Here's a thought : being Bitcoin is more of a something to be than being Jewish ever was or could ever be.

Bartenura Pretty subjective thing, "being Jewish". I mean in plenty of ways it's not, such that the comparison is valid. But I imagine for a lot of people things like religion have this "personal meaning" that can't really be qualified nor quantified, such that any sort of comparison is not especially meaningful.
Abarbanel How so ?

Bartenura "It makes me feel like a good person".
Abarbanel So do bitcoin people.

Bartenura "God loves me".
Abarbanel Exactly.

Bartenura Etc.
Abarbanel Yep.

Bartenura Yes but how do you arrive at measures for "more" or "less" there?
Abarbanel Because being bitcoin is just as much a religion as judaism is, all the way from hermetic traditions a la kabbalah to unitarianism-like social bs. And bitcoin is just as much a legal and moral code as the Torah is, in exactly the same manner, with interpretation by wise people and so on, and with voluntary observance and so forth. And bitcoin is just as much a source of identity, and a red thread permitting a people to exist under no matter what sort of outside oppression. Perhaps this to a larger degree than the jewish tradition, arguably. What's not arguable is that it'd be to a lesser degree. And finally, bitcoin is also many things the Torah'll never be, but dreams of being - such as you know, built in, measurable and objective karma.

Bartenura Well I don't actually have a counter, you addressed it well. Inasmuch as bitcoin provides measures for "karma" and is explicit and quantifiable where judaism (or any other religion) is in the abstract and provides no godly coupon books, the "more of a something to be" works. It's just a different sense of being than I think most people bother themselves with.
Abarbanel Well... how about that sense you perceive most people bother themselves with ?

Bartenura They're more about what it feels like, and firmly decided that wealth and ownership shall be separated forever from "fulfillment".
Abarbanel But even in this context : a system which contains A and B is more than a system which contains A. No matter what people think or would like to think or how they represent what they think or like, more is more. And for that matter the Jewish tradition pointedly rejects that separation, it's just recent clueless US folk that misrepresent everything, geography and history be damned, that have decided to delude themselves into thinking this nonsense is anything but very peculiar to them. "Oh, money makes no difference to me" and similar bs. It's nothing but puritanical conceit meanwhile confused for substance.

Bartenura Well so long as we're discussing a difference between objective, quantifiable things and subjective feelings I think "this" nonsense is the same nonsense that's always been nonsense and will forever be so.
Abarbanel But listen : suppose there's this feeling. Whatever, let's call it derpage.

Bartenura Does it have an emoticon?
Abarbanel @-#. So when you feel it, you feel derpage, and that's your feeling. Suppose now there's this other feeling, let's call it herpage. So when you feel this one, you feel derpage and also get a chocolate mint balanced on your nose. It just... suddenly pops into existence, right on your nose. Now! Wouldn't you say herpage is more than derpage ?

Bartenura Thusly described, yes. But what if when I felt derpage I felt like I was in love, and herpage was more like a vague emotional itch, and the mint?
Abarbanel Except it's not. It's exactly as love-y.

Bartenura How do you know that tho'? How do you know that a happy Jew is feeling "exactly the same" as a happy bitcoiner, who also has the extras?
Abarbanel Well, we're not discussing individual Joe, who perhaps feels that sex is boring, and inserting baseball bats and coca cola bottles in his anus is true bliss. We're discussing moreover the things themselves, and in this respect sex IS more than insertion. Notwithstanding what individual nut Joe may imagine he thinks on the matter.

Bartenura But feelings aren't a thinking matter. And they're not particularly "things" such that can be discussed as "things themselves".
Abarbanel How do you know sex is more than insertion ?

Bartenura Because it's insertion and.
Abarbanel Exactly.

Bartenura But I *know what insertion is*. That's important, and necessary to make the comparison.
Abarbanel Well ostensibly we know what Jewish is.

Bartenura How! Are we Jewish?
Abarbanel So : a) in the parts we know, the equality is visible ; b) in parts we don't know (ie, mysticisms) the jury is and will remain out, or else back to a) ; and then c) there's more. Just you watch that the Messiah actually comes riding on a bitcoin.

Bartenura Eh fuck that blockchain.info'll be down for weeks.