Why are most Jews not religious?

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Polak said:
an essential characteristic if you will, to being Jewish, was disbelief in Christ.
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In a way it is very much so. Jews are fanatical that God is One. The very idea of the Trinity is completely heretical, idolatrous and …from their view, spits in the face of God. It really is that horrid to them.
 
tomarin said:
I think that may be (and please correct me if I’m wrong, whoever may be reading this) because to Jews and Muslims as well the idea that God could have a son or assume human form is tantamount to blasphemy.
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But still, believing in God, trying to be a good person and believing the ‘wrong’ thing about Jesus is worse than being an atheist? I still think it’s weird logic.
 
First of all, it is dangerous to generalize about what “the Jews” think with regard to ANYTHING. Jews have all sorts of ideas and opinions about things, including people of other faiths. And second of all, the antagonism that some Jews may have about Christianity is not so much because of the Trinity per se, but more likely because of the rocky history between Jews and Christians throughout the ages. However, the relations are much better today than they were in most prior periods of history, and so I don’t think many Jews hold the same beliefs about Christians as they once did.
 
Lovely book. Very hedonistic worldview. The Sumerians believed in enjoying themselves in this life as after that you’d only have an eternity of eating clay in a gloomy Underworld to look forward to.

One part I remember well from the book is the wine goddess, Sidurri, telling Gilgamesh to essentially live life to the fullest, as that was his only chance ever of experiencing its pleasures.
 
Fascinating - I’m very curious about the Sumerian mythos because unlike say the Egyptian pantheon of gods we seem to know a lot less about the Sumerian ones.
 
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My father is a convert from Judaism and as such I have half my family relatives being Jewish. Most are non practicing. Reason is because it is much more a cultural practice than a religious one for them, especially since they all grew up in a highly Jewish urban environment.
 
What’s interesting about Buddhism - to me at least - is that while it is classified as a religion, none of its adherents claim he was divine. The central figure of Buddhism was a man.
 
I know that most Jews that got into Buddhism consider it a philosophy, not a religion…I think there is a fine line there and can tip either way. I just never explored it. Mostly because I can not meditate! I’m not sure if meditation is still a core of it or not, but back when I was searching for truth, so to speak, it was all about meditation.
 
It’s supposed to be (back to the orthopraxy versus orthodoxy divide) but many self-identified Buddhists don’t meditate (Alan Watts comes to mind).
 
I know Orthodox Jews who wear black because they are still mourning the destruction of the Second Temple. They follow all kinds of religious Jewish rituals.
 
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Polak said:
So why in your opinion are the majority of Jews non believers?
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Well, the " faith" was tied to a nationality ( bloodline?), and the latter can “take over” as far as true identity.

Same can happen to Christians. Our “faith” is tied in the church, and can take over our identity, which should be in Jesus Christ, Jehovah Himself.
 
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Pattylt said:
and left it all when I lost my faith in God.
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Just wondering, because you describe yourself in your profile as an agnostic and yet often talk like an atheist on these forums.

Do you believe there is no God or that there may or may not be and we can’t possibly know?
mcq72 said:
Well, the " faith" was tied to a nationality, and the latter can “take over” as far as true identity.
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Are you saying there is a Jewish nationality?
 
Polak said:
Do you believe there is no God or that there may or may not be and we can’t possibly know?
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Ummm, yes?

Some days I’m more atheist than others but I fully admit I can’t know. I try not to rule it out, it’s just that some days it’s harder to that than others. So, I basically call myself agnostic as that’s the best description.
 
Polak said:
Are you saying there is a Jewish nationality?
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I added an adendum, because nationality does not do justice. More like a bloodline, as in " sons of Abraham".

But yes they became a nation, are one again, and it seems to some, Christ will reign as its King forever in the one to come.
 
That is what I have been told, so I disagree with you on this one.
 
Told by Orthodox Jews in real life. I was also told they hope to rebuild the Jewish Temple.
 
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