14 Friday, June 9, 1978
THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
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`Humanistic Judaism': The Replacement?
By ALAN HITSKY
Rabbi Sherwin T. Wine's
newest book, "Humanistic
Judaism" (Prometheus
Books), explains why
Humanistic Judaism exists.
Humanistic Judaism was
evolved by Rabbi Wine of
the Birmingham Temple as
a replacement for religious
Judaism.
He explains Humanistic
Judaism as based on the
empirical thought of the
modern age, when, he says,
few people "really believe"
in God.
"Humanism, empiri-
cism, and free inquiry are
the dominant principles
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and mood of the univer-
sity world which is pre-
sently molding the
Jewish mind. They do not
have to come to terms
with Judaism; it is rather
Judaism that has come to
terms with them. It may
have a chance of doing so
if the following steps are
taken by the progressive
Jewish religious leader-
ship.
"1. Judaism must be af-
firmed as a cultural and.
aesthetic framework in
which a variety of
philosophic outlooks are
possible. Both mystic
theism and empirical
humanism should feel
equally at home. Jewish
custom and ceremony are
an adjustable poetry, capa-
ble of embracing a wide
spectrum of human values
and experiences.
- "2. Jewish religious activ-
ity must be 'dereligionized,
that is, secularized. There
can be no idea, word, value,
or ritual that is a sanctum,
an untouchable item of re-
verence. Even Jewish sur-
vival must be periodically
reviewed, with the option of
rejection as perfectly re-
spectable.
"3. Empiricism must be
acknowledged as the only
reliable way to informa-
tional truth. Intuitive faith
as the final plunge to deal
with questions of origin and
destiny for which there are
no empirical answers is in-
tolerable. Uncertainty is
not the sign of a bad relig-
ion; it is the mark of a wise
one.
"Of course the empiri-
cal method renders the
old Jewish texts intellec-
tually dispensable. If the
truths they contain are
discoverable through in-
dependent research,
their usefulness is purely
historical and aesthetic."
Rabbi Wine adds under
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an individual, of. either
Jewish or non-Jewish des-
cent, who believes in the ul-
timate value of self-respect
and in the principles of
humanism, community, au-
tonomy, and rationality. He
also finds meaning in the
celebration.of life as expres-
sed through the historic
Jewish calendar and seeks
to interpret this calendar in
a naturalistic way. He per-
ceives that the power he
possesses to determine and
control his own life is the
result of two billion years of
evolutionary history.
RABBI WINE
Therefore, h4 religious feel-
additional points that ing re-enforces his sense of
"God-language" is beyond human dignity.
redemption, Jewish religi-
"A humanistic Jew, be-
ous societies must be or-
cause of a common history
ganized to provide commun- and shared religious prac-
ity support for humanists, tices, feels a strong bond to
•and "Jewish religious lead-
Jews throughout the world.
ers must accept the 'painful'
He also feels an important
truth that for the modern
tie with all men who seek to
American-Jewish human-
promote individual self-
ist, steeped in the milieu of esteem."
an English-speaking cul-
Rabbi Wine's denial of the
ture, Jewishness is-a secon-
existence of God and rejec-
dary value."
Rabbi Wine marshals tion of a religion which has
many strong agruments in survived for 5,000 years cer-
tainly evokes strong reac-
his 121-page volume to exp-
tions (See Readers Forum
lain why . . rationally,
below.).
emotionally, psychologi-
Can Jews survive
cally . . . large numbers of
without a Torah and a
Jews no longer practice
tradition
binding them
Judaism; why many others
together, through the
visit the synagogue only on
ages,
throughout
the
Rosh Hashana and Yom
world? Rabbi Wine ques-
Kippur.
tions
whether
it
is
neces-
He writes of fears to be
sary for Jews to survive
differences the reason Jews
at all if the ideals of
cling to Judaism; of loyal-
humanism can be made
ties to parents or family; of
more universal.
what he calls Judaism's av-
oidance of modern reality.
Humanistic Judaism has
In the process he tears down
arisen in a humanistic
Judaism and the Bible as
world. Whether it could
survive a harsher environ-
outmoded, unwanted and
ment is an open question
unnecessary.
many have asked of all re-
In his concluding chap-
ligions since the Holocaust.
ter, Rabbi Wine lists the
seven essential ideals of Judaism, however, has a
5,000-year record of survi-
humanistic Judaism as
self-respect, humanism, val, through many
autonomy, community,
holocausts.
The survival of Jews and
rationality, religion and
Judaism (involuntary, Judaism is a direct result of
a reliance on the laws and
ethnic or humanistic).
His definition of the traditions based on the
Torah which Rabbi Wine
humanistic Jew states:
dismisses so quickly.
"The humanistic Jew is
•• •
(Readers Forum)
A Query About 'Rabbi' Wine
Editor, The Jewish News:
I think it's time that the
Jewish community as a
whole takes some stand
concerning Sherwin Wine.
I personally am willing to
accept the fact that as a Jew,
one can practice his religion
as he sees fit, however, I
cannot condone nor do I feel
one has any right to call
oneself rabbi and at the
same time preach a
philosophy that boasts dis-
belief in God.
The basic tenet of
Judaism is the belief in One
Supreme Being and al-
though an individual Jew
may personally not believe
in a deity, to cal, oneself
rabbi and hold this belief is
unacceptable, a sham,
hypocritical.
rabbi means
True,
teacher, but it means more
than that; it meang a
teacher of the Jewish relig-
ion and when used as a title
in and of itself must
acknowledge the existence
of God.
I think the Jewish
community should make
itself known and not ac-
cept Mr. Wine using the
title rabbi and if he per-
sists to flaunt and
ridicule our religion in
this way, I would even go
so far as to suggest ex-
communication.
I only hope we Jews do not
stray so far from our relig-
ion that we succeed in doing
to ourselves what Hitler
and the Germans attempted
to do to us during the
Holocaust.
Dr. Lawrence M.
Loewenthal