Do Jews Need God?
Jan. 22, 2015
By Michelle Cove
That’s a question I've been thinking about ever since the Pew Research Study "A Portrait of Jewish Americans," came out in 2013 showing that two-thirds of Jews polled said it is not necessary to believe in God to be Jewish.
I remember being shocked at the statistic when I first read it, although I'm not sure why exactly. I know many Jewish people who don't believe in God, and are perfectly comfortable with their Jewish identity. I also know some atheists, to be fair, who struggle to feel connected to our religion given all the patriarchal language in prayer books and Torah stories. In a religion inundated with stories and prayers centered around God, there seems to be so much room and space to be Jewish and not believe. What makes some Jewish atheists feel at peace while others feel at odds?
For the latest issue of 614: the HBI eZine, I asked a rabbi, a few women authors and an artist for their viewpoints on what it is to be a Jewish atheist and what the repercussions are. All of them struck me as confident and unapologetic about their beliefs. After all, Jews are not only allowed to have our doubts, we are encouraged to grapple and question, which is pretty unique. Says Rabbi Lev Baesh, who is featured in the issue: "You should never be asked to agree blindly or to demean your own views for others (or theirs for yours, for that matter)."
There are plenty of Jewish leaders and thinkers who worry that Judaism can't sustain without a central belief in God. In a September-October 2011 article in Moment, entitled, "Can There Be Judaism Without Belief in God?" Sen. Joe Lieberman stated: "There can be Jews who are good people without belief in God, but ultimately Judaism cannot continue to exist without belief in God because the Jewish historical narrative depends on it." Rabbi David Volpe of Temple Sinai in Los Angeles, California, in the same article says: "Yes, there can be Judaism without God, but only briefly, as it cannot reproduce itself. Judaism without God is running on the momentum of past generations."
What do you think? How important is a belief in God to our religion? Can Judaism sustain without a belief in God? We hope you’ll read the issue with an open mind, grapple, and weigh in with your own thoughts.
Michelle Cove is the editor of 614: the HBI eZine.