Over the past year or so, I have questioned religion as a whole and wondered about what I really believe or what I am. I decided a while ago that I consider myself an atheist. I no longer believe in a God. However, I recently also decided that it is important to me to retain some of my Jewishness. I want to still follow my ancestry and traditions. I began to ask myself if this was possible, if I could be an atheist and a Jew at the same time. I decided that this project would be the perfect opportunity for me to find out. I tried to discover what was possible and what wasn’t. This paper should answer my question.
Definition of Atheism
Atheism is defined as the belief that there are no gods. However there are two ideas that are often considered atheism. One is that of not following the views of theists, who believe in the existence of a god, and the other is the direct claim that the theistic belief is false. The first view is actually not atheism, but it is agnosticism. A person is agnostic when they do not have firm beliefs on the matter of an existence of a god.
This paper will define atheism as the belief that there are no gods. While agnosticism and atheism are similar, they are still very different. Atheism is a stronger belief than agnosticism. A person is an atheist when they believe that there are no supernatural beings, from gods to demons to ghosts. Atheism is not, however, a code of living or principles. Atheism doesn’t determine other philosophical ideas, but there are other philosophies that give rise to atheistic beliefs.
There are many types of atheists who differ in the reasons that they believe there are no gods. The main types are Neurotic, Marxist, Rationalist, and Existentialist atheism. Neurotic atheists do not belief in God because their psychological structure causes them to have a disgust or fear of religion. Neurotic atheism comes from experiences that a person has had. This person may not even be entirely atheist, they might be very superstitious, but there is something that happened to them to make them not believe in a god or religion.
Marxist atheism is based on the philosophies of Karl Marx. His famous statement in which he called religion the “opium of the people” is the basis of this type of atheism. Marx considered religion to be an excuse for all of the bad in the world. Instead of trying to improve the world, Marx believed, people just spent their lives being religious, in the hope that they would wind up in a paradise. A person is a Marxist atheist if they believe that religion is bad because it keeps the people of the world from working for a better life and gives an excuse for cruelty and injustice.
However, there is one important thing to realize about Marxist atheism. Notice that Marx called religion an opium of the people as opposed to an opium for the people. Marxists do not believe that religion was a conspiracy to give more power to rulers or nobles.
Rationalist atheism is basically the scientific atheism. It is probably the most common type of atheism. Rationalist atheists believe that there is no god because there is no factual evidence or line of reasoning that can prove the existence of a god. A person is a Rationalist atheist when they do not believe in gods due to the absence of scientific proof or reasoning.
Existentialist atheism is the belief that religion denies freedom to believers. Existentialist atheists believe that if there were a god, everyone would have the same values. They also believe that there is no meaning for anything, everything just is how it is.
Definition of Judaism
What Judaism actually is is often discussed and debated, especially here, at I.L. Peretz. Originally, there were 13 principles of Judaism, written by Maimonides during the 11th century, which were widely accepted for many centuries. They can be summarized as follows: There is one God. Jewish law was revealed by God to Moses. God knows the thoughts and acts of all people and rewards or punishes as he sees fit. The Messiah will one day come. To Maimonides, a Jew was a person who embraced those principles. According to these principles, there was no way to be a non-religious Jew. Every principle had a deep basis in religious faith.
I, like many others from these times, disagree with this code of Judaism. Judaism isn’t a race, nor is it a nation. However, it is much more than just a religion. It could be considered to be a way of life. It can be considered a set of ideals and values, developed over the course of Jewish history, none of them necessarily having anything to do with a belief in God. These can include a respect for education and wisdom, a love of justice and peace, belief in the importance of family and charity, and duty to the community. One could even hope for a Messianic age when life on Earth is peaceful and just, without actually believing in God or the return of an actual Messiah. Sherwin T. Wine, in his book Judaism Beyond God, argues that Jewish identity can be considered to consist of three components. These are a sense of shared ancestry, of shared memories, and of shared danger. None of these require a belief in God, nor do they exclude it.
There are three basic types of traditional Judaism. They are Orthodox, Conservative, and Reform. Each one has its own subtypes. The philosophies of these types generally include a belief in God. The members of these groups act secularly in their daily activities but keep that separate from Judaism and their Jewish identity. There is obvious conflict between these types and atheism. One would have to sacrifice a major part of either atheism or Judaism in order to be an Orthodox, Conservative, or Reform Jew and an atheist. In fact, it is almost impossible for the two to mix fully.
Concepts of Atheism and Judaism I Believe In
While many Jews do believe in God and follow their religion strictly, many do not. I believe in parts of Judaism and atheism. I do not believe in God or any supernatural being. I believe in both Marxist and Rationalist atheism. I think that belief in God is detrimental to the world and that there is no proof or evidence of the existence of a God. However, I still believe in some parts of Judaism.
