This has been brewing in my head for some time. I was finally prompted to put pen to paper (so to speak) when I received a survey from my synagogue. And the subject of this survey? How to increase member attendance at Saturday morning services.
Those of you who hang on my every word ( and I’m sure the numbers of those who do so are legion 😉 ) will have seen my numerous diatribes against organized religion. I’ve stated that in my view, religion has been used/misused to sudue and to keep people in line. That the fundies have assisted and/or allied with big business in maintaining an army of unquestioning drones to man the many counters at McDonald’s and Walmart and to be satisfied with low wages and little in the way of benefits. That those same workers are caught in a vicious cycle as they are forced to shop at Walmart because of the said low wages. Hyperbole? Perhaps. Perhaps not.
As before, I am a Jew, currently a member of a reconstructionist synagogue in New York’s Hudson valley region. (Some background: Jews become members of a congregation, with annual dues and a building fund. Rather like joining a golf club except without the strange garb.) It is actually a liberal rather unrestrained place when compared with the rigid Conservative denomination of my childhood.
Those early years consisted of the usual religious training/indoctrination. Along the line, there was my Bar Mitzvah, with a reception appropriate to our Long Island locale, but nothing overly lavish. Though I never had any great interest, I continued my after school religious education but ended it short of high school. (More background: My father dutifully took us to services on high holidays and at a few other times. My mother prepared things for holidays in the home but never attended synagogue except on the occasions of her sons’ Bar Mitzvahs or for weddings. Apparently, as the daughter of a man who had to fight his way out of Russia, she sees little purpose for much of the ritual, but that’s a story for another day.)
For years my wife and I had no membership at any synagogue but 3 years or so ago, we joined a local institution in the interest of our now 6 year old son. And now it is our turn to see to our child’s religious instruction. And I’m reluctant. What is it all for?
So I’ve reread the survey several times. It comprised two sides of one page. At the end is that sticky final question, “What would it take to get you to come to Saturday morning services on a regular basis?” Although I have not yet responded it’s not for lack of having an answer. What I would like to say is this: A wholesale shift of religion to actually providing people with something they need, or a lobotomy.
Perhaps you think that I am too harsh or judgmental. To this I would respond that if it works for you, then you should continue by all means. But as I see it, religion has done little, if anything, for all those suffering in this world, and there are many as you are no doubt aware. And lately religion has been used here in such an ugly fashion that it has colored my thinking. How can supposedly religious people permit the continued use of religion to dominate the political process and subdue its own congregants. Is getting everyone to think in lockstep now the new aim of religion? I need not set forth the recent activities of the Kansas School Board for users of this site.
As for my wife, she sees value in the continuity of traditions, passing on those comfortable and familiar activities from her childhood to the next generation. To this, I am receptive. (She is abundantly aware of my feelings about the role of religion in current events.) But I will take no part in enforcing some rigid code of conduct. I would like to see him learn about his religion without becoming a slave to it. So, after some continued thought I would support the instruction of my child, at least for the next few years, until the point in time when he can set forth his own opinion. But he will also receive instruction from me, when he is a bit older, about the other side of the coin.
Note: If this is deemed inappropriate, I will certainly delete. Kindly indicate same below.
As a Reformed Jewish atheist myself, I can only quote my favourite rabbi:
“Tradition means dead people get a vote.”
I loved that man because his answers were never answers. They were invitations to think.
rabbis and zen masters have something in common there — cool.
I grew up a backsliding Methodist myself and I am glad that I did not go to church more often. A poll showed that those who did became more conservative and I believe it. A church is more than a building with pews. It comes equipt with whatever kind of dogma the particular sect starts off with and adds whatever kind of social mores the particular congregation puts in as well. For Methodists, we started out fairly liberal, but putting it in a small okie town meant that it 1) didn’t cater to black needs, other Methodist churches did that elsewhere, 2) the choir director had a great deal of clout as the choir was the only ongoing institution as pastors came and went 3) peer pressure kept the sermons short – we ate at 1:00 pm just about the time the Babtists down the street were getting out 4) we never discussed any of the ideas of the world and we certainly never challenged the ever present bigotry.
To be quite honest, while I was a young person and somewhat altruistic, I never felt any kind of spiritual growth, although I faked it now and then.
