God-Optional Judaism

By JUDITH SEID

Judith Seid, a secular rabbi, believes that the bonds of peoplehood, not religion, are what unite the Jewish people. In an adaptation from her book, God-Optional Judaism, she addresses some basic questions about secularism, a secular humanistic attitude towards God, and what “secular” really means.

Although most American Jews are affiliated with religious congregations at some point in their lives, at any given time most Jews do not belong to religious congregations. Where are all those Jews going for community? Where do they find spiritual nourishment? Where do they find answers to the really big questions about the meaning of life and the finality of death?

Modern Jewish life is, and has always been, rich with cultural alternatives, including the old Secularist movement, which was my Jewish home. I grew up attending an after-school and Saturday program that taught Yiddish, Jewish history, literature, and music. My kindershul engaged in social and political action based on the lessons of Jewish history and progressivism.

Today, there are many secular alternatives to the three big denominations. Here are some of the questions we secular Jews often hear about our secular Jewishness:

Secular? What do you mean, “secular”?

In one sense, it means “not religious.” But “secular” is also the translation of the Yiddish name for the movement, “veltlikh,” which means “worldly.” It means we believe that this natural world is the only one we can know about. It means that secularists don’t believe that any non-natural or super-natural powers have influence on this world. It means we believe that religious authorities should have no control over government or public functions. We believe that separation of church and state is necessary for each citizen’s right to self-determination.

In this sense, the word has a positive meaning, the meaning of being passionately involved in the world and integrally connected to it. It means that this is the only world there is, and if we want to improve it, we have to take responsibility for it. It means that all the things the world has to offer are ours, if we want them—art, music, literature, science, nature, and the immense variety of intellectual and cultural expressions. It means that what happens to any of the world’s people happens to us, that human relationships are powerful, and that our lives can affect the lives of others.

So, does that mean you don’t believe in God?

The essence of Secularism is NOT the denial of God. It is Jewish peoplehood. We’re not obsessed with the non-existence of gods; they are irrelevant to us. The most important thing we can say about God is that whether or not God exists, whether or not there is a god named YHVH who told the Jews to do certain things, we would live our lives exactly the same way we do now. Our important statement is NOT that there is no god, but that God is not our authority.

Where do you get strength? Even if God can’t or won’t do anything to change the world, don’t you need a strong arm to lean on and a loving ear to talk to?

In general, Secular Jews don’t call on God when we need strength. We call on our community. And we don’t call on God when we need inner strength. We call on our own inner strength. We don’t use the word “God” to describe things that already have other names. We don’t say “God is love.” We say, “Love is love.”

For those of us who don’t believe in spiritual forces, self-conscious or not, our strength comes from our convictions about what is right, our memories of history and sense of possibility, and our relations with other human beings, both individually and communally.

You know, I always thought of Judaism as a religion.

The idea that Judaism is a religion dates back only to the Enlightenment. Before that, the Jews were considered to be a national entity, like the French or the Mexicans or the Navajo. Submerging our national identity was the price of being considered first-class citizens of the countries we lived in. The Reform movement, one outgrowth of the Enlightenment, made this shift one of its central principles and stated that Judaism is only a religion. But if we consider ourselves less like Protestants or Catholics and more like Mexicans or Native Americans, we come to a better understanding of what being Jewish is all about. Nobody would say to a Mexican “How can you be a Mexican if you’re not a Catholic?” And certainly nobody would say to a Native American “How can you be Piute if you’re Christian?” That’s because, although there are typical, majority religious forms for each national culture, and the culture is enriched by those religious forms, the religion does not define the civilization.

But just as much as calling Judaism a religion rather than a national civilization flies in the face of history and tradition, calling Judaism “a” religion is historically inaccurate. Judaism is not one religion and has never been only one religion. The diversity of beliefs that has always existed in Judaism is testimony to that. And modern mainstream Judaism is just as diverse. Reform and Orthodox Jews believe very little, if anything, in common. They differ on the nature of God, the nature of humanity, the existence of an afterlife, the authority of the halakha (Jewish law), and just about everything else except for their self-definition as Jews. There is no creed that defines Jewish religion and there is no one set of Jewish beliefs that can be defined as “the” Jewish religion.

Religion is what divides the Jewish people. What holds us together is our sense of heritage, culture, and commitment to our people.

Do you think it’s fair that you get all the fun of being Jewish with none of the responsibilities?

None of the responsibilities? On the contrary, we have many responsibilities and we take their fulfillment seriously. We are responsible to be truthful about the past, to be contributors in the present, and to be believers in the future. We have the responsibility of carrying on a wealth of Jewish music, literature, history, and tam (Jewish “flavor” or essence)from 3,500 years on 6 continents. We have the responsibility of bringing the lessons of Jewish history into our daily lives. We have the responsibility of helping to create a world that truly appreciates the dignity of the individual and the power of the community. We have the responsibility to respond to one another’s needs in real, concrete ways. We have the responsibility to continue the Jewish People as a relevant identity for generations to come.

But thank you for noticing that being Jewish is fun. With all the tsuris and the weight of history, we have all chosen this path because it is meaningful and rewarding for us. We choose to be Jewish and to accept the responsibilities that come with it and we fully enjoy the pleasures and satisfactions that being Jewish brings us.