I still consider myself to be, to some degree, a Jew, even though a belief in God is absent. I believe that Judaism is an ancestry and a history, in addition to a religion, and that it is important to keep many of its traditions. For that reason, I still celebrate the Jewish holidays. I do not follow the strict rules, such as keeping Kosher or observing Shabbat. I feel that they are outdated and that the human race has evolved and changed, so those restrictions are obsolete and should be removed.
It is impossible for a person to fully be both an atheist and follow one of the main types of Judaism. A completely observant Orthodox, Conservative, or Reform Jew believes in the existence of a God. That is the inherent conflict between those types and atheism. However, it isn’t unheard of for some Jews who consider themselves to adhere to one of those types of Judaism to not believe in God, especially a Reform Jew. These people observe Jewish custom because it is part of their ancestry and a tradition that is important for them to keep, not because it is a religion. This could be one way to be both Jewish and atheistic.
There are other organized types of Judaism that are considerably less observant and religious. The main one is known as Secular Humanistic Judaism. The basis of Humanistic Judaism is that God’s influence is absent from the lives of people. Humanistic Jews believe that, ultimately, people must always rely on themselves, not a divine being. According to these humanists, the Jewish identity arises from the history of the Jews, not from the holy books that describe it. Atheism and Judaism can probably overlap here, in Humanistic Judaism. To analyze this connection, I will list some of the official principles of Humanistic Judaism, created by the Society for Humanistic Judaism, and compare them to atheism. Secular Humanistic Jews believe that:
- The Secular Revolution was good for the Jews. The Secular Revolution was when the Western world, through the emergence of scientific fact, technology, and economic development, became more secular. For Jews, this meant a reduction of religious oppression and gave them the ability to be full members of society. Atheists, especially Marxists, also believe that the Secular Revolution made the world a better place. They believe that this gives people more freedom to live and to make progress in life. Secularity has paved the way for human progress in science, technology, and much more.
- Reason is the best method for the discovery of truth. This is what Rationalist atheists believe. They believe that everything needs to be proved through reason. This means that nothing is the way it is just because God wanted it that way, and that there is a scientific explanation for it.
- Morality derives from human needs and is the defense of human dignity. Atheists believe that morality can be genuine, and that a person doesn’t need to be religious to have a code of morals. They think that morality does not have to be forced upon people and that people can be naturally good.
- The universe is indifferent to the desires and aspirations of human beings. This basically is atheism. This says that there is no supreme being watching over us or guiding us. Atheists believe that there is no deity.
- People must ultimately rely on people. This is saying that people cannot depend on a divine being helping them. If people hope for anything to happen, they must take action themselves, not pray for it to happen. This is part of the argument for Marxist atheism. As I mentioned before, Marxists believe that because of religion, people do not strive to make something happen.
- Jewish history is a testimony to the absence of God and the necessity of human self-esteem. This, again, is an argument for Marxism. This says that the Jews have and should get through life without God and just with the power of humans.
After examining those principles of Humanistic Judaism, it appears that they do not contradict atheism, and have an additional connection to the basis for Marxist atheism. These principles of Humanistic Judaism are atheistic. They propose that people should live without believing in a god and believe in themselves instead. Humanistic Jews can be atheists even as they retain their Jewish identity and ancestry.
Conclusion
In conclusion, there are a few ways to be an atheistic Jew. I am a Rationalist and Marxist atheist. Marxist beliefs about religion are very similar to those of Secular Humanistic Jews. There are also similarities between Humanistic Judaism and Rationalist atheism. Humanistic Judaism is a very good option for me if I want to be an atheistic Jew. There may be other ways as well.
Recall how I mentioned that I do not follow the strict rules of Judaism because I believe they are outdated and irrelevant. Reform Jews believe that as well. While they traditionally do believe in God, many individual Reform Jews do not. This could be another option.
Those are what I consider the two best ways to be an atheistic Jew. Reform Judaism may not, however, be as good as it seems. It does not mix that smoothly with atheism. Humanistic Judaism may be a better option. Secular Humanistic Jews do not believe in God, but still are Jews for other reasons. They follow Judaism for its history and traditions that are important to maintain. That is exactly what I believe.
From this point on, I consider myself a Secular Humanistic Jew. I believe in both the Rationalist and Marxist types of atheism but still feel that it is important for me to maintain my Jewish identity by following its age-old traditions.
Sources
Ariel, David S. What Do Jews Believe? The Spiritual Foundations of Judaism. New York: Schocken Books. 1995.
Gaer, Joseph and Wolf, Rabbi Alfred. Our Jewish Heritage. New York: Henry Holt and Company. 1957.
Krueger, Douglas E. What is Atheism? A Short Introduction. Amherst, NY: Prometheus Books. 1998.
Lepp, Ignace. Atheism In Our Time. New York: The Macmillan Company. 1963.
Neusch, Marcel. The Sources of Modern Atheism. New York: Paulist Press. 1982.
Wine, Sherwin T. Judaism Beyond God. Farmington Hills, MI: Society for Humanistic Judaism. 1985.
