Bringing Up Kids As Jews Without Believing In Religion

The world is abuzz, because the actress Gwyneth Paltrow, who once claimed she did not believe in religion, reportedly wants to raise her children as Jews (having found out that she’s come from a long line of rabbis). Sounds like an oxymoron? Not if you are a follower of Humanistic Judaism. It’s a religion in the sense that you belong to a community and consider yourself Jewish. However, there is no praying or singing praises to a deity. Thus, a non-believer who wants his or her children to grow up Jewish doesn't have to compromise and teach the kids that they are being watched at all times by an all-powerful and kinda nice, but rather vengeful, Santa.

If you, like me, live in the Westchester, New York area, you can check this out for yourself, when, on August 24, the Westchester Community for Humanistic Judaism is holding an open house for their Jewish Education School. You can find out the details on their website, http://www.wchj.org.

American Atheists Sue Over the Cross at the World Trade Center Site

It’s a dirty job, but, in my opinion, someone’s gotta do it. On July 27, American Atheists sued over the inclusion of cross-shaped steel beams (the so-called “World Trade Center Cross,” in the exhibit at the National September 11th Memorial and Museum.

Apparently, ABC News is not optimistic about the suit’s prospects (note the word “permanent”):

Last weekend the 17-foot cross, discovered in the rubble of 9/11, was given a "ceremonial blessing" by the Rev. Brian Jordan, removed from its temporary post near St. Peter’s Church, and lowered 70 feet into its permanent home inside the museum.

The lawsuit claims the inclusion of the cross-shaped steel beams promotes Christianity over all other religions (duh!) on public property and diminishes the civil rights of non-Christians.

Humansitic Bar Mitzvahs - a Growing Trend

Unfortunately, Humanistic Bar and Bat Mitzvahs are still rare enough to be considered newsworthy.  See, for instance, this article that recently appeared in the Wall Street Journal: http://citycongregation.org/images/WallStreetJournal-Tillman.pdf.

Society for Humanistic Judaism Stands Up for Workers’ Rights

The Society for Humanistic Judaism adopted a resolution stating:

·         “That the Society for Humanistic Judaism proclaims its support for the rights of all workers to earn a fair wage and enjoy safe and reasonable working conditions as an expression of their human dignity, and

 

·         “That the Society for Humanistic Judaism proclaims its support of the institution of collective bargaining where necessary to protect the basic rights of workers to earn a fair wage and enjoy safe and reasonable working conditions, and

 

·         “That the Society for Humanistic Judaism urges all governments to protect the rights of workers to earn a fair wage and enjoy safe and reasonable working conditions.”

The Humanistic Key to Building Jewish Identity

Please check out this recently taped interview with my congregation‘s rabbi, Frank Tamburello:
http://humanisticbarandbatmitzvahs.wordpress.com/2011/07/27/the-key-to-building-jewish-identity-according-to-rabbi-tamburello/.

Jesus-Guided ICBMs?

Recently released reports, obtained under the Freedom of Information Act, show that the mandatory Nuclear Ethics and Nuclear Warfare session, which takes place during a missile officer’s first week in training, is led by Air Force chaplains and includes a discussion on St. Augustine’s Christian “Just War Theory.” Also included in the PowerPoint presentation is a slide containing a passage from the Book of Revelation that attempts to explain how Jesus Christ, as the “mighty warrior,” believed war to be “just.”

The presentation goes on to say that there are “many examples of believers [who] engaged in wars in [the] Old Testament” in a “righteous way” and notes there is “no pacifistic sentiment in mainstream Jewish history.”

The Military Religious Freedom Foundation (MRFF), an advocacy group that watches for signs of religious bias in the military, said more than thirty Air Force officers, a majority of whom describe themselves as practicing Protestants and Roman Catholics, have contacted their group in hopes of working together to have the Christian-themed teachings removed from the Nuclear Ethics and Nuclear Warfare training session.

A Guide to Humanist Ethics

On Saturday, August 20, from 7 to 10 PM, the Center for Inquiry will host a panel discussion group “Good Without God: Ethics for Freethinkers”.  See their site for more info.

Who Does Have Standing to Protect Our Constitution?

A federal judge dismissed a lawsuit that sought to stop Texas Gov. Rick Perry from sponsoring a national day of Christian prayer and fasting, ruling Thursday that the group of atheists and agnostics did not have legal standing to sue.  Read more here: http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/tx/7674113.html.

The governor, who is apparently very busy courting divine favor, is also planning to hod a special prayer event on August 6 in Reliant Stadium.  A lawsuit to stop it, filed by the Freedom From Religion Foundation, was also dismissed because of the plaintiffs’ lack of standing.  I suppose the Justice Department of the United States has the standing, but would not take a stand (pun intended).

Unilaterally Declared Palestinian Statehood?

This September the United Nations General Assembly may hold a vote on whether or not to endorse a unilaterally declared Palestinian state.  If you believe that lasting peace between Israeli Jews and Pelestinian Arabs can only be achieved through bilateral negotiations between the State of Israel and the Palestinian Authority, you might want to sign the online petition prepared by the Jewish Community Relations Council (JCRC-NY), which they plan to present at a major press conference at the UN in September.