this post was submitted on 06 Jul 2023
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I agree with them, although I'm a little bemused by the characterization of Judaism as intending to terrify people into obedience... How do you do that with no religious power structure, no hell and no nebulous punishment for breaking the rules? It's a religion whose 'teeth' are, "Your mother would prefer if you did it."
Historically speaking the Hasmonean empire did have quite a bit of teeth. Enough to forcefully convert all of Edom.
I mean sure, but that was 2,100 years ago...
I think it's a nice reminder that extreme people often necessarily disregard nuance in pursuit of their ultimate goals. When every state is religious and every state is tyranical, why bother trying to pick out a few good apples when that would only further jam the gears of progress?
Someone never read the old testament
FYI it's not the "old testament" to Jews, and since there is no God, he hasn't popped out of the woodwork to have the earth swallow any of us in the last 2,500 years or so... so no one is really worried he's going to.
You overestimate religious zealots. I know people who cringe if you say "god damn it" as if a lightning bolt will strike instantly. God in the Pentateuch is a major asshole prone to murderous outbursts at the slightest sign of disobediance so yeah, he was definitely supposed to be feared. Jews don't even say the word god, they say "ha shem" or "the name" instead.
I'm a Jew and I'm saying the word God right now... as with anything else, religiosity varies pretty significantly, but because Judaism is a ethnoreligion and because it places such an emphasis on debate and dialogue, it's one of the few religions I know of that's more or less compatible with being an atheist.
There certainly are a ton of Jewish religious fundamentalists (called haredim, folks in the US are probably familiar with "ultra-Orthodox" or 'hasidic') but they're actually the minority, and even they vary widely in their beliefs.