Vienna

This may sound a little strange, but I'm just going to put it out there. I'm not even sure if this is the right forum for it...

I come from a Jewish family. We were never particularly religious, although I went to Sunday School and had a Bar Mitzvah. But, as any member of a minority might understand, there is definitely a cultural significance to being Jewish. Especially in the relatively small Jewish community in Sydney.

My father goes to synagogue every week and I've never thought of him as a religious man. (He doesn't keep kosher, he drives on Shabbat, etc.) When I've asked him whether or not he actually believes in God, he sort of evades the question and it always comes back to the sense of identity he feels by calling himself Jewish. Besides, if you've ever visited our local synagogue, you'd see it's more of a social event than a religious observance. Even my grandfather, who went through some pretty horrible things during the Holocaust, has indicated to me that it's the sense of belonging that is the most important thing to him rather than any religious aspect of Judaism.

As for me, I don't believe in God or Judaism, and I would call myself an atheist. But I do still feel that being Jewish means something (if for no other reason than it was a part of my upbringing). I still get a slight tinge of pride whenever Billy Crystal hosts the Oscars.

I guess I feel a little torn. I'm definitely an atheist and I have no problem announcing that to the world, but I can't help feel a little like I'm turning my back on something. Then, at the same time, calling myself Jewish seems hypocritical.

So, is there such a thing as a Jewish Atheist?

I'd be interested in hearing other people's opinions on this, especially those with a similar background.

trientalis

My husband is Jewish by birth. His parents are Reform; Adam is utterly uninterested in religion and so could be called secular or atheist, I suppose. However, if asked, he would probably identify himself as a Jew. We do observe Pesach and light candles for Hanukkah and Yahrzeits if we remember, but otherwise our household is non-observant.
I am a Jew by conversion. If we do light candles on Hanukkah, it's because I remember; last year we didn't light them at all. Personally, my theology ranges from weak atheist to apathetic agnostic, with occasional leanings toward Scientific Pantheism. For the most part, I consider myself an atheist and yet there's the matter of all those seders I'll be cooking for the next 20-30 years. I still feel sort of like a member of the tribe.
The way I see it, my husband and I are atheist Jews, our Jewishness being a matter of lineage and culture, rather than synagogue attendance and theology. Observant Jews would disagree as would devout Christians (I was baptized Episcopalian so I'm an apostate twice over in their eyes).
In the end, whose opinion matters most?

Maverick

Hello Vienna,

I was able to dig up an old thread with your exact question. Hope it helps.

Jewish Atheist?

BTW, I apologize for the poor coding in that old thread. When we switched over to this bulletin board the coding in the posts did not cenvert.

Maverick

Vienna

Thanks trientalis,

Hmm, "atheist Jew" sounds better, doesn't it?

But then again, the only time I'll observe any Jewish customs is when I'm at my parents place. For Seder or breaking the fast on Yom Kippur. I also have a kind of tradition of visiting my grandfather at his shule on Yom Kippur, which for the last couple of years, has been the only time I've seen the inside of a synagogue, apart from weddings and bar mitzvahs.

It's funny, isn't it? When I start my own family, I'll want my children to understand their heritage, but at the same time, I don't want to confuse them by teaching them Jewish customs that I don't adhere to.

In a way, I hope I fall in love with a non-Jewish girl, since I know if I marry a Jewish girl, it'll kind of be expected that we raise our kids Jewish.

Vienna

Thanks Maverick,

Lots of interesting posts there. It's nice to know there's a few other Jewish Atheists or Atheist Jews.

DMB

I think many of us could be described as *** atheists, where *** carries some religious connotation.

It is a matter of culture. A catholic atheist is different from a protestant atheist, who is different from a muslim atheist or a hindu atheist.

Personally, I am a Church-of-England atheist, although I have never been a member of the church. I simply received a lot of CofE indoctrination in my youth, so the CofE provides a sort of basic religious template for me.

I do know some purists who insist that when you acknowledge your atheism, you should discard all the religious trappings you trail with you and, for example, not celebrate xmas or whatever. I think this is bunkum. I think we all have a perfect right to enjoy the social or aesthetic sides of religion if they appeal to us. I always listen to xmas carols with great enjoyment.

Proxima Centauri

Well I haven't mentioned this before because I didn't want to stir up those US anti semites. I'm of Jewish descent. My father was a Jew who married a non Jewish girl. I was brought up as a Christian and later deconverted.
I know only the barest outline of Jewish customs. Since my mother wasn't Jewish believing Jews don't think I need to observe Jewish customs. Still I feel myself on the fringes of the Jewish community. I will feel that way all my life.

callmejay

Yep, I've used that exact phrase ("Jewish Atheist") to describe myself before. I used to be a "religous Jew" or "Orthodox Jew" but I'm now a "secular Jew" or "atheist Jew." It's probably not the most rational thing in the world, but I still identify pretty strongly with being Jewish.

One big difference between Judaism and Christianity (and others) is that Judaism is clearly a people as well as a religion. There's "the Jewish People," but you never hear of "The Christian People."

beastmaster

Jewish atheism is common.

I have met many Jews from all around the world in my life -- every single one of them has been skeptical about religion, if not atheistic outright. I have found that Jews -- moreso than others -- tend to be quite open about their views on religion, including their skepticism.

There is a long tradition of nontheism within the Jewish communities, at least since the Enlightenment. Most well-known Jews are non-theists, from Karl Marx to Woody Allen to Albert Einstein and on and on. Others, like Spinoza and his pantheism, are quasi-secular.

I think the main reasons for Jewish atheism, modernly, are (1) Jews tend to be better educated than the general population (which correlates with religious disbelief) and (2) the Holocaust as a manifestation of the Problem of Evil.

A very good read is A History of the Jews by Johnson (can't remember the author's first name). It runs from Abraham to the 20th Century. The author focuses on religious beliefs of major Jews through the ages. You'll find quite a bit on Jewish atheism and its implications in there.

Unusual Suspect

Longstanding arguments never to be settled--can you be an atheist and still be a jew; can judaism be considered a culture if you want to leave out the religious aspects?

I puzzled over that for years and finally made a personal decision--since my upbringing was completely non-religious, and jewish culture was just an interesting add-on that had nothing to do with my life, I stopped considering myself a jew who was also an atheist.

Culture and/or national heritage are artifacts of tradition and belief, just like religion. My parents came from Russia and Poland, but I certainly don't consider myself a Russian-Polish-American.

Catana