laws have abandoned the Talmud doctrine that idolaters (i.e., Christians) be put to death for practicing their religion. The Noah's Covenant web site calls for the banning of Christmas and other Christian holidays, and endorses the call for the death sentence for Christians. Noah's Covenant quotes Rabbi Schneerson from Volume VIII of Likkutei Sichos, an anthology of the Schneerson's works. Rabbi Schneerson in turn quotes Maimonides (the Rambam).

… according to the known Jewish ruling that Christians are idol worshippers.

— Maimonides, quoted by Rabbi Schneerson

A gentile … is liable for the death penalty … if he has invented a religious holiday for himself … The general principle is we do not allow them to make new religious rituals and to make 'mitzvahs' for themselves by their own devices. Rather they may either become a Ger Tzeddek and accept all the Mitvahs; or he (the Noahide) should stand fast in his Torah (the seven Noahide Laws) without adding or diminishing … and if he does make some new 'mitzvah,' we lash him, punish him, and inform him that he is obligated with the death penalty for this …

— Maimonides ('the Rambam')

Congressional Gold Medal (brass replica) awarded posthumously to Rabbi Schneerson in August 1994.
The legend on the obverse reads "Benevolence Ethics Leadership Scholarship" in English, and "To improve the home" in Hebrew.

Noahides Killed by Decapitation

In this passage, we see that heathens (or "sons of Noah") must be killed by decapitation.

GEMARA. … Our Rabbis taught: [Any man that curseth his God, shall bear his sin.  It would have been sufficient to say], 'A man, etc.:' What is taught by the expression any man? The inclusion of heathens, to whom blasphemy is prohibited just as to Israelites, and they are executed by decapitation; for every death penalty decreed for the sons of Noah is only by decapitation.

— Babylonian Talmud, Tractate Sanhedrin 56a
Soncino 1961 Edition, page

The translator, Rabbi Dr. H. Freedman, explains in a footnote that the expression "sons of Noah" means non-Israelites.

3. Leviticus XXIV, 15
4. Lit., 'A man, a man', Heb. ish ish, [H] [H]
5. The only place where death is explicitly decreed for non-Israelites is in Gen. IX, 6: Whoso sheddeth man's blood, by man shall his blood be shed. It is a general law, applicable to all, having been given in the pre-Abrahamic era; his blood shall be shed must refer to the sword, the only death whereby blood is shed.

— Rabbi Dr. Freedman

MISHNAH. HE WHO ENGAGES IN IDOL-WORSHIP [IS EXECUTED]. IT IS ALL ONE WHETHER HE SERVE IT, SACRIFICE, OFFER INCENSE, MAKE LIBATIONS, PROSTRATE HIMSELF, ACCEPT IT AS A GOD, OR SAY TO IT, 'THOU ART MY GOD' …

— Babylonian Talmud, Tractate Sanhedrin 60b
Soncino 1961 Edition, page 410



Come and Hear!

Also see: Pope Affirms Jewish Noahide Laws

and Where Do the ‘Seven Noahide Laws’ Come From Anyway?

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Then the scribes and Pharisees who were from Jerusalem came to Jesus, saying, "Why do Your disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands when they eat bread." He answered and said to them, "Why do you also transgress the commandment of God because of your tradition?

For God commanded, saying, 'Honor your father and your mother'; and, 'He who curses father or mother, let him be put to death.' But you say, 'Whoever says to his father or mother, "Whatever profit you might have received from me is a gift to God"-- then he need not honor his father or mother.' Thus you have made the commandment of God of no effect by your tradition.

Hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy about you, saying: 'These people draw near to Me with their mouth, And honor Me with their lips, But their heart is far from Me. And in vain they worship Me, Teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.' "

- Matthew 15:1-9

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