PR+SHJ+Introduction

>> JEWS AND JUDAISM >> JEWISH TRADITION
 * Introduction to Secular Humanistic Jewishness**( Presentations).
 * [[file:A Passionate Jew.pdf|A Passionate Jew]]
 * What does it mean to be a secular, humanistic Jew (see Who is a Secular Humanistic Jew?)
 * Does God exist ([[file:Not Neutral to God.doc|Not Neutral to God]])?
 * Sentient being who cares about people
 * Ignore euphemistic definitions - e.g. God is a force
 * **__I__**g-nostic - Don't know, don't care, don't discuss - makes God a sacred topic
 * What is the history of the Jews ( Network of Jewish Beliefs )? When does it begin? What is the history of secularism and humanism within Jewish History? How do you teach Jewish history?
 * Begins around minus1200 - Canaanites who migrated to hill country
 * Always pluralistic
 * What are our values and beliefs?
 * Secularism - how do we know what is true
 * Academic models for truth
 * Critical Thinking – not values clarification
 * Natural Explanations
 * People and apes come from a common ancestor
 * People are less evolved than bacteria
 * Humanism
 * What are some of our values?
 * Learning and Education
 * Social Action
 * Social Service - Care about and for the less fortunate
 * Social Justice - Change political institutions to increase personal dignity and happiness
 * Personal integrity - say in earnest only what you believe
 * Life - worth living and valuable, not a stepping stone or transient stopover to a better place
 * