While the j-blogosphere (God, I hate that word… it’s one of those words that looks fine on paper,but when you open your mouth to say it, you feel like an ass) is alive with arguments over the principles of Jewish faith, I marvel again at the gap between Orthodoxy and, well, mainstream American Judaism.
Mik Moore at J-Spot.org cites a study showing that fully 52% of American Jews do not believe in God!! In fairness, only about 19% actively disbelieved, while another 33% were uncertain about whether God did or did not exist. Still, that 19% means that there are five times as many Jewish atheists as compared to Protestant atheists.
When you consider how much ink, both real and virtual, has been spilled by contemporary Orthodox (and near-Orthodox) rabbis, philosophers, thinkers, professors, and bloggers over the Rambam’s Thirteen Ikarim (Principles of Faith), and the extent to which they define Judaism (or Orthodox Judaism, or Torah-True Judaism, ad infinitum, ad nauseum), the image that most readily comes to mind is that of Nero fiddling while Rome burned.
Forget the thirteen ikarim! Let’s start with the first: to know that there is a God! We can disagree over what it means to know that there is a God, or to be commanded to believe that there is a God. We didn’t have to wait for Maimonides to let us in on this fundamental Jewish belief. It’s the first of the Ten Commandments!
With due respect to Mr. Moore, who doesn’t “actually believe the Jewish community has a continuity crisis, stemming from intermarriage or atheism or anything else”, I believe that while you may be Jewish without believing in God, you’re not behaving Jewish if you don’t even believe in God.
I’ve seen atheists and agnostics describe themselves as Jewish – actually, in the recent interview in the Biblical Archeology Review that I posted about, noted archaeologist William Dever, a convert to Reform Judaism, says he is agnostic. To me, there is no such thing as a Jewish denomination that rejects God. Yes, there may be a culture group that is inspired by Jewish religion and shares ties with people of that faith, and who use the word Jewish to describe themselves. But, at least as I understand it, they are not behaving in a sustainable Jewish manner, and they can have no claim to represent a Jewish ideology.
In other words, the reverse of Mik Moore: failure to believe in God is not sustainable for a differentiated Jewish social group over the long run. It is at least a contributing factor to intermarriage, if not a primary cause. And outside of the Land of Israel, it leads only to assimilation.
Maybe it’s time that those of us who see Judaism as a religion first, and share a commitment to a God we do believe in, even if we sometimes harbor doubts, identify ourselves differently. Rather than squabbling over who gets to keep the name “Jew”, let’s reach back into our past and our tradition, and identify ourselves with our Biblical forebears, who were proud to call themselves Bnai Yisrael. It was the very sons of Israel, the Twelve Tribes of Jacob, who first called out the Jewish catechism of faith that no longer unites us all, the Shema: Hear O Israel, the Lord is our God, the Lord is one! I’m done being a Jew, a word with a short, ignoble history in the English language. I’m an Israelite!
Barbara said:
Not believe in God?
Oy!!! Troubling!
Good post.
mjfire said:
The turn to atheism/agnosticism ammong many Jews is not surprising. To the extent you brush off ritual and turn exclusively to “tikkun olam,” you also reduce the need for or interest in the Divine. Instead, you are left with a project of “good works” that, while valuable, is hardly spiritual since it is largely fixated on issues that are bein adam le’chaveiro.
The Rabbis of these communities need to stop the ridiculous “I’m OK, you’re OK” spiritualism they promote to their congregations in which God is reduced to being an avuncular borscht belt showman who doesn’t care what you do as long as you’re a good person. If this is what people hear in schul, they’re going to believe in God? You can sell Hallmark spiriutuality by the boatload, but you can’t make people believe in it in any meaningful sense.
Moreover, if their Rabbis are telling them from the pulpit that men wrote the Torah, and that it’s all about rationality, and that logic is more important than mystery, then what is God to these people? Without the mystery, there is only y’irah — that angry God you read about on shabbos who kills everyone. Who wants to believe in a God you can’t love? The only way that the Reform and Conservative movements can increase awareness of God is by allowing for ahavah: and that means a return to a ritual based practice that not only emphasizes the mystery of God’s presence in the world and the inability to fully understand but to faitfully execute the ritual, but also recognizes that Jewish ritual is the only proper way in which to engage with that Presence.
Barbara said:
With Passover coming at the overt miracles of God to the Jewish people – its a prime opportunity for shuls to remind their congregants – everyone is not O.K. and God is not only here but necessary.
Tikkum Olam should be the result of love and respect for God’s creations, shouldn’t it?
rejewvenator said:
Tikkum Olam should be the result of love and respect for God’s creations, shouldn’t it?
I think the problem is that the motivations for Tkkun Olam have swung over too far to the side of love and respect for God’s creations, and needs to swing back towards love, respect, and obedience to God’s commandments. Authority for social justice must come not only from our moral conscience, but from out moral compass, if you take my meaning.
The Rabbis of these communities need to stop the ridiculous “I’m OK, you’re OK” spiritualism they promote to their congregations in which God is reduced to being an avuncular borscht belt showman who doesn’t care what you do as long as you’re a good person.
Too bad I don’t give out prizes for the best use of the word “avuncular” – this sentence had me rolling on the floor.
Without the mystery, there is only y’irah — that angry God you read about on shabbos who kills everyone. Who wants to believe in a God you can’t love? The only way that the Reform and Conservative movements can increase awareness of God is by allowing for ahavah…
I disagree with this. IMO, the God of Ahava IS the God of the liberal Jewish community (to the extent that they believe in God at all). God loves you and is compassionate and loves it when you love and help others. The God of Yirah is gone – there is a limited sense of obligation, an impotent notion of mitzvah, and trembling before God is something gay people do in movies, not something Jews do every day in prayer. That’s the side of God that needs to be brought back into liberal Judaism – the part that confirms that even though there is no one else to make decisions besides ourselves, we’re still not the bosses.
