All Comments (8)

so here is my first dilema: I am not quite sure which answer I would raise my hand to were I to find myself sitting in Chancelor Eisen's class. ultimately I would probably say that my spiritual path is my choice, but this sentiment would have been stronger many years ago when I 'left' Judaism to practice Paganism.

but now I am not so sure. after having immersed myself in more-or-less-mainstream Pagan thealogy and practice I have found myself drifting back in interesting ways. with the exception of a wedding or a bar- or bat-mitzvah I doubt that I will ever step foot in a synogogue again.

but I strive to reclaim the traditions and rituals of my faith tradition of origin in order to use them in a way that makes sense to me and my deeply rooted Earth-based spiritual drive. I doubt that this is due to a sense of obligation. it may be that these symbols are still comforting and familiar. perhaps it is a desire to provide diversity to the Pagan community and celebrate ancient traditions in new ways. maybe I just like being an outsider.

this reclaiming might include merging Jewish holidays with similarly themed and timed Earth-based ones, reinterpretation of Torah, Talmud or Midrash or simply using traditional ritual tools in new ways. most meaningful to me, while my fellow Pagans celebrate pantheons in a polytheistic worldview, I am unwaveringly a monotheistic Pagan.

which brings me to my my second dilema: while I completely accept and support people's right to conceptualize a worldview with no God, and absolutely see that as a valid perspective, I am offended that they seemingly can not offer me the same in return. how do I respond?

my religion and my knowledge of the Goddess helps me to understand my place in the universe (as best as I can)and make informed ethical decisions. emphasis on "my" and "me". I am deeply connected to many people who do not believe in the existance of deity and they have consistently demonstrated the ability to make informed ethical decisions and understand their place in the universe (as best as they can).

if I can accept that their worldview is valid for them, why can they not accept that mine is valid for me? their insistance on the rightness of the non-existance of God is an offront equal to mine if I continually attempted to convince them of the falicy of their understanding.

But..but..there is no god...its all make believe...my mom told me years ago, when she told me there was no Santa either. That really bothered me. The bit about Santa.

Because B-man God established for of old that Salvation was to be an act of Grace on God's part not a triumphal procession on man's lest heaven be filled with braggarts and boasters and thereby liitle different than earth.

There is little reason for most Jews to observe actively, even to acknowledge Jewish identity. Establishment Judaism either ignores anti-Jewish racism or through organizations like the anti-Defamation League, "condemns it." This does not stop Christians, Catholics, et al, from commiting verbal and physcial violence against Jews in the schools and elsewhere.

I have encountered it at the College at which I teach. Unlike other Jews, I am not silent in the face of antisemitism,nor do I try to "explain." I counterattck in kind. That is the only way, and I have taught my children to do the same. End result? They have been harassed, of course, but only once at each pre-college educational insitution they have attended. They were attacked once in their public elementary school, once in middle school, once in high school.

When pennies have been thrown at them, they have thrown them back, using language I cannot repeat here. They would continue counterattacking for awhile, after the first incident, as we reviewed the evoloving situation. They stopped when they deemed the problem over. Both have excellent self-esteem and are attending excellent universities (Yale and Columbia), where, of course, they have again encountered racism, again responding in kind, both orally and in print. They understand that these responses to be strategic. They are not bigots, themselves.

If you want Jews to maintain their suis generis identiy, then the synagogues must stand up and speak out, not for universal tolerance, but against anti-Jewish racism. Other groups, particularly African American gentiles and Muslim Americans despise what they see as Euro-Jewish attempts to hide behind their suffering.

A good beginning for you, personally, would be to do what you can to remove Arun Gandhi from this blog.

If a particular religion is the ultimate incontrovertible truth of the universe, then why is that not self-evident to everyone? Why do we have to dress religion up with community activities, etc. to make it more "attractive"?

Why? Because religion is false.

This is really nothing new.

Cain slew Abel. That's a breach of the faith.

Esau sold his inheritance for a bowl of stew.

Lot's wife ignored God's warning and looked back.

Some Hebrews led out of Egypt by Moses made a golden calf to worship, an effrontery to YHWH.

Korah challenged the authority of Moses and paid with his life.

And on and on it goes, as from ancient times. Time and again Hebrews refused the stern warnings of Moses and the prophets and took wives to themselves from among the Gentile nations. Idol worship came along with the women, and transgression and retribution followed.

Only those centered in God will stay with God.

What makes a person a Christian isn't a profession of faith or baptism or communion or anything beyond the Holy Spirit installing in him faith so that he might believe God and thereby be saved. If God does not act man is not saved.

Good plan. Now let's see how many decide to follow it. Like you said, that depends on the welcome mat. These evangelical mega churches must have something going for them that resembles Disneyland. How can anyone even a Jew fail to peek in and see what it is?

I think you're suggesting religion in general must become like the Moose Lodge where they pray in generalities. Then maybe, religion is all about community and therefore the local watering hole qualifies as a church. What with real estate tax exemption for churches and their inherent respectability new ones should spring up like dandelions in the lawn.

As long as religions insist others not of their faith are going to hell none of the things you suggest are possible. When hell is removed all that's left is the Moose Lodge. All solutions that leave hell as a threat are wistful thinking.

When some poor soul enters the court room claiming to have been damaged by threats of hell while still just a child religion will straighten right up. As long as the big money goes to those leading the multitudes to hell and that money is not accounted, taxed or challenged religion will continue to be a plague on the human race. Nice try anyhow.