Chinese Food or Christmas Dinner? Happy Holidays from the Online Congregation!

December 24, 2008 · Filed Under Baum's Blog · Comment 

Happy Hanukkah! Have you all made your plans yet for Christmas Eve and Christmas dinners? For those of you indulging in Chinese food and a movie – enjoy! And for those of you celebrating with your Christian friends and family, enjoy! May the winter holidays be wonderful for everyone, and 2009 be a great year!

You’ll see I haven’t blogged much lately (and by much, I mean: at all). But, I think I can get away with it, because I now have a videopodcast – much like a blog – except you can see me and hear me. I know, that was a brilliant point I just made.

Anyway, the video podcasts have been fun to produce, and I must say I’ve learned quite a bit about lighting, sound, web pages, video editing, video streaming, and a gazillion other things over the last 4 months – things that they didn’t exactly teach me in rabbinical school…

So, check out the videocasts on OurJewishCommunity.org. Or, watch them directly on our YouTube channel, where you can rate them if you like them…. and please, please please, post them on your Facebook pages, email them to everyone you know, yadda yadda yadda. You know the drill! And, it’s not just because I want to get on Oprah (although that’s part of it!).

We want to spread the word because we know we are building a Jewish community that speaks to the modern Jewish experience. Almost 2,500 people have walked through the “doors” of our online synagogue since we launched it less than four months ago. It’s incredible!

So, check out the podcasts, the kids’ activities, the stories, the eCards, the articles, and so much more. Comment, discuss. Build this congregation with us – and come back and see us soon- not just during the holidays!

Happy Hanukkah/Chanukah/Hanuka!

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A Teachable God? by Rabbi Rami Shapiro

December 19, 2008 · Filed Under Forums · 2 Comments 

In the Winter 2008 issue of Reform Judaism magazine Rabbi Jack H. Bloom, a Reform Rabbi and practicing psychotherapist, is interviewed regarding his personal theology.

The interview opens well with Rabbi Bloom challenging the unwillingness of Torah commentators to admit rather than gloss over the dark-side of God. His examples come from Numbers 15:32 where God has the Jews murder one of their own for the crime of gathering sticks on Shabbat, and Leviticus 23:29-30 where God threatens to “cut off” from the Chosen anyone who works on Yom Kippur.

Rabbi Bloom goes on to blame our failure to admit God’s dark-side on our “pediatric view of divinity” that looks at God the way young children look at their parents. Little kids see mom and dad as Perfect Parents rather than as complex and flawed human beings. Similarly we excuse God’s dark-side in order to maintain our illusion of the perfect divine Parent, and hence “stay mired in a less mature, dysfunctional, and ultimately disappointing relationship with the Divine.”

As we seek a more mature relationship with God, Rabbi Bloom argues, we will also help God mature as well. Just as parents can learn from their children, so God can learn from us. In fact, Rabbi Bloom says, helping God mature is “an essential part of our [the Jewish people’s] covenantal relationship” with God.

Drawing upon his psychological training, Rabbi Bloom explains that God’s immaturity and violent nature are rooted in God’s low self-esteem. God wants to be loved, but rather than inviting our love by acting lovingly toward us, God demands it: “You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your might” (Deuteronomy 6:5). God doesn’t understand the difference between love and obedience, and hence cannot mature into a Being capable of engaging in authentic relationship with humanity.

We humans, Rabbi Bloom says, must teach God what true relationship is by modeling it among ourselves. As God watches us live lovingly, God will learn how to do so Himself.

I assume Rabbi Bloom means for us to take him literally, and that Reform Judaism means for us to take his theology seriously. So here is a serious, albeit brief, response to Rabbi Bloom: AAAAAARRRRRRGGGGGG!

And here is a no less serious albeit longer response:

Rabbi Bloom assumes that what we read about God in the Torah is true; that Torah actually reveals the nature of God. This is nonsense. Torah is a human document, and whatever its authors say about God tells us much about them and nothing about God, or even if there is a God. Being a psychologist as well as a Reform Rabbi I would have expected Rabbi Bloom to analyze the humans behind the Torah and not the God they imagine at the heart of it.

Here are a few questions worthy of serious psycho-spiritual exploration: Why did the ancient authors of Torah imagine such a violent God? Why did they place themselves in the role of both partner and victim with regard to this God? What does this say about our ancestors? What do we make of a people who imagine and worship a God suffering from low self-esteem? How does Torah’s image of a violent and self-loathing God shape the psyche of the Jewish people as we continue to raise our children with these stories and continue to read them uncritically ourselves?

According to Rabbi Bloom (and others) God creates the world because God wants to be loved. Prior to creation God is alone and lonely, and He seeks to remedy His situation by creating humans who will love and obey Him. And when we don’t do exactly what He wants us to do, He kicks us around until it is time for a nap. Yes, God is a four-year-old. But that was thousands of years ago. Hasn’t God grown up a bit by now? Hasn’t He learned anything from dealing with Jews lo these many years? Rabbi Bloom, by arguing that we humans must teach God how to “play nice” with his human friends, implies God has learned nothing. So what hope is there for us to teach God? If Abraham, Moses, Hillel, and Freud have failed, how are we going to succeed?

Given his reference to pediatric theology, I suspect Rabbi Bloom intends his theology for adults, but I don’t see how it can be so. On the surface it seems demeaning to adult thinking. It takes the Bible, or at least the Bible’s image of God, literally. I doubt most Reform Jews do. It assumes that God is an emotionally stunted Creator Who needs better role models. I don’t believe this, and don’t imagine many adults would buy it either.

So what can we do with Rabbi Bloom’s theology? We can turn it inside out, and argue that the authors of the Torah invented a God that reflected their own childhood experiences with dysfunctional and emotionally stunted fathers. We can argue that reading the Torah as the dreams a client might present in therapy tells us a lot about our ancestors. We can argue that, since their fantasies about their dysfunctional parents, now projected outward as a cosmically dysfunctional God, have shaped the Jewish psyche, we Jews still suffer from their childhood experiences. We can argue that the very fact that Jews continue to read the exploits of this dysfunctional Deity suggests that Judaism fosters a childlike mentality even in its adult members. We can argue that since we cannot admit to the madness of God and continue to blame ourselves for His anger and homicidal tendencies, insisting like the victim of abuse insists, that the Abuser is good and we are bad, that we suffer from a deep trauma at the heart of Judaism. It isn’t God that needs healing; it is we who believe in this God that need healing.

If this is true, we can then seek to heal ourselves. We can begin to analyze Jewish culture, family life, and religion as an example of abused children seeking to appease an unappeasable fantasy parent. And in so doing we might learn something about ourselves and take steps toward spiritual and cultural maturation.

Turning Rabbi Bloom’s theology inside out, might also be of value to our Christian cousins who, perhaps in rebellion against Our Father Who Art Quite Mad, imagined an all-loving God whose Son came to earth to free us from our failed efforts to earn God’s love.

The problem with Christianity, however, is that its early authors were themselves Jews who could not escape the trauma of biblical theology. And because of their Jewishness they abandoned the hope taught by the Son and retreated into the horror of the Father, and imagining an even more dysfunctional God than the Torah’s original.

Where the Torah’s God, after destroying almost all life with a flood, promises not to do so again, the God of the New Testament reneges on that promise and intends to destroy humanity once more. But the New Testament God can be bribed, and humanity can be ransomed. The cost? The death of God’s own Son. Whereas YHVH spared Abraham’s son on one hill, the New Testament God lets His own Son die horribly on another.

The Christian God is too Jewish to be the loving parent Christians want Him to be. And that is why, in the end, the Christian God of love condemns most of humanity to burn for all eternity in Hell, and sends the Prince of Peace to wage war against all those who, once again, refuse to obey the Lord with Low Self-Esteem.