David Katz said:
I think you can calm down with the renaming of our people. That’s all we need is another division, as if we didn’t have enough already!
As for beleif in god:
I think that Judaism is more concerned with correct practice rather than correct belief. Belief in god is something that doesn’t come easliy to everyone; it’s a matter of the heart. Practicing a full range of mitzvot will help put one in a position to find that belief. The torah lists many things for us to do, but not many things to believe. Of course the first commandment is an apparent exception.
Speaking of belief: I don’t think The Rambam made his 13 principles of faith because it reflected the current beliefs of his time. I think he was clarifying things that every Jew should believe, an indication that many people did NOT hold those beliefs at the time.
Sammy Benoit said:
I am still trying to get over an agnostic convert. Its kind of like no alchohol beer–Why bother?
I too don’t believe that you can be a Jew without believing in G-d. All of our Souls were at Sinai and heard him “speak”
David, I have to disagree with you. I believe that Judaism pushes practice as a way to get Closer to Hashem. Remember that we are commanded to love G-d with our whole heart and soul.
Rejuvinator I do agree with David on one thing..lets keep Jews. I took an informal poll of my family Jews one 3 to one (my vote was for Heebies)
As you know Jews really comes from Judah the largest of the remaining tribes. Some day when we are again 12 tribes and the Moshiach comes then we WILL be b’nai Israel.
rejewvenator said:
Sammy, the name-change was a loser in my circle too. I didn’t mean it all that seriously. I’m just sick and tired of fighting over names and labels, but I can’t help but need them to identify who I am and what I believe. It’s a frustrating bind!
Sammy Benoit said:
Yeah but honestly You did like Heebee didnt you?
rejewvenator said:
Heebee? Does that make a Jew for Jesus into a Heebee-Jeebie? Actually, a Hebrew school I teach at is partial to the term Hebes – they’re reclaiming the word from out of the mouths of those who would use it pejoratively (or did 40 years ago..)
Mik Moore said:
rejewvenator -
curious to hear your thoughts on my original (implied) question: which is more of a (continuity) crisis – high rates of intermarriage or high rates of atheism and agnosticism? (i find it ironic that many of the largest funders of continuity programing don’t believe in God… which one reason we don’t about it)
But to respond to your post…
I believe that while you may be Jewish without believing in God, you’re not behaving Jewish if you don’t even believe in God.
How is belief in God a behavior? And how does one behave Jewish? Can only Jews behave Jewish?
To me, there is no such thing as a Jewish denomination that rejects God. Yes, there may be a culture group that is inspired by Jewish religion and shares ties with people of that faith, and who use the word Jewish to describe themselves. But, at least as I understand it, they are not behaving in a sustainable Jewish manner, and they can have no claim to represent a Jewish ideology.
“Thou shall have no other gods before me.” The emphasis is on other gods (as is commandment number two). Asserting an attachment to another god clearly defines you out. Thus, Jews for Jesus aren’t really Jews. But Jews have debated the meaning, even the existence of God for thousands of years. So while you would reject Humanistic Judaism (or possibly Reconstructionist Judiasm as well) and their claim to represent a “Jewish ideology,” most Jews do not.
I’d also like to know why you find the kind of line drawing you’re engaging in to be useful? Too many conversations in the Jewish community revolve around Jews telling other Jews how or why they are deficient. And anyway, as David notes: Judaism is more concerned with correct practice rather than correct belief. Belief in god is something that doesn’t come easliy to everyone; it’s a matter of the heart. Practicing a full range of mitzvot will help put one in a position to find that belief. The torah lists many things for us to do, but not many things to believe.
rejewvenator said:
I will respond at greater length to the issues that you raise in an upcoming post, but I will answer your initial question now.
I am admittedly coming at this with limited statistical information, none of it conclusive, but I believe that high rates of atheism and agnosticism are the greater challenge to Jewish continuity.
I may be redefining your terms a bit when I answer the question though – from my perspective, failure to believe in God (and we can argue about what that means, exactly) means no longer being Jewish as a religious matter.
I think that there’s a difference between a person who acknowledges that Judaism requires an affirmation of God’s existence but who chooses not to affirm it, and a person who thinks that Judaism doesn’t require that affirmation. The first person may feel unable to make that affirmation because of the grave doubts in his heart, or because of guilt or shame, or even as an act of rebellion. Such a person is still dealing with God as a presence in her life, even as she doubts God’s existence. Such a stage is perfectly normal, and many of the 33% of doubters referenced in the study fall out here.
The latter sort, those who claim that Judaism does not require God, are seeking to associate themselves with something that I can’t help but see as Jewishly-inspired, Jew-flavored, and “from the people who brought you Judaism”, but it’s not what I mean by Judaism, and it is not a religion.
I haven’t said what I think my relationship, or any person or institution’s relationships with these people should be. I’m not certain about all of that at all.
In any case, I think that people who reject that Judaism requires God are more likely to intermarry or have children who intermarry. I think that the attempt to have a relationship with God, even if it is a stormy one, is a necessary condition for Jewish continuity.
rey said:
Seems natural for Jews to become agnostic or atheists since they’re missing out on the one good thing in their religion. And its not like they couldn’t read Isaiah 53 and see it if they wanted to.
rejewvenator said:
Pretty rude to come to a Jewish site and trash the religion. Thanks for stopping by and proselytizing.