Date: Thu, 26 Jan 1995 10:46:17 -0800 (PST) From: Walter Hellman To: hj@teleport.com Subject: Discussion question Hello All, I will be leading a discussion group next month for our local SHJ group (Humanistic Jews of Greater Portland) on this question: "Is nothing sacred in Humanistic Judaism?" The question relates to the most common criticism I've heard about humanism in general...that "anything goes." To help anticipate some of the views which may arise next month, I would appreciate reactions to this question. Perhaps it could lead to other discussion questions on our new list. Thanks. Shalom. Walter Hellman Date: Thu, 26 Jan 1995 14:04:15 -0400 (EDT) From: SAUL@ACC.FAU.EDU To: hellman@teleport.com Subject: Re: Discussion question Walter, I've thought about this question on numerous occassions. Interstingly, HJ seems to be "earthbound" in the same way that other organizations are. I thinks what people mean when they say "anything goes" is that the HJ uses the portions of ceremonies deemed consistent with a humanistic philosophy--and there are those that seem to feel very uncomfortable with variations in tradition. However, using parts of tradition seems reasonable to me. We are Jewish and want to keep a close tie with Judaism. We not anti- the wonderful cutural history that jews can claim. Just a thought. by the way--my name is Rick Saul and am a member of Congregation Beth Adam/South Florida Center for Humanistic Judaism. ........................................................................ Date: Thu, 26 Jan 1995 16:25:18 -0500 (EST) From: Aer Lingus To: Humanistic Judaism Subject: Sacred in Humanistic Judaism? Here's my stab at the issue: I feel that the crux of the issue is one's definition of the word "sacred," much the same way that the definition of "spirituality" is so important for Humanistic Judaism. Traditional authority sometimes sees something as sacred based on the source from which it emanates; the authority of the producer makes the product sacred. A good example of this would be the Torah, whose sancitity proceeds in large part from Rabbinic Judaism's perception of it as being a work of divine authorship. At the same time, the proof of something's sanctity is its perception by "the masses;" a particular site is holy because people believe something of significance TO THEM occurred or was done by God at that place. In short, traditional religious sanctity is a combination of regard for the creator of the idea and regard for the idea itself (what it stands for, what it means, its usefulness or applicability to life). Of course, it appears that Humanistic Judaism lacks the necessary faith in authority to hold objects or places sacred using this preliminary definition. We do not believe in authority worship or considering an idea inviolable because of its creator, and at the same time it seems that no idea has proved perfect enough to be above question. Yet I do believe that some things ARE sacred to Humanistic Jews, although in a different way than religious sanctity. For me, the sacred is synonymous with "the ideal," "the ethical," and "that of supreme human significance." Some examples of this would be: the ideal of world peace, the individual's responsibility to himself and others for his actions and everyone's happiness, and the basic connection between all human beings of living together and needing the same basic elements for satisfaction. Rabbi Sherwin Wine, in some old issue of Humanistic Judaism the journal, wrote an article called "Believing is better than Non-believing" in which he explains that Humanistic Judaism is not simply a collection of some negated ideas of other religious, but rather it is a strong statement of affirmative beliefs and actions. The "sacred" is just one example of the principle of belief over non-belief. Yes, everything and everyone should be open to question. But this does not mean that certain things are no longer as important to us just because they can be challenged. Indeed, a microcosm of this whole issue can be seen in our basic belief in the power of human reason: one may legitemately question its use, but this does not make it any less important to us. Worshiping human ideas and human creations as "religiously sacred" (and thus inviolabe and unchallangeable) may be impossible for us, but trying to enact such ideas with all of our being is our way of treating something as "sacred." Not worship but positive action is the sacred for Humanistic Judaism. In any case, that is my opinion. Adam Chalom ........................................................................ Date: Fri, 27 Jan 1995 10:47:14 -0500 (EST) From: "Miriam S. Jerris" To: Aer Lingus Cc: Humanistic Judaism Subject: Re: Sacred in Humanistic Judaism? Adam, great job. One could spend a very long time defining sacred. It so happens that sacred is a word that has value to me. It sets time, space, ideas outside the ordinary, the everyday. For me, the sacred is embodied in behavior that is consistent with stated beliefs. At times, I think that finding Humanistic Jews who embody this sacred idea is akin to the concept of lamed vavnicks, the 36 righteous men for which god has decided not to destroy to the world. P.S. Hope to have some concrete news about the future of HJ and internet after the Executive Committee meeting on Sunday. Shabbat Shalom, Miriam ........................................................................ Date: Fri, 27 Jan 1995 09:17:39 -0500 (EST) From: "SAVE \"My So Called Life\"" To: hj@teleport.com Subject: Some things sacred, some not This from a colleague who hasn't gotten on the list yet. My personal take is that I would trust anyone at Kahal B'raira to "hold my rope." To me that's sacred and, as Hillel said, all the rest is commentary. HJ appears to be in an extremely early stage of development. From my limited experience in our small congregation, human dignity, reason, commitments, and justice are considered sacred. I despair that despite sincere interest on the part of my colleagues, the perspecctive of our HJ is still highly anthropocentric and not totally embracing of the notion that people are dependent upon an intact nature. Humanism has a bad rap among environmentalists for this reason. ........................................................................ Date: Fri, 27 Jan 1995 16:13:12 -0500 From: Melissa Gleckel To: hellman@teleport.com Subject: discussion question I think that the family and the community are sacred in Humanistic Judaism. Missy Gleckel ........................................................................ Date: Sun, 29 Jan 1995 11:04:09 -0800 From: "Howard.and.Celia.Modell" To: hj@teleport.com Subject: Re: Discussion question It depends on how you define "sacred". If you mean it as "principles or tenets handed down from On High and of Devine Authority" then no, HJ doesn't hold anthing sacred. If on the other hand, if you take "sacred" to mean "principles or tenets that we hold dear, that we give Special Weight to, that we use to guide our own behavior", then the answer is "yes, there are some sacred things". "We hold these Truths to be Self-Evident .." and all that .. We hold Human Rights to be "sacred". howie +-------------------------------------------------------------------+ | "I am defeated and _know_ it only on the day I meet another | | human being from whom I am unable to learn." | | - Carmen San Diego | +-------------------------------------------------------------------+ Howard S. Modell modell@halcyon.com http://www.halcyon.com/modell/modell.html ........................................................................ Date: Tue, 31 Jan 1995 17:32:18 -0800 (PST) From: Richard Sherman To: Humanistic Judaism Subject: what is sacred... Shalom chaverim, I found the framing of the question posed to be particularly interesting. I believe that humanism and Humanistic Judaism, in particular, is a positive philosophy of life. Consequently, concepts like 'anything goes' are inapplicable. On the contrary, I find atheism to be a negation--albeit of theism, but still using that unfortunate philosophy as a starting point and giving it far more power than we might choose. We do hold a myriad of values to be important to our belief system, e.g. dignity, integrity, courage, and so on... Adam noted Sherwin's fine piece on 'Believing is Better than non-Believing'; its a piece all of us can utilize in discussions like this one, but more importantly, in dealing with non-humanists. I personally will not let theists, the religious right, or whomever have a monopoly on issues such as sacredness, family values or other concepts that attempt to isolate poeple like humanistic Jews. In broader scope, I resist those others defining us, our vocabulary, and our values. Indeed, we are the new emerging majority( I know it doesn't seem like it oftentimes) and I enjoy telling Jews that when I have the opportunity... Best regards, Richard Sherman ........................................................................ Date: Sun, 26 Feb 1995 18:59:07 -0800 (PST) From: Walter Hellman To: hj@teleport.com Subject: "Is Nothing Sacred...?", Portland, OR meeting results Hello All, Here is a summary of the Humanistic Jews of Greater Portland (OR) meeting devoted to the question, "Is anything sacred in Humanistic Judaism? The meeting was held at the Goldhamer residence in Beaverton, Sunday, Feb. 26, 1995 from 1:00 to 4:00 PM. Attendance: 27. The moderator (myself) interpreted the subject question into several others: What makes HJ distinct from other groups? What is the origin of authority for ethics in HJ? What is the underlying view of life (accident?) in HJ? Several readings were made: One a criticism of humanism as being a "religion of chaos," from the Christian right. One a criticism of HJ as not being Judaism from the Orthodox Jewish right. And one criticizing negative Jewish reactions to intermarriage. Following candle lighting were the autobiographical statements of three members, describing