Tuesday, January 29, 2008

A Little From Einstein

Judaism is not a creed: the Jewish God is simply a negation of superstition, an imaginary result of its elimination. It is also an attempt to base the moral law on fear, a regrettable and discreditable attempt. Yet it seems to me that the strong moral tradition of the Jewish nation has to a large extent shaken itself free from this fear. It is also clear that "Serving God" was equated with "serving the living." The best of the Jewish people, especially the Prophets and Jesus, contended tirelessly for this.

Judaism is thus no transcendental religion; it is concerned with life as we live it and as we can, to a certain extent, grasp it, and nothing else. It seems to me, therefore, doubtful whether it can be called a religion in the accepted sense of the word, particularly as no 'faith' but the sanctification of life in a supra-personal sense is demanded of the Jew.

Mein Weltbild, Amsterdam: Querido Verlag, 1934
from "Ideas and Opinions", ISBN 0-517-55601-4, (c) 1982, 1954

0 comments: