A Secular Humanist Jew's Thoughts on Yom Kippur: On Atheism and Theism, and on Religion

[rug]

OpEdNews
10/14/2013 at 16:13:26
By Steven Jonas
Steven Jonas, MD, MPH, MS, is a Professor of Preventive Medicine at the School of Medicine, Stony Brook University (NY)

Being some reflections on the Jewish High Holy Day and its meaning that I wrote down after attending the Kol Nidre service at the Liberal Jewish Synagogue in London this past month. The lead sermon was given by the congregation's retired Chief Rabbi, David Goldberg. Two years ago I heard him give a sermon at Kol Nidre service which he began with his modification of a famous quote taken from the English historian A.J. Toynbee: "I don't believe in God; but I miss him."

For Secular Humanist Jews like myself Yom Kippur is not a day of atonement, as it is for theist Jews. We may well have done wrong things in the past year, but we do not regard them as "sins." "Sin" is a religious concept requiring the existence of an unknown, unknowable, and unprovable, yet somehow all-powerful super-natural being which at some level has control over our lives or parts of them. For us, Yom Kippur, the most important day in the Jewish calendar, is a day of renewal and rededication. We reflect, we restore, we renew --- we look ahead, not behind.

Before getting on to what I resolved to renew my efforts in dealing with, let me say that as a humanist, an atheist, for my whole life, I am used to be looked down upon (or worse) by theists. Imagine my surprise, then, when I read of what the new Pope, Francis, had to say about atheists, of which I am surely one, in a lengthy response to a journalist's questions: " "You ask me if the God of the Christians forgives those who don't believe and who don't seek the faith. I start by saying -- and this is the fundamental thing -- that God's mercy has no limits if you go to him with a sincere and contrite heart. The issue for those who do not believe in God is to obey their conscience. Sin, even for those who have no faith, exists when people disobey their conscience [emphasis added]."

Even in a column like this one, I have to say "Wow, that is quite a statement," especially coming from the Pope. (One can hardly imagine it coming from any of the lay or clerical leaders of the Republican Religious Right in the United States.) It did make me return to consider a line of reasoning about religious persons, as contrasted with organized religion, that I have held for quite some time. The Pope made it clear that he does not have a problem with atheists, per se. And so, I would like to make it clear that I do not have a problem with theists, per se. Yes, I do understand and agree with all of the arguments against the existence of an unknown, unknowable and unprovable "God" or "Gods" (think Hinduism, of which there are about 1 billion adherents). But I do think that it is a waste of time to argue against the concept, and worse to make fun of it, that majority of the world's population who are theists of one sort or another hold to.

http://www.opednews.com/articles/A-Secular-Humanist-Jew-s-T-by-Steven-Jonas-Atheism_Church_Homophobia_Israel-131014-84.html

[dimbear]

1. "it is a waste of time to argue against the concept, and worse to make fun of it"

Taking that attitude is going to shut you out of a lot of popular culture. Why not take an open, expansive and inclusive view? Everything on the table.

[rug]

2. I last engaged in that as a sophomore.