I just came across this article and it started me thinking. Seems like an American Airlines pilot took advantage of the time he had with an audience that had no where else to go to do a little missionary work and try to convert the heretics. So did the pilot really do such a bad thing or was he just practicing his freedom of speech? While it may be annoying to have had to sit through that flight and I can see how if I was on it I would be really annoyed, but don't we experience the same kind of thing every day? I was at the supermarket yesterday and the cashier started talking to me about the weather - same situation! I was stuck in a place I could not leave listening to something I was totally disinterested in yet I do not think anyone would suggest penalizing the cashier.
So what is it about religion that hits us so hard and makes us do crazy things (like blow oneself up or simply demand an airline pilot be reprimanded)? I've been thinking alot about this question lately. I don't think I have formed a final idea on this, but it boils down to the unknown. All religion (even if it is not called "religion", I am referring here to a way of life) is based on some kind of leap of faith, whether it be something that a human being supposedly did or the existence of a God, at some point there is going to be a factoid that just can not be fully explained by rational thought. This makes the decision to believe in a religion a more personal one than any other as you are relinquishing that firm grip on reality that can be explained and moving into the unknown.
So now the question comes to how personal do you make it? Obviously some people (commonly referred to as fanatics) are not able to rationally deal with the personal choices they have either made for themselves, been taught since they were young, or have been brainwashed with. These people begin to lose their rational thinking even in areas that are not bound by religious thought and end up doing the things that most of us will unfortunately end up reading about in the news. But for the majority of us religion becomes something which we are able to use to add some rhyme or reason to an otherwise random life. It is only by trusting that our personal leap of faith is the correct one that we are able to keep moving and growing throughout this life. This is why we take offense when someone attacks that belief - it is a personal attack on the very thing which keeps us sane.
Posted by ravomess at February 9, 2004 11:23 AMFirst off, there is a difference between the weather and your immortal soul.
I don't think that Judaism, at least in the traditional sense, requires a leap of faith. One can function as a Jew in a halachikly oriented society without accepting dogma (read your Frameworks, Parshas Vayetze). The fact that our current religious expression is so bound up with belief and faith comes from thousands of years of influence from Greek and Christian societies.
What you are describing are essentially Christian ideas. The subjectivity of the acceptance of faith is foreign to Judaism; the most common "reason" why we believe in the Torah is not a personal subjective acceptance, but a historical, objective fact, and we are not asked to accept it on faith, but as a logical imperative (I am referring to the classic, "No one could have fabricated a story like Sinai and gotten away with it" proof). We follow the Torah because our parents told us that that is what we do. Figure out God later. Or don't.
On another note: you might want to read Kierkergaard, or watch The Big Lebowski.
Posted by: Greg at February 9, 2004 12:45 PMGreg, Greg, Greg.... you need to read closer. I was not trying to describe how Judaism deals with faith, but rather the general human question I ask in the beginning of the second paragraph. Understanding that Judaism believes you can (and should) be a "drone" in some sense is not being argued, it is simply a discourse on human nature.
And yes I have seen The Big Lebowski already!
Posted by: ravomess at February 9, 2004 01:04 PMOh, then in that case I agree with you. Basically, what you are saying is that the fundamental basis of all rational systems are axioms, but those axioms are unproveable and sometimes (often? always?) irrational and/or arbitrary.
You might want to read "Godel Escher and Bach", or perhaps Issav Asimov's "I, Robot".
Taking a step back, and I realize that you are not intending to speak solely about Judaism here, but to what extent do you think Judaism functions as "that which keeps us sane."
Posted by: Greg at February 9, 2004 02:39 PMBut did you look at the "Big Lebowski" with the same religious awe/reverence as Greg does? Unlikeley. Just get him started on it (maybe he should post his essay on his blog?).
Posted by: peninah at February 9, 2004 02:44 PMRachi's position as presented here fits Walter Sobchak perfectly.
Posted by: Greg at February 9, 2004 02:48 PMyou people are crazy and i refuse to be sucked in!
Posted by: Devorah at February 13, 2004 02:04 AMYou can not resist! Seriously, you dont have to have your own blog; Rach can make you an author on Technomind, and you can log in and post here. I'm sure we would all love to hear your nuggets of information from time to time.
Posted by: Greg at February 13, 2004 10:04 AM