Now, after going through some efforts to try to grow spiritually (outside of the church), I really think that part of the problem is the archetypes that we assign to the word “god”. “God the Father” is a term that sits ill with me after years of viewing misogyny up close and personal. I would really rather that we migrated toward a “grandfather/grandmother” archetype as I feel that it would convey more about the loving and yet somewhat distant feel that I get. And yet I am sure that anybody that actively seeks probably gets other archetypes. I like Father Andrew M Greeley who writes books. His God is a She with a very strong Celtic Goddess personality.
I have liked some part of Jewish tradition very much. I very much like the family feel that the rituals possess. I am not so happy with the old testiment, but I like the thought that Rabbi’s are scholars and somewhat lawyerly in their approach, but perhaps that is because of some of the fiction I read. I do not love the misogyny inherent in some of it, but knowing that one is a Jew (unless one converts) because of one’s mother is interesting.
My only advice (take this with a grain of salt, coming from a 20-something agnostic 🙂 is this:
Many make religion out to be essentially like a restaurant with one thing on the menu; you walk in, you get what they serve, like it or not.
I don’t think that is a useful way to look at religion. Rather, it should be more like walking into a soup & salad bar. You can go there each week (or more often, if you crave it), take what you fancy, and leave the rest.
Or maybe you’ll decide that you don’t like soup and salad, and you should just try a different restaurant. Or even some of your own home cooking.
Sorry for the crappy metaphor, but it was the best way I could come up with to say what I wanted to say somewhat succintly 🙂
I do understand and to continue the metaphor religion is there to serve people, not the other way around.
As I’m sure you’ve noticed, I am also a Jew, at least in terms of upbringing. Since I was 18, I have been what I call a “For Mother” Jew, meaning I only do those things that I have to do to keep my mother happy. Over the years that has pretty much dwindled down to the Passover Seder.
I don’t like organized religion because 1) I believe they force people into obedience by promising absolute certainty and 2) they have at their core the need to identify those who belong from those who are “the other”. I believe that both of these impulses have not been good for humankind.
However, there are many good people with deep spiritual beliefs. I have reconciled my antipathy toward organized relgions with my admiration for some of the people who follow them by realizing that there are people who put faith before religion and people who put religion before faith. The first are the people who do good in this world and we need more of them. The latter are the ones who are doing and have done so much harm. I’ll do what I can to support that first group and I will work as hard as I can against the second one.
Well said. n/t
My wife and children are Jewish. Culturally. Wife is more of an atheist than I am. I’m agnostic/atheist from a Christian background.
I like your take. I think religion is worthless. Community good. Religion bad. That is my personal philosophy. I know I’m in the extreme minority.
You must have read DarkSyde’s diary on dKos yesterday. If not, it is worth reading, though it takes about a year to download. He/she summarizes my feelings about religion about as well as any human being ever has. At least any human being whose writings I’ve actually read.
I am feeling that it is time for people who don’t want to bow down to religion to step to the plate. I don’t know. That is just my sense. I’ll probably get burned at the stake or something. Who knows.
I actually saved DarkSyde’s diary to read, haven’t read it all yet. It was also part of my motivation to finally write this. But I suspect that the minority is larger than you believe.
I agree with you about community. And each time I hear about godless liberals I become enraged. At least for me, I want to do the right thing, not because religion tells me what is right, but just because it is the right thing.
My wife and son are also Jewish, culturally, and my wife is the scholarly atheist.
She often likes to point out that she’s from “a long line of Jewish atheists,” which she is. We’ll be visiting her mom and grandmother for Thanksgiving next week, and Yiddish will be spoken often, but if anyone brings up religion, grandma will be the first to break out the expletives and kill that topic.
(I was very glad to hear you speak up WRT being Jewish as an ethnicity, not just a religion. I have been lectured before–at the orange site, most recently–on how my wife cannot be Jewish, as she does not observe. I suggested that if her orthodox Uncles in Haifa consider her and my son Jews, then his opinion on the matter was not authoritative.)
I have loved DarkSyde’s diaries. It’s literally an impossible task to persuade anyone on this issue, but he’s done a good job of presenting “my side.”
As you say, it’s about community. I welcome anyone into my “community” who would welcome me into his or hers.
I too read DarkSyde’s diary and recognised myself in it. I became a committed atheist in third grade when the girl behind me prayed every Friday to pass her spelling test. Back in 1750 when I went to school, we got the words on Monday. For homework we wrote each word five times, copied the dictionary entry, used the word in a sentence, and finally wrote a paragraph containing all the words. We turned it in on Tuesday. Wednesday morning we got it back, corrected, and did anything that was marked wrong over. Then we took a pretest, traded with our neighbor, and corrected it in preparation to study at home for the final test on Friday.