If Rabbi Dr. Bloom had put the Jews on the couch rather than our divine fantasy, we might have learned something. If he had tried to heal us rather than our imagined Heavenly Father, we might turn to him for more insight. If he had argued that mainstream Jewish thinking about God that ignores the dark-side of God is analogous to an abused daughter blaming herself for the abusive actions of her father, then we could talk and maybe heal. But in fact all Rabbi Bloom did was to perpetuate the excuse and the abuse by blaming the victim: If only we would relate rightly with one another, Daddy would see what right relationship is and learn how to be the really really good Daddy we know He is. Please Daddy, we’re sorry. Please, give us another chance.

AAAAAARRRRRRGGGGGG!

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Prop-8 The Musical

December 13, 2008 · Filed Under Baum's Blog · Comment 

Besides for feeling like I don’t blog enough, another guilt factor is that I feel like I don’t get around to blogging about lots of really important things.For example, when I did my post-Thanksgiving weekend news round up, I went with what I found entertaining. But, I was keenly aware that I wasn’t writing about the recent attacks in Mumbai – about which I felt tremendous sadness and anger. Sometimes, I guess it’s easier to focus on the fun stuff.

Sometimes I also don’t get around to blogging about political issues – though I often talk about them quite a bit. The recent events around Proposition 8 were quite upsetting. As you probably know, the California Constitution was modified to restrict the definition of marriage to a union between a man and a woman, taking away the possibility of two people of the same gender marrying each other. Bottom line- I support same-sex marriage and simply do not understand why two people who love each other should not be able to get married and have all of the obligations and benefits that that entails.

A fabulous new 3 minute video presents Marc Shaiman’s “Prop 8 – The Musical” (see below). It’s entertaining and smart. One of the most compelling points is that religious folks often pick and choose from among the Bible. They say, for example, that the Bible prohibits homosexuality. But, of course, the Bible also can be read to mean we should not eat shrimp, a man should stone his wife, and you can sell your daughter into slavery. Since most of us do eat shrimp and don’t stone people or sell slaves, I think it’s fair to say we don’t have to listen to everything the Bible says. If we did, we’d be living in a world that never grows or develops or has progress – and that’s no fun!

And, of course, “Prop 8 – The Musical” points out that there is supposed to be a separation of church and state. Precisely!

“Prop 8 – The Musical” starring Jack Black, John C. Reilly, and many more… by Jack Black

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On Interfaith Families and Hanukkah and Hanukkah/Christmas eCards

December 11, 2008 · Filed Under Baum's Blog · Comment 

I’m beginning to think that I have a blog just so that there is one more thing that I can feel guilty about not doing. I’ve been busy developing all sorts of content for OurJewishCommunity.org – and of course trying to fundraise for it. Beth Adam made a two year commitment to fund my position (and we’re already in month 6!) – but beyond that the future of this online congregation is unknown. So, I’ve been looking for grants, foundations, and anything else we can find to help fund this innovative project.

This morning Rabbi Barr and I also presented the online congregation to the students in an upper-level internet marketing class at Miami University (Ohio, not Florida, unfortunately) – and we got lots of great feedback on the content and layout of the site.

So, what else has been keeping me busy? Lots of new content, especially our Hanukkah material. We have Hanukkah podcasts, Hanukkah articles – including a great one on making Hanukkah more meaningful for your family through theme nights, Hanukkah activities for kids and families (including a fortune teller, latke flipper, word searches, and crossword puzzle), Hanukkah coloring book pages, and Hanukkah eCards as well as Hanukkah/Christmas eCards and printed cards. We’ll be videostreaming Hanukkah services on December 26 at 7:15 PM EST, and I’ll be unrolling video podcasts and other Hanukkah material over the next few weeks.

Some may find it strange that a synagogue is offering cards that celebrate both Hanukkah and Christmas. I agree – it’s strange – in that it’s not common. But there’s nothing else strange about it.

So many synagogues claim to be inclusive to intermarried families. And, yet, at the end of the day, they are not. In many cases the rabbi won’t officiate at the wedding of a Jew and a Christian – but once someone else officiates at the wedding, the rabbi will welcome the interfaith family as dues-paying members into his congregation. In some congregations, parents of Bar and Bat Mitzvah students cannot stand on the bimah with their children as they read from the Torah – because “non-Jews can’t do that.” It’s preposterous. If we talk the talk about welcoming interfaith families, then we need to be truly inclusive.

At our online synagogue, we recognize that many families are blended and celebrate both Hanukkah and Christmas. We are not going to ignore that reality. Rather, we are going to say that we support you and your choice. We are glad that Judaism is still part of your life. To that end, you’ll see that some of our Hanukkah coloring book pages have a Christmas tree in the background and while some of our eCards (which are also available as printed cards) are just for Hanukkah, others celebrate both Hanukkah and Christmas. We know there are many people out there celebrating both – and to all of you, we say (an early) Happy Holidays! Now go buy some cards or send some free Hanukkah or interfaith holiday eCards!

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Choose Freedom! By R.D. Gold

December 6, 2008 · Filed Under Forums · 4 Comments 

This essay was adapted from R.D. Gold’s important new book, Bondage of the Mind: How Old Testament Fundamentalism Shackles the Mind and Enslaves the Spirit – Toward a Better Understanding of the Religious Experience (Aldus Books). Rabbi Jacob Neusner, a leading scholar on Judaism, calls Bondage of the Mind “the most important book of its kind in the last hundred years.” For more information, please go to www.aldusbooks.com.

CHOOSE FREEDOM!

By R.D. Gold

Nov. 28, 2008

Most progressive Jews in the United States are aware of the Great Debate that is unfolding across the country, pitting reason against revelation. We need look no further than the last two presidential elections to see how religious fundamentalists have elbowed their way into a prominent position on the American political landscape.

I consider religious fundamentalism to be one of the most noxious forces in the history of mankind. Hardly a day passes that we don’t witness Islamic fundamentalists wreaking havoc somewhere in the world (as I write these lines the horrible drama in Mumbai continues to unfold). Evangelical Christianity, albeit essentially non-violent today, has doubtless become a powerful political force in America, with potentially far-reaching, deleterious consequences.

The forces of Jewish fundamentalism are no longer benign, either. Possibly as a reaction to their fears that assimilation and intermarriage pose a serious threat to Jewish survival, the Orthodox Jews have stepped up their “outreach” efforts to convert non-Orthodox Jews, to recruit them to become “returnees.” Following the dictum that the end justifies the means, they totally disregard the trauma such a conversion often brings to the liberal Jewish families involved. But there is little public discussion of this more aggressive Orthodox behavior, perhaps for fear of being labeled an anti-Semite. I am a Jewish American myself, but I don’t like the forces of Orthodoxy attempting to turn Israel into a Jewish Iran any more than I like the evangelicals trying to turn the United States into a Christian Iran.

Like fundamentalists everywhere, Orthodox Jews maintain the unshakable conviction that it is they, and they alone, who are in sole and certain possession of The Truth, and, therefore, the exemplars of a divinely ordained moral behavior. They claim that progressive Jews, whom they disdainfully call “secular,” are abandoning the Torah and, by so doing, they are betraying the true Judaism.

But are they really? Are the doctrines of Orthodox Judaism really true?

I spent the better part of two years researching the latest archeological, historical and textual evidence to be able to answer this question. And all – and I repeat, all – the credible evidence points to the unmistakable conclusion that the dogma of Orthodoxy is not true. It is false. The exodus described in the Torah never happened. There was no “nation of Israel” wandering in the Sinai desert for forty years. There was no revelation at Mount Sinai witnessed by two million people. Perhaps most revealing of all is that there was no conquest of Canaan. It turns out that the Israelites were living peacefully in Canaan all along and, indeed, were Canaanites themselves.

A key tenet of the Orthodox belief system is that Jewish law is God-given and reflects his will. As such, it is timeless and binding on all Jews, present and future. But since the doctrines of Orthodoxy are demonstrably false, it makes no sense at all for liberal Jews to exchange much of their personal freedom for the straightjacket of enforced obedience to strict religious law. Far from being the immutable law for time immemorial that the Orthodox claim, the doctrines of Orthodoxy – like fundamentalist dogma everywhere – are an anachronistic absurdity in this day and age. They spawn a pious ignorance that subverts independent thought.

