SOCIETY FOR HUMANISTIC JUDAISM
On the weekend of June 26 – 28 the Society for Humanistic Judaism sponsored a weekend conference on the basic problems confronting humanistic congregations. Over 100 people from the Birmingham Temple, Deerfield Temple Beth Or, and the Westport Congregation registered for the meeting.
The questions of religious philosophy, religious education, public services, and political action were discussed and hotly debated. Although no consensus was achieved on these issues, the spectrum of humanistic alternatives emerged.
On Sunday morning, the 28th, the first annual meeting of the Society was held. The members elected six directors to serve as the executive until the next annual meeting. The directors, in turn, elected four officers from among their number.
Robert Poris, Birmingham, President Robert Seeley, Deerfield, Vice-President Sherwin Wine, Birmingham, Secretary Marshall Davis, Birmingham, Treasurer Daniel Friedman, Deerfield, Barry Waxman, Westport
During the conference a proposed statement of philosophic principles was presented by Rabbis Sherwin Wine and Dan Friedman. These principles were intensively discussed on both Friday and Saturday evenings by all who attended. Irv Rozian, the philosophy coordinator for the weekend, proposed certain changes Sunday morning on the basis of these discussions. Since no final decision was possible (or necessarily desirable) it was agreed that, in the coming year, each congregation should devote serious time to the evaluation of these principles. The proposed statement contained the following twelve points:
Humanistic Judaism is a distinctive religious philosophy in which the following values are affirmed.
(1) Autonomy. Every human being has the right to be the master of his own life, and ought to be encouraged to assume responsibility for his own actions. To abdicate one’s autonomy and responsibility is to lose one’s dignity.
(2) Individualism. Every human being is a unique individual and cannot be defined by any group identity he may have. For example, it is not the task of an individual to conform to the demands of a Jewish group. It is the task of the group to respect the individuality of the person.
(3) Equality. Every human being is an end in himself. And no other person has the right to rule or dominate him without his consent. A humanist society is a society of equality in which each individual affirms the autonomy of others as well as his own.
(4) Independence. There is no authority, human or “divine” which has the right to compel obedience. The demands of any authority (including God, if he exists) may be challenged by critical reason. Therefore, all farms of worship are inappropriate.
(5) Happiness. The purpose of life is the achievement of personal happiness. This human fulfilment must always be compatible with the right of other human being’s to pursue their happiness.
(6) Cooperation. Since human cooperation serves the welfare of every individual, the ideal society is a free society in which every ‘Person may choose the life-style he desires.
(7) Rationality. Human happiness requires a realistic understanding of the world in which we live. The best way to achieve this understanding is through the use of human reason.
(8) Humanism. Reason discloses that the basic source of power for the solution of human problems lies within man and not outside of man.
(9) Naturalism. Reason also discloses that events in the universe can be explained without reference to supernatural causes.
(10) Religion. The human environment consists of two kinds of events – things which can be reasonably changed and things which cannot be reasonably changed. The human response to what can be changed is called ethical behavior. And the human response to what cannot be changed is called religious behavior. Both forms of behavior are valid. The acceptance and dramatization of the seasonal and life-cycles are examples of religious behavior. Activities which demonstrate man’s ability to change his personal and social environment are examples of ethical behavior. It is important not to intrude religious behavior where ethical behavior is appropriate. The danger of historic religion is that, it often persuades man that he can change what, in face, he cannot change (e.g. death), and that he, cannot alter what, in fact, he can alter (e.g. established moral standards). A humanistic philosophy of life clearly distinguishes between what is appropriate to the ethical realm and what is appropriate to the religious realm and seeks to satisfy both needs.
(11) Judaism, Judaism is a form of religious behavior, exemplified in certain distinctive holiday and life-cycle ceremonies. It is one way in which man can choose to dramatize his relationship to the unchanging elements in his environment. It can be associated with many different ethical systems, authoritarian or humanistic, Humanistic Judaism is the association of Jewish ceremonial with humanistic ethics.
(12) Self-Esteem. The goal of a humanistic Judaism as of every genuine humanistic philosophy is to maximize the individual’s sense of his own worth. A person who has self-esteem is aware of his own power and competence and seeks to live in accord with humanistic values.
The consensus of those who attended respected the independence and autonomy of each congregation. No new union of temples was contemplated. The purpose of the Society (in which membership is individual) was to promote the sharing of ideas among existing humanistic congregations, to encourage the establishment of new groups, and to publicize the presence of the humanistic alternative throughout the American Jewish community.