NOBODY NEEDS TO PRAY TO PASS A SPELLING TEST.
It often feels like I’m in an open air asylum. I hear nonsense like, “God never gives people more than they can handle,” always delived with saccharine smugness. What kind of world do these people live in ?
I think it’s the mindless, blinkered, convenient belief that there is a personal, all powerful, all knowing, loving god who has a plan for our lives that drives me to distraction. How can we help the wretched of the earth if we live in a Rainbow Brite dreamland that excludes them ?
Where is the outrage at injustice and cruelty ? What kind of god with the power to intervene leaves so much misery unabated ?
If we all don’t take personal responsibility for the state of the world, how can we make it a …OK, OK, I’m done. No more ranting and raving…….need medication….
Nobody but Dan Quayle needs to pray to pass a spelling test.
How do you spell potato/e?
Well, yeah, Dan Quayle.
But I bet he didn’t study !
Thank for the laugh, starkraving.
Fond memories of the days when the worst part about the veep was that he was just stupid, not evil.
Sigh.
GWB makes Nixon look like a saint, Reagan look like a gentleman scholar, Clinton, a choirboy, and his pappy look like a diplomat.
And have you even seen our U.N. Ambassador?!?
(rhetorical question, of course 🙂
I try not to look. 😉
of English class in 7th grade. The whole class participated in a spelling bee. I won it easily, and the teacher wanted to see how long I could keep going before I missed a word.
After about 6 bonus words, ‘messiah’ came up. I had never heard that word in my life. I had no idea how to spell it, so I ventured my best guess.
I was of course waaay off, much to the amusement of the other kids. Minor heckling ensued, but it didn’t really bother me, since it was fairly good-natured (plus I had already kicked their asses in spelling 🙂
“I hear nonsense like, “God never gives people more than they can handle,” always delived with saccharine smugness. What kind of world do these people live in?”
My favorite Jewish philospher Elie Weisel says responds by saying that God doesn’t cause these things – God experiences them.
Structured, organized religion has serious problems…and has had for centuries.
I grew up Mormon and mostly in Salt Lake City. My family was with the original wagon train from Illinois to Utah so they took it all VERY seriously. By the time I was a teenager and was told “this is the way we teach it so you must believe it” I was gone mentally. Luckily for me for the many years of going to church weekly, my parents encouraged us to read and ask questions. We had theological books and reference materials in the house and were encouraged to read them.
I think the traditions and community of churches are wonderful and I’m glad I grew up with them. I’m also glad of the chance to explore and learn and ultimately make my own choice about leaving organized religion.
Given the chance to teach religion and traditions to a child, I’d probably do it the way my parents did. Perhaps be more involved in teaching your child to understand the difference between daily living of spiritual beliefs and the abstract of ‘church’ as he gets older. Teach him, give him the tools and knowledge, and let him ultimately make his own choice. Just my .02
BTW – excellent diary and topic.
Disclaimer: Born w/o the faith gene; didn’t inherit it from either of my parents who hadn’t inherited it from theirs (which must prove Natural Selection). Grew up w/o religious training. So, I speak from an untutored place.
But.
If you don’t see the value in religion but do see the value in tradition, can’t you maintain certain Jewish traditions in the home w/o having to belong to a synagogue? Can’t you instill in your children the values (spiritual and secular) that belong to you and that you desire them to have, or must they come from a rabbi to be traditional values?
Just asking. No offense intended.
The cultural and ethical traditions of Judaism would be easy to teach without attending a synagogue but the spiritual traditions would be quite hard to do but not because you need a rabbi but because Judaism is a religion of community and family — its religious traditions always require either the context of the community or the family. I guess you could say that in a certain sense, Judaism has never outgrown its tribal beginnings.
Andi, I was going to attempt a reply to Limelite’s comment but you have done a far better job than I.
Thank you.
I think the community aspect of Judaism was the part of it that I always found most appealing. That and the concept of the mitzvah.
I dunno, Andi . . . from what I’ve observed, I think the most appealing aspect for you involved messing with your ignorant Home Ec teacher, while fabricating Kosher foods ;^)
is kosher?
Very impressive memory you’ve got.