Does this mean that one must reject Judaism? Not at all. Orthodox Judaism is not authentic Judaism, as the Orthodox claim, any more than Christian fundamentalism is authentic Christianity, as the evangelicals claim. One does not face a choice that is limited to fundamentalism (I believe all of it) or atheism (I believe none of it). Piety is not a license to run other people’s lives, but if one so chooses, religion can play a positive role in one’s life – sociologically, philosophically, and psychologically. Athens and Jerusalem need not be at loggerheads.

While I am not a Reconstuctionist, I find a great deal of truth in the humanistic Judaism of Mordecai Kaplan, whose forward-thinking ideas led the Orthodox authorities to excommunicate him (just as they did 400 years earlier to another forward-thinking Jewish thinker, the brilliant Dutch philosopher Baruch Spinoza). In much the same way that Abraham Lincoln envisioned America as a nation of the people, by the people, and for the people, Kaplan argued that the Jewish religion came from and should serve the Jewish people, not the other way around as the Orthodox would have us believe. Kaplan also held that Judaism is a civilization that values the well-being and moral excellence of its people, rather than what some self-styled sages interpret to be the word and the will of God.

In the final analysis, isn’t this what being a good Jew is really all about? Not what you believe about God, the cosmos, and the like, but the moral standards by which you choose to live your life. For me, the choice between the personal freedom embedded in Western democratic values and embraced by humanistic Judaism, and the bondage of a fundamentalist religious law based on fallacious Orthodox dogma is a no-brainer. I choose freedom. I hope you do, too.

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Rick Warren almost made me fall off the elliptical!

December 4, 2008 · Filed Under Baum's Blog · Comment 

Oy. This morning at the gym I was flipping through the news stations and stumbled upon Rick Warren on the Today Show. He was talking about his new book – The Purpose of Christmas.

I was awfully shocked by a few things he said – and of course it’s awkward to react out loud when you are on the elliptical machine. And it’s hard to take notes during a cardio workout, but I jotted down some of his words on a paper towel when I was done. And, I just re-watched the clip on my computer. Ah, technology.

Before I attack Rick Warren, let me say that I challenge the Today Show to not only have fundamentalist Christians on their show, but to invite some others from the world of religion who, unlike Mr. Warren, are being inclusive, smart, and open-minded.

That said, now for Rick Warren.

Among his stupidest comments – He basically said that we all think Jesus Christ is important because we use the year 0 as a reference point and we all agree it’s currently 2008. I’m pretty sure it’s just a convention and we all go along with it because it would be inconvenient if I said the current year is 1955 and you said it was 2112. But, that was just a quick part of the conversation.

Warren went on to say that the bottom line of Christmas is that “You matter to God. God made you and loves you.” When Matt Lauer astutely asked the question (I’m paraphrasing closely)- what do you say to people facing foreclosure and unemployment, who can’t pay bills and can’t send their kids to school – when they wonder if I matter to God, why did He put me in this situation?

Warren’s totally unsatisfying answer is that “we live on a broken planet. Nothing works here…” But, no worries – “it’s done perfectly [in Heaven].” Personally, I’m a fan of focusing on making our world the best it can be – and not fantasizing about some world we do not know.

Among his stupidest comments, he also says “Most of the world would love to have our problems. They would love to be in debt. They don’t have debt. They don’t have money in their pocket.” I, on the other hand, really don’t think anyone aspires to debt.

And here’s the most upsetting part of the interview. Warren says that blues and stress increase during the holidays and suicide rates rise. He says “turn to God and turn to somebody less fortunate than yourself.” Unbelievable! While I think it can be valuable for people to turn to God and to turn to those less fortunate, those are secondary. What is primary is that the person needs to get real and substantial help – from family, friends, physicians, and mental health professionals.

According to a major study released yesterday, “counting substance abuse…nearly half of young people surveyed have some sort of psychiatric condition.” Common sense says that these people need professional help – not just to turn to God. But, Warren seems to lack that common sense.

If you want to watch the clip, check it out below. Just don’t do it while you’re on the elliptical machine. You might fall off.

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