their personal values and how they came to them. The spokespeople were Jane Goldhamer, Ron Katon, and Judith Mellor. The large group then broke into 3 small groups for an initial attack on the discussion question. A hand-out consisting of the dictionary definition of "sacred," and statements from SHJ concerning Jewish identify were distributed. It was suggested and rejected that the groups discuss one or the other of humanism or Judaism. All groups discussed the whole topic. Parts I (1933) and II (1973) of the Humanist Manifesto were made available. Group I: Reported the following as sacred to HJ: respect for human integrity, justice, Tikkun, willingness to live with uncertainty, choose to interpret history with out supernatural element, honoring of diversity. Reflected view that HJ is a religion. Group II: HJ's observances, rituals, etc., should be basically Jewish; HJ will best serve intercultural marriages by providing a sound basis for Judaism and not attempting to incorporate rituals from other cultures, even humanistic ones. What is sacred with regard to Judaism in HJ is a positive identity with Judaism, its history and ethics. Group III:More questions: Is there anyone who cannot be a Humanistic Jew, and, if so, what characteristics would this person have? How can a philosophy which has scepticism as one of its basic values also have solid ethical values? When the three groups got together a vigorous discussion concerning whether HJ is a religion ensued. Because of traditional associations with "religion," there was some aversion to being a "religious" person. But the majority seemed to feel that the faith in the humanistic and Jewish values held constituted religion. Support for this position was taken from the Humanist Manifesto which discusses "religious humanism." A suggestion was made that it would be more appropriate for us and SHJ to put out position papers on what constitutes being an HJ rather than an all encompassing statement for all Jews. Finally, a suggestion was made that future meetings on the topic would be well served by providing a list of proposed "sacreds" to start group discussions. ........................................................................ Date: Wed, 22 Feb 1995 19:51:01 -0800 (PST) From: Walter Hellman To: hj@teleport.com Subject: Personal view of Humanistic Judaism as religion Hello All, Some of you already read the liberal Judaism mailing list. In reading it I saw very little reflecting the views of Humanistic Judaism as I understand it. There were many highly conservative postings. I felt it would be good, both to clarify my own thinking on the issue and to represent these different views, to do a posting on the lj list. The first piece, "Why I feel I am Jewish," below was on a week or two ago. The second, a continuation and elaboration relating to the question "Is anything sacred in Humanistic Judaism?," will be in the next issue of lj. I would be interested to know how others in HJ feel about the views below. Walter Hellman PART I. >From hellman@teleport.comSun Feb 12 21:04:53 1995 Date: Sun, 12 Feb 1995 21:02:21 -0800 (PST) From: Walter Hellman To: faigin@aero.org Subject: Submission for lib.jud list Hello Daniel, Here is my submission for the lj list and thanks for your tireless work on it. Walter Hellman Subject: Why I feel I am Jewish The great variety of approaches to Judaism evidenced in the postings to this list has caused me to specifically question just what it is which makes me feel Jewish. Some responses to the question are simple; I was raised in a Jewish family, went to Hebrew school, observed the Jewish holidays with my family and was bar mitzvahed. These are indicators that I was raised as a Jew, but not that I should necessarily feel I am one now. We do many things in childhood which, as adults, we no longer continue. After thinking about this, I realized that the main reason for my feeling Jewish, aside from cultural upbringing, stems from the Jewish tradition of values as exemplified in Jewish history and Jewish history itself. For me the importance of the Ten Commandments story is not that God gave these commandments, but that a code of written law was to be followed by all, regardless of social or political stature, in a time when might was right. The writings of the Prophets, such as Isaiah and Micah, are significant to me not because they were "divinely inspired" because they were some of the first trumpetings of the voice of justice in an unjust world. The story of Jesus is critical to who we Jews are. Those who were skeptical of any claims of those supposedly speaking in God's name remained Jewish; we still feel that way today and remain a minority. Our great love of learning and reasoning is evident in the Talmud, and the disproportionate role of Jews in the professions. Then there is that mature view of the world...and sense of humor... that comes from an ancient people who have always been a minority in advocating justice, reason and social