j*******7
发帖数: 6300 | 1 http://plancksconstant.org/blog1/2009/09/not_all_jews_believe_i
Not All Jews Believe in God
In response to my article The Mary Jo Kopechne Memorial Bridge, reader Layla
asked this question in a comment: "... how does a Jew call him or herself a
Jew when they do not believe in God? Being Jewish is of faith - not
national origin."
Actually, more Jews in America do not believe in God than do (1). Believing
in God by itself does not make you Jewish; indeed, many atheist Jews
interpret Judaism as a matter of culture and history.
For example, I identify with a culture that goes back thousands of years; I
read Hebrew (and a little Aramaic, although that is not a necessary or
sufficient condition for being Jewish) and enjoy the works of Rashi,
Rabbeinu Moshe ben Maimon, and other Torah scholars; I have weekly
discussions on Jewish law with a Rabbi friend; and I celebrate Jewish
Holidays not because they are Jewish Holy Days but because they are Jewish
holidays. One can read some of my celebrations in my archive of articles on
Jewish Holidays.
There are at least three million other Jews in America that feel as I do.
Some are members of the Society for Humanistic Judaism (2), an organization
that strives (according to its website) to "provide a home for humanistic,
cultural and secular Jews".
I am an atheist Jew precisely because of Judaism; because Jews for thousands
of years have been taught to dissect, to argue, to disagree, to re-
interpret, and to question the meanings of our sacred texts. Our most Holy
work the Old Testament was not written by a single person but by dozens of
authors (3) and thus was made open to many interpretations.
My reading of the Old Testament is that it is an excellent summary of how
Jews viewed their laws, culture and history of thousands of years as a
journey with their personal God. Jewish Law started with the Ten
Commandments and hasn't stopped even unto the current day. The early Hebrews
found it easier to persuade one to moral behavior by invoking the authority
of an almighty God.
In the present day, one can find hundreds of emails where the purported
author was some famous person or expert in order to enhance the
believability or importance of the text. For example, many Jew-hating sites
like to quote Benjamin Franklin warning against the Jews because they need
an authority to validate their hatred.
In a like manner, it was easier to persuade a fellow Hebrew to Honor one's
parents or to keep the Sabbath Holy if the person demanding it were God
himself. I do not need fire or brimstone to behave morally. I once was a bad
person and became better over the years without needing God's wrath to
change my behavior.
I believe that the last six of the Ten Commandments, those that have nothing
to do with God are great moral imperatives, are the correct way to live in
a civilized society:
FIVE: 'Honor your father and your mother.'
SIX: 'You shall not murder.'
SEVEN: 'You shall not commit adultery.'
EIGHT: 'You shall not steal.'
NINE: 'You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.'
TEN: 'You shall not covet your neighbor's house; you shall not covet your
neighbor's wife, nor his male servant, nor his female servant, nor his ox,
nor his donkey, nor anything that is your neighbor's.'
I know that the majority of Jews do not believe in God; in addition, I do
not believe that the majority of Christians truly believe in God. For if
they did, if they really believed there was a God and that these were his
Commandments, then the world would not be filled with so many violations by
those who say they love or fear Him.
My sons are both atheists. They do not steal, bear false witness, murder, or
covet what is not theirs, and most importantly they honor their parents. I
have no doubt that if God existed he would prefer to have them as children
than those who profess a faith but are faithful only to His first four
Commandments but unfaithful to last six and are thus vile creatures. What
good is a church- or temple-going believer in God if he is evil toward
another human being?
As a final argument, I should point out that according to the Nazis: "A Jew
was defined as anyone who had one or more Jewish grandparents." Therefore I
would have been killed. Arguing that I was an atheist would not have saved
me, even if I had used as authority Layla's dictum that "Being Jewish is of
faith". | j*******7
发帖数: 6300 | 2 http://www.simpletoremember.com/articles/a/jewsdontbelieve/
Guess Who Doesn’t Believe In God?
Ten percent of Protestants, 21 percent of Roman Catholics, and 52 percent of
Jews do NOT believe in God.
That’s the surprising word from a new survey by Harris Interactive of 2,306
adults that shows belief in God varies quite widely among different
segments of the American public. How often do we go to a place of worship?
Not much. Most people attend a religious service less than once a month.
Still, Americans are far more likely to believe in God and to attend
religious services than people in most other developed countries,
particularly in Europe. | j*******7
发帖数: 6300 | 3 Talked with a Jew many years ago and I always recall what he told me -- "
Most Jews do not believe in God."
约翰福音 12
44 耶稣大声说，信我的，不是信我，乃是信那差我来的。
45 人看见我，就是看见那差我来的。
约翰一书 2
23 凡不认子的就没有父。认子的连父也有了。 | j*******7
发帖数: 6300 | 4 约翰福音 5
37 差我来的父，也为我作过见证。你们从来没有听见他的声音，也没有看见他的形像。
38 你们并没有他的道存在心里。因为他所差来的，你们不信。
39 你们查考圣经。（或作应当查考圣经）因你们以为内中有永生。给我作见证的就是
这经。
40 然而你们不肯到我这里来得生命。
41 我不受从人来的荣耀。
42 但我知道你们心里，没有神的爱。
43 我奉我父的名来，你们并不接待我。若有别人奉自己的名来，你们倒要接待他。
44 你们互相受荣耀，却不求从独一之神来的荣耀，怎能信我呢？
45 不要想我在父面前要告你们。有一位告你们的，就是你们所仰赖的摩西。
46 你们如果信摩西，也必信我。因为他书上有指着我写的话。
47 你们若不信他的书，怎能信我的话呢？ |
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