It was just one of those memorable, enjoyable stories you shared that still makes me smile from time to time. To the point where sometimes when I’m cooking I wonder if you’d approve of my ingredients as being Kosher. (And yes, I frequently amuse myself with thoughts such as that ;^)
Good night!
You’ll have to repeat the story for us intermittent cafe people.
It was just a little humiliation and revenge story. People were talking about sewing and I mentioned that I hate sewing and that I’m terrible at it — that I was so bad at it that I suffered the humiliation of the HomeEc teacher making me make a skirt when everybody else was making a blouse (skirt’s being much easier to make).
Everybody was feeling sorry for me and I told them not to because that I had my revenge — the teacher wasn’t too sharp and every time we made something I didn’t want to eat, I would tell her I couldn’t eat it because it wasn’t kosher and she would believe me, even when I told her I couldn’t eat oatmeal.
LOL, good story! Your teacher must have gotten the impression that Jews only eat a very narrow range of foods.
her telling her next Jewish students that she knew they couldn’t eat oatmeal and getting those “wow, what a weirdo” looks back.
Ah! Since you have the one requirement — family/tribe — don’t you have it all? Is it a tradition that the community only be that of the synagogue?
And I much appreciate your clarification. One of the reasons I so enjoy hanging around BooTrib is the chance to get educated by others in the virtual community.
A new tradition?
of community in Judaism (verbiage stolen from wiki):
Bar/Bat Mitzvah: Before the ceremony all the child’s responsibility to follow Jewish law and tradition lies with the parents. After this age, the children are privileged to participate in all areas of Jewish community life and bear their own responsibility for Jewish ritual law, tradition, and ethics.
The Minyan: Prayer alone is considered acceptable, but prayer with a quorum of ten adults (a minyan) is considered “prayer with the community”, and this is the most highly recommended form of prayer.
boran2, as the mom of a boy 6 (an another 2, but he IS too young yet), I have share that he isn’t too young to hear about the other side of the coin. We don’t go to church, ascribe to any kind of religion or preach to our kiddos at all. And yet, he comes home with questions about God and Jesus and heaven (there is plenty in the public schools, I don’t care WHAT they say), so I talk with him about anything and everything that he brings to my attention.
Since he was 3 and attended a wonderful daycare who mom/daughter managers had a bit of religious bent (Christian), we have told him that what people call god is all of the good stuff in here [points at head] and here [points at heart]. When he asked me, at 4, who Jesus is and if he lived around here, I told him that Jesus was a person who really wanted all of us to be good to each other and help each other and love ourselves as amazing critters on the earth. I told him that people were very mean to Jesus (he got the full story about the cross about a year later — don’t worry, it wasn’t the Mel Gibson version!!) I also told him that some people might try to use stories about Jesus to try and hurt or confuse him and told him that he could always talk with me about any of that.
Long winded way of saying that I think kids are more than capable of hearing the good the bad and the ugly about most anything (especially when they bring it up by way of questions) and have more insight into what it really means than most adults.
The other day he was up in “his” tree in the backyard and proclaimed:
“Mom! I can see heaven from here!!”
I said, “Really? What does it look like?”
He replied: “He’s a little guy!”
I think he’llbe just fine.
Y’all are funny as hell!
Unfortunately, I’ve frittered away far too much of today’s time catfighting over in the big orange sandbox (lol), so I can’t respond to any of these comments individually (instead, I just handed out a round of 4s).
suffice it to say I’m starting to think there might be something to that ol’ “Ten Lost Tribes” -theory of American Indian origins.
Nice diary, and funny followups.
Thanks for the chuckle.
Great diary and interesting conversation.
As a non church attender (who views herself as quite spiritual), and a non parent – I’ve sometimes wondered how I’d handle the religious aspect of raising children. And sometimes I think I might have brought them to church just to avoid the potential of being ostracized by their classmates. On the other hand, I’m viewing this from the perspective of my small town childhood in the 1960s – in a highly ethnic/church going community. (Which circles back to the comments above, in which it’s sometimes difficult – or even inappropriate – to separate religion from ethnicity)
With that being said, I’d like to pose a question to the Jewish members on this thread (a question I sincerely hope is not overly naive or offensive in any way). In this day and age, do you still experience bias and/or mistreatment because of your heritage?