progress. I honor the history of my people because it and they produced much of what I value. The notion of God itself has little to do with my feeling Jewish. I know my ancestors saw their values as stemming from divine will, but I would hold these values even if the concept of God completely vanished from the earth. If religion truly stems from a core of beliefs which cannot be rationally proved, then the humanistic values which stem from the history of our people are my religious values as well. Theistically religious people often say that humanists have no solid set of values, that "anything goes." What I feel is that a commitment to a set of values depends on the strength of one's beliefs, whether those beliefs originate in humanism or theism. In an real sense, however, we are all humanists. Except for those who claim to speak directly for God (Jews showed their skepticism to this claim in the reaction to Jesus), all interpretation of events in our world, and even of scripture accepted as divine revelation, is done by humans, using human language, to try, as we all do, to figure out how to live life in ever changing circumstances. That even theistically religious people, using the same scripture as a basis, cannot agree on all moral and political issues supports this view. I feel Jewish, then, and share the values of our Jewish heritage, in spite of the fact that I do not share the divine source of these values that my ancestors held. Are all humanists Jewish then? Of course not. Judaism is more than a set of values. It is a culture and a history of that culture. God was a major part of that culture, but there is so much more to it than God. As a Humanistic Jew I not only celebrate my origins, but also seek to further carry forward and develop the values which are at the core of my religion. ....................................................................... PART II. Subject: Why I feel I am Jewish Thanks to Rabbi Stern (v4, n123) for a very clear and concise presentation on the mystic and rational views of God. When we look at the long term evolution of our planet and life from relatively simple elements of the origin to the incredible complexity we know today, we must account for the transformation. The traditionally religious attribute it to the traditional God. The non-religious attribute it to chance interactions of the known forces of nature. Another view, close to the "rational" one described by Rabbi Stern is that the transformation is the result of directed higher order processes of which we are only marginally aware and which we are probably not capable of understanding. Although the exact nature of these forces is not known, their existence can be inferred in the same way the invisible force of gravity is inferred from its effects. Thus there is direction to the universe and life...an "unfolding" as Rabbi Stern and others have referred to it. Life is not an accident but part of that direction. Michael Lerner has described the "force" responsible for the unfolding as follows: "The God of the universe is not a static force, not a repetitive or cyclical process, but rather the force that makes for transformation from that which is to that which ought to be." (Tikkun; vol 9, no. 2, p.37) What "ought to be" can be viewed as that to which the unfolding is directed. Jewish history has played a major part in this unfolding with its orientation toward social justice, ethics and the associated improvement of society. But this view of the unfolding is a matter of faith. Others do not share it; the social darwinists, the might is right supporters, the very great numbers of those who simply do not care. There is an odd sort of destiny at work here. The universe is unfolding by means of higher order forces, but we are the players, the agents of the forces. To the extent that we act and have faith in our vision, the unfolding may proceed in a direction that justifies our faith. Is it possible for a humanist to "worship;" to consider anything sacred? I think so. It is the faith in a vision of the idealization of existence and society; a particular view rooted in values developed in large part through Jewish history. This faith may be wrong. We may lose. Our vision may not be borne out in the unfolding. Think of the direction being taken by Congress today. But what else is faith than trust, which cannot be rationally established, in a body of beliefs? These beliefs, intimately connected to both humanism and Judaism, are, for me, the essence of the Humanistic Judaism religion. Do these views give the comfort of traditional religion with a personal God? Perhaps not. But there are other rewards. We are living for a higher cause. We are part of something bigger than ourselves. We do have responsibility. Just as the traditionally orthodox cannot claim to fully understand God's reason for our being here, we cannot fully understand the nature of our unfolding. In both cases there is mystery and where there is mystery, there is hope.