(no subject)

[rhu]

cramerica asked....

Which religion are you, if religion is a part of your worldview? Did you ever think of switching your religion or denomination?

The short answer: I'm Jewish and have been since birth. I grew up moderately observant (what many people call "Conservative") and started becoming more observant (what many people call "Orthodox") just before my college graduation.

(I don't like the idea of dividing Jews into denominations; certainly it is useful for synagogues to form and join associations with similar constituencies, but I think it is harmful for us to start labeling ourselves or judging one another. That's one of the reasons that introverte and I have enrolled our son in JCDS, a pluralistic Jewish day school.)

The long answer is complicated by the fact that when it comes to religion, words seem to mean different things to different people. The "religious part of my worldview" has very little to do with prayer, an afterlife, or what Christian theologians call "justification." On the contrary, it's focused on how my daily actions can conform to what I understand the halacha (law) requires.

I don't know whether God exists, but I have faith that God exists. For me, "faith" means that I have chosen to accept the existence of a particular interpretation of God as an (unproven) first principle, and to live my life accordingly. As long as both the existence and non-existence of God remain unprovable, it seems to me that a rational person can choose either position as a starting point. (Perhaps someday I'll post my game-theory explanation of theodicy and God's "hidden face.")

It doesn't matter what other people's religious beliefs are. Judaism has only seven requirements (such as not murdering) for non-Jews to be considered "children of Noah." In fact, non-Jews are traditionally discouraged from becoming Jewish (because it's a lot easier to err when you're responsible for observing a hundredfold more commandments). I respect Jews who have chosen a different path towards expressing their Judaism (see my comments above regarding denominations). My religious beliefs are just that: mine.

I have found a path (which is the literal meaning of halacha) which I find rewarding. When I lead the chanting of the Hallel psalms, I experience joy. When my grandmother passed away a few years ago, I had a structure for expressing my grief. When I train my son to wash the priests' hands, I feel the pride of knowing that thousands of years ago my great-great-....-grandfather did the same thing in the actual Temple. When I study a section of Talmud, I feel the satisfaction of understanding something difficult. When I struggle with reconciling my libertarian egalitarian philosophy and the Scripture's strictures, I take part in a long tradition of shaping and being shaped by the halacha.