Jewish Atheism

Definition: Jewish atheism refers to atheism as practised by people who are ethnically, and to some extent culturally, Jewish.


Based on some numbers from Wikipedia: 50% of the American Jews doubts the existence of God. Not shocking at all. I've always expected this. The Jews, at least the American Jews, are very liberal and secular.

The mainstream Jews mostly subscribe to the idea of Judaism that emphasis practice more over belief (e.g belief in God is not a necessary prerequisite to Jewish observance).

But not everyone agrees with this ideology.

However, Orthodox Judaism regards the acceptance of the "Yoke of Heaven" (the sovereignty of the God of Israel in the world and the divine origin of the Torah) as a fundamental obligation for Jews.

What works in their favor:

Much recent Jewish theology makes few if any metaphysical claims and is thus compatible with atheism on an ontological level.

Now, if you are a secular Jew and don't believe in all the religious mumbo-jumbo, then where do you stand or what actually defines you as a Jew?

The article on Wikipedia stated that an atheist Jew would probably identify with

- Jewish history and peoplehood, immersion in Jewish literature
- The consumption of Jewish food and an attachment to Jewish languages, festivals etc

Notable personalities: Albert Einstein, Karl Marx, Sigmund Freud, Golda Meir, Woody Allen

Jewish Atheism is interesting. I think their moto should be "You don't have to be embarrassed about your lack of belief or disbelief".

Chapter Nine and Ten

Chapter Nine is about a non-Muslim sect, Essenes and their tenets. This could either be a Christian or a Jewish Sect. Just skimmed the chapter. Not reading much.

Chapter Ten is about Pythogoras, the Mathematician.

Everything written in this chapter is mostly based on Greek or Egyptian philosophies.

The Pythagorean system embraced three degrees, with a fourth as a supreme entrance into the highest knowledge.

The Pythagorean Sect had their own initiation ceremony and teaching. They were pretty obsessed with the number three. They saw everything in terms of three or trinity.

The Triad, or ternary law, is accordingly the constitutive life of things, and the real key to life, the corner stone of esoteric science, which Pythagoras made the foundation of his system.

Pythagorean could be connected to the Druids. See the quote below

amblichus also tells us that a visitor to Pythagoras was Abaris the Hyperborean, who came to Crotona from a distant land in order that he might collect gold for his temple, and that Pythagoras learned much from him. Now this Abaris is considered by many distinguished writers on the Druids to have been identical with Abhras, who, according to ancient Irish legendary history, is stated to have travelled from Ireland to distant countries, and after a long time to have returned by way of Scotland, where he remained for seven years, bringing a new system of religion. From this Godfrey Higgins concludes 2 that the Druids were Pythagoreans.

Here's an interesting saying from Pythagoras about the God

Pythagoras has left us the following beautiful conception of the Deity: 'GOD is neither the object of sense, nor subject to passions ; but invisible, only intelligible, and supremely intelligent. In His Body he is like the Light, and in His Soul He resembles Truth. He is the Universal Spirit that pervades and diffuses itself over all Nature. All things receive their life from Him. There is but One, Only GOD, Who is not, as some are apt to imagine, seated above the World beyond the Orb of the Universe ; but being Himself All in All, He sees all the beings that fill His immensity : the Only Principle, the Light of Heaven, the Father of all. He produces everything, He orders and disposes everything. He is the Reason, the Life and the Motion of all things."

What Have I Been Researching Lately

I have been researching an interesting topic which is not related to Muslim Sects.


Why do the Westerner or Western Scholars of Islam think that the message of Prophet Muhammad or al-Islam is a continuation of Christianity and Judaism.


Muslims generally accept past religions, such as Judaism and Christianity. Muslims believe the divine origin of Christianity and Judaism. But they also believe that these religions have been been corrupted by their followers.


Westerners/Orientalist have an aggressive and an opposite reaction (stance) against Islam. To counter-act Islam's position towards the above Abrahamic religions, they consider Islam as a copy-cat religion by claiming that the Prophet of Islam created his religion from a hybrid of other religions, such as, the pagan belief in Arabia, Christianity and Judaism and other Mythical beliefs which was common to the region at the time.


The evidence that are usually provided by the Westerners or Orientalist are generally very speculative.

• They claim that the Prophet of Islam was a tradesman, so he must have known people of other religions. He must have learn from them before setting up this new religion in Arabia
  
• Secondly, they claim that since many Jews used to live in Arabia, then the Prophet must have learned from them by observing and then incorporating it in his religious belief
  
• They then claim that the Prophet of Islam must have met some of the Zorastrians living in the area at the time. They talk about Zorastrians influence on Islam by looking at some of Islamic beliefs and speculating on its origin.
  

I am still reading a number of Western sources that portray the Holy Prophet as someone who has created a hybrid religion called Islam based on his observation of other religion and belief systems.


Most of the works by Westerners on this topic are very speculative. It is not based on written sources.

• Sources are not presented showing that the Holy Prophet meeting specific persons (like priests or a rabbis). 
• Sources are not quoted showing that the Prophet went somewhere to learn or get schooled about other religions. 
• Sources are not provided about his involvement with any group of people.
• Heck, there are not even sources of him sitting down writing and analysing views and ideas from other religions.

The premise used by Westerners is that Islam is not original hence it must come from somewhere.

The Prophet must have learned and picked sources from other religion to create his own hybrid/copy-cat religion.

I am still reading but one thing that I find hard to believe is that no solid evidences have been provided to support the Westerners premise that the Prophet of Islam has learned from the Jews, Christian or Zorastrians.