Folkshul is not Neutral to God
A frequently asked question is “What is the attitude of Folkshul towards God?” Several well-meaning
secularists, who seem to desire to be inclusive and not hostile, have said that Folkshul is neutral towards
God. The purpose of this monograph is to answer the question from the perspective of the Education
Committee and the new curriculum.
Before we address the question directly, it is beneficial to review those parts of our pedagogical
philosophy that underpin our curriculum and are relevant to the question.
To begin with is the quatrain:
 Folkshul has a viewpoint - secular humanistic Jewishness
 Folkshul is obligated - to present the viewpoint
 Students are obligated - to understand the viewpoint
 Students don't have to believe it - they're encouraged to debate it
As an institution, we
 Guide students toward our viewpoint
 Do not browbeat, threaten or otherwise coerce students to our or any other viewpoint
 Encourage independent, rational thinking
 Guide students away from prejudicial, illogical thinking
 Respect all people intrinsically regardless of their age, status, beliefs, physical attributes,
what they say, etc.
 Respect those ideas that have earned it
 Encourage active, vigorous debate on any and all topics that are part of the class discussion
 Generally use the academic standards of proof and reliable knowledge
Next, we must understand what the questioner means by the term ‘God’. Here are some possible
meanings:
.
1. Who is a "personal" God in some sense and is separate from (transcends) the world. Who is a
"minded" being that possesses the characteristic properties of a "person," such as having intentional
states, and the associated capacities like the ability to make decisions (i.e. Monotheistic view);
2. Who from his throne in the sky pulls the strings here on earth
3. Who is all-powerful and dispenses rewards and punishments according to some mysterious system
we can not fathom.
4. Who uses car accidents, cancer and mental retardation to show displeasure
5. Who created all of the universe from nothing to man in 6 days
6. Who requires temple sacrifices to expiate sin
7. Who makes children sick to punish the parents
8. Who gave all the written (Hebrew Bible) and oral (Talmud+) laws to Moses on Mt Sinai
9. Who literally answers our prayers
10. Who allows a Hitler to exist and function
11. Who will solve the problems of war, disease, etc. if only we believe in him.
12. Who must actively instill a divine spark into baby animals for them to come alive
13. Who will have an end of times, a final judgement and bodily resurrection of the dead
14. Who had a son born of a virgin, who died and was resurrected.
15. Who is love
16. Who has chosen the Jewish people above all others for his favor
17. Whose priests are descended from Moses and the Levites
18. Who only has a written law, the Torah
19. Whose holy temple is on Mount Gerizim
20. Who has a covenant with the Jews that if they obey his laws, they will prosper
21. Who has no covenant with the Jews, but emphasizes wisdom
22. Who commands foreign armies to lay waste to the Jews as punishment for their sins
23.
24.
25.
26.
27.
28.
29.
30.
31.
Who wants us to assassinate our enemies
Who wants us to passively resist our enemies
Who granted to David and his progeny in perpetuity, the kingships of Judea.
Who wants all Jews to return to Eretz Yisrael so he can fulfill his promise to them
Who is part of all that exists
Who wants us to forsake the pleasures of this world
Whose messiah is Shabbatei Tsevi or Frank, or Schneerson
Who is a force in the universe uniting us all
Who alone has the power to effect change
All of the above definitions have been held by some Jews at one or more times in the past up to the
present. As an exercise, see if you can match one of more of the definitions to the beliefs of one or more
of the following groups:
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
F.
Modern Orthodox
Conservatives
Reform Judaism
Reconstructionist
Zealots
Essenes
G.
H.
I.
J.
K.
L.
Messianic Jews
Lubavitchers
Kabbalists
Shabbateism
Monarchal Judah
Karaites
M.
N.
O.
P.
Q.
Samaritans
Zaddokites
Sadduccees
Sapiential Jews
Pantheists
Some of the things we teach in the curriculum that directly deny the existence of one or more definitions
of God:
 People have the power to bring about change
 Jews are one among many people and have no favored status because they are Jews
 The bible was written by people, mostly to solve problems relating to the political, military, religious
needs of the writer.
 Our suffering is not due to God punishing us for our sins or those of our parents.
 Mind is an emergent property of brain/body intra-actions
 Migration to Israel is not a requirement to be a good Jew
Folkshul is objective (base decisions on reason and science), open minded (willing to change our view
when merited by the evidence) but not neutral (we tentatively deny the vast majority of Gods and relegate
the remainder to being irrelevant by what and how we teach).
The position of Folkshul towards God, in general, is that such a notion is too vague for a position other
than that it is vague and we deny most definitions of God by what and how we teach. For more specific
definitions, our position depends upon how well the definition squares with evidence, is internally
consistent, is compatible with our ethical values, etc.
Jewish Definitions of God denied by a Reform rabbi (http://www.betham.org/sermons/marder011116.html
-– she makes a good case for secularism
Also see http://rabbishefagold.hypermart.net/SpiritualPath.html