Good night and best wishes for a tomorrow filled with joy
Yes, there is still bias. I am an assistant county attorney working in the family court. A high level employee (the court’s own attorney) made disparaging remarks in the presence of Jews (in a county where many Jews reside), and apparently felt no shame. Believe it or not, this individual ran in last week’s election for family court judge. (There were 2 open seats.) Thank goodness she lost, but she will keep trying pursuant to her political connections.
I’ve certainly not experienced anything like anti-semitism of the 50’s and 60’s. What I see now is mostly the thoughtless variety — like people who say “jew ’em down.” But then again I’m not in an area where there are many Jews and there’s nothing about me that would make it obvious that I am a Jew (especially since I am a cultural Jew) so I’m not a likely target.
I’d say your sense of humor is a dead giveaway, Andi. 😉
that I a Jew. I have a mezuzah on my doorpost. It was given to me by my mother when we built the house and even though I have no religious beliefs, Jewish or any other religion, I have always kept it. I see it as a symbol of my connections to my family, my heritage, and the community in which I grew up.
Note: A mezuzah is a small case affixed to the doorpost of Jewish homes, synagogues, and business establishments. The case serves to protect a small scrolled piece of parchment (called a klaf), on which is inscribed several Bible verses. Since almost every Jewish home has a mezuzah on its front doorpost, it has historically been a means of recognition in times of persecution. [from Wiki]
I thought I was the only one in the world going through this! I can’t thank you enough for writing this, I really can’t. We’re attending a church we think we like but I’m still so confused. I’m really starting to hear the pitter-patter of little feet wearing cute little hats & “onesies” these days, and I don’t want to confuse and/or be hypocritical when I become a parent.
We’re not Jewish but the same thing applies–there’s a lot of history, tradition and culture in the Black church. I too, “see value in the continuity of traditions, passing on those comfortable and familiar activities from my childhood to the next generation.” As one of my Catholic friends says, “there’s comfort in the ritual.” And I simply have a spiritual side that I can’t seem to explain nor fully even understand, but just know is there … feel is there.
OTOH, there’s a lot of BS that I simply can’t stand, a new wave of empty-headed, “blab-it-and-grab-it”, Rev. Ike type prosperity gospel that I can’t abide. Not to mention the new-fangled obsession with homosexuality and the old-fashioned obsession with controlling women’s sexuality … while helping themselves to it. Some still have issues with female leadership (ministers/deacons/trustees) though it is changing.
Finally, let’s not forget the contradictory nature of the text itself. I also believe “the fundies have assisted and/or allied with big business in maintaining an army of unquestioning drones to man the many counters at McDonald’s and Walmart and to be satisfied with low wages and little in the way of benefits.” (As in the segregated days, there were always those who counseled “go along to get along” and too many are doing said same thing now–a rainbow coalition of fundies singing sweet songs of slavery w/o skin color exemption) And there’s this “my way or no way” crap that seems to be racing inexorably to theocracy.
Am I confused about it all or too chicken shit to leave all that behind? Maybe both.
How can you teach your child something you’re not yourself sure of? Learn it now and unlearn it later? Believe this just in case Mommy’s wrong?
I’m no closer to an answer but feel comfort in knowing that at least I am not alone.
I “lost my faith” (Catholic variety) when I was 17. I never really had any feeling that I was an agnostic – just atheist. Not that I know that there isn’t any Being of the type that others call God – or whatever name they give the Being. I think that’s unknowable. In the end, (I think) we are all “believers.” Since the answer to the question is unknowable, we choose what we believe about it. I’ve chosen to believe that there is no Being. And see life and make my choices accordingly, just as those who believe that there is a Being do.
When my daughter was growing up, I kept forgetting to teach her anything about religion. I mean, I thought, culturally, she should know something about the major religions, but . . . . I bought her a “Bible Stories” book at one point and read her some of the stories, but neither of us were very interested. Though I do think it would be nice if she knew what people were talking about when they say something about David and Goliath, or Moses in the bullrushes, and so on.
She went to church with kids in the neighborhood once or twice. Didn’t much care for it. I sent her to church camp with a friend of hers from school – the list of things they were supposed to bring included a Bible, so I spent some time showing her “how to work it,” that is, if someone said, “Turn to Luke 12:14” or whatever, she’d know how to do it. She thought it was funny as hell when she got there and she was the only one who knew how to “work the Bible.”
I think once or twice a kid tried to make her feel bad about not being “saved” or going to church, but when she asked me about it, I told her that some people have some strange ideas, but that we don’t believe that kind of thing and that seemed to be the end of it. I think it was because she already thought those kids were kind of weird anyway.
Most of her religious experience came from seders and hannukka (sp?) celebrations at friends’ houses so we joke the closest to religious she got is Jewish. She still doesn’t have any interest in religion. And she is a really good person.
It would definitely take a lobotomy to get me to attend Sunday (well, in my case, Saturday) services. It’s not that I object to it on principle; folks who get something out of it should definitely go. I’ve seen plenty of lovely rituals among different religions — Reform Jews and Greek Orthodox Christians are my personal favorites. It’s just that I don’t feel any need.
Without getting into the specific details, whenever I feel the need to commune with the divine, I just need to find a quiet place to do so. Organized religious services are inherently social events, and that is for me a distraction from the object of religion.
As far as my kid goes, I have never attempted to indoctrinate her or even to inform her about my beliefs, regarding which she is fairly uninterested anyway. All I have told her is that if she finds herself in a religion whose god(s) or representatives tell her to coerce or harm other people, or to reject the healthy pleasures of life, or to surrender her right to form her own judgments, that religion does not serve the divine — it serves only the egos of men.
Excellent advice. n/t
I can think of no purpose in religious instruction. It teaches historical beliefs that are not accurate. It teaches that one group of people is “better” than others. It teaches a belief in the supernatural which is counter to three hundred years of scientific progress.
I like French Baroque music. This is as far from my “cultural” background as you can get. Should I not enjoy it because my ancestors came from some place else? Why is the accident of birth a consideration for “tradition”?
If you want to observe various Jewish festivals than buy a book at your child’s level that explains the historical basis and describes the ceremonies to be performed. Then adapt them to your own needs. Keep your child out of religious school. Attending services when you don’t buy the supernatural aspects is being dishonest to yourself.
Rameau !
Couperin !
<swoon>
Boran2, if I understand your diary correctly, you are interpreting the survey question as: What would it take to get you in lockstep with the rest of us here at our Reconstructionist synagogue? And you object to the idea of indoctrinating your son into, and yourself joining in to this useless activity. Please correct me if this is not what you’re saying.
I see the survey somewhat differently. I could be way off base as regards your synagogue, but right now leaders of my very liberal, Jewish Renewal congregation are similarly trying to expand member participation. Why? Not to get us to think in lockstep — we run the gamut from athiests to very observant, with lots of non-Jewish family members. No, they’re trying to build community because without it, the congregation becomes just a bunch of disinterested people sending their kids to the school out of some sense of duty, with a few leaders talking at services and nobody listening. This state of affairs serves no one. The community is what we make it. If I were to answer such a survey question with “I will come to services in the event of a wholesale shift of religion to actually providing people with something they need, or a lobotomy,” the answer would come back to me: What do you need? What should we provide? How can we make it happen, together?
When my child was five I wanted her to feel supported as a Jew, not a stigmatized oddball amid Christians the way I felt growing up. Though I had never been observant as an adult, I loved lighting Shabbat and Hanukkah candles when I was a kid, and wanted her to feel that same mystery and joy in light and ritual. I feel fortunate to have found this tiny Renewal community, full of activists and freethinkers. It only accept students into the religious school who want to be there. My daughter recently became a Bat Mitzvah because she wanted to, and with much joy and her own creativity thrown in.
If I were in your shoes, I would answer the survey with the words you wrote here. It won’t be anything they haven’t heard before. You might be surprised to find a positive reception to your views. If your congregation is not receptive, could you find one that is? They do exist.
Thanks for your comments. Your congregation sounds wonderful. My angst with organized religion is actually more generalized, the survey only provided the focus point at this time. My congregation is probably more accomodating than many, but having read the entire two page survey I’m still of the opinion that they are seeking lockstep, at least to a degree. The questions form a progression with the crescendo being that final one. But it’s possible that I’m reading something into it. But even without the survey my feelings would not change.
I do think my congregation is somewhat unusual, but it’s not the only one. Also it’s small and fighting for its survival as so many congregations are. They need community partipation to keep going, and that provides an opportunity for a member to have an impact.
If I sound like I’m trying to pursuade you to get more involved in your synagogue, that’s not the case. In fact I share your opinion of organized religion for the most part. I’m just sayin’, not all “religious” affiliations can/should be painted with the same broad brush, and you just might be surprised if you shared your ideas with others there.
Perhaps you’re right. n/t