I don’t remember a rabbi ever asking me if I believed in God or what I believed about God or, in fact, what I believed about anything religious.<\/p>\n
When I asked the editor of a Jewish newspaper if he believed in God and in choseness, he told me it was not Jewish to ask such questions.<\/p>\n
In 98% of Jewish life 98% of the time in my experience, it’s considered inappropriate to question Jews about their religious beliefs. <\/p>\n
By contrast, I’ve often had rabbis inquire about my work, my housing, my healthcare and other practical matters where they wished to be of help. <\/p>\n
Rabbis probably ask their congregants “Are you looking for a new job?” or “Do you need a doctor? or “Do you need an apartment?” one hundred times more often than, “Do you believe in God?”<\/p>\n
I grew up a Seventh-Day Adventist Christian. The clergy I knew rarely asked me about my practical needs. They were much more concerned with my heavenly salvation, my relationship with God, and whether or not I had the correct theological beliefs. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
I don’t remember a rabbi ever asking me if I believed in God or what I believed about God or, in fact, what I believed about anything religious. When I asked the editor of a Jewish newspaper if he believed … Continue reading