Divine Delusion

There are many world religions; some, like Christianity, Islam, Hinduism and Buddhism, have huge followings. Others are much smaller, each with their devoted followers believing in the sacred writings and living precepts of their founders. Some of these religions encourage their followers to be tolerant; Sikhs and Muslims both insist that this is one of the founding tenets of their religion, but when politics intervene, the profanity of violence ensues.

And in various countries of the world where majority religions reign supreme, a political, social and religious intolerance raises its intolerant head; occasionally spurred by the state, and more commonly arising from within the ranks of the faithful of the majority religion, who spurn the very thought of equality between religions. Taking umbrage at the very existence within their society of those who practise another religion.

Within these countries Jews, Parsees, Baha'i, Hindus, Christians, Sikhs, Buddhists, Animists and Muslims are seen as the faithless, their presence an offence to the supreme being that is their god. Inter-religious strife between religious factions has its place also in the annals of man's inhumanity to alternate views of an Almighty God.

As a Jew, representing a people with a shared tradition, history and religion, it is profoundly regrettable that Judaism, despite its thousands of years of suffering, of martyrdom to the ideals of its heritage and the claims of its faith, there are people whose strictured fundamentalism paints them with the same tarnished brush as fanatics of other religions.

Christianity went through a prolonged period where its missionizing zeal corrupted its ideals, and the carnage it brought to the world through its subjugating of people to save their souls or send them to early deaths besmirched it as a representation of godly endeavours on earth. Islam goes through cycles of quiescent self-absorption and violent jihad, intent on spreading its message, insisting on the surrender of apostates and infidels.

Judaism is not an evangelical religion. It has always been suspicious of those wishing to convert to Judaism, but it has also, while not encouraging conversion, aided those who wished to dedicate themselves to such conversions. It is disappointing that in Israel, the orthodox congregations and their powerful rabbis have sought to exclude those who have converted to Judaism, from citizenship.

Understandable, in a sense, because of the number of people emigrating in the past decades as refuseniks from Russia, many with scant knowledge of Jewishness and little emotional kinship to it and whose children have become raging, ravaging anti-Semites within the country. But this serious and unfortunate pathology among a few should not tarnish all who seek to convert and to immigrate to Israel, seeking citizenship.

In point of fact, the extreme orthodox of most religions look with suspicion upon those who are more moderate in the expression of the faith - and with utter contempt upon those who, though claiming membership in the traditions and ethnicity of their tribal affiliation, eschew the religion, and take pride in their secularity. Those who choose not to practise, but to live as part of the tribe.

The State of Israel recognizes as Jewish any born of a Jewish mother. Were the orthodox to have their way, this defining entitlement would be removed, and only those who assiduously practise orthodox Judaism would be recognized as Jews, and hence entitled to citizenship. The State of Israel is secular in its politics, yet tinged and inextricably bound by religion, since Jews are by nature disputatious and the influence of the orthodox is huge.

If God really does exist, and if the qualities attributed to Him are to be believed would that divine entity be satisfied with the manner in which the humans who profess to believe in such an existence of one who controls all, sees all, knows all, smile benignly on the machinations of those who insist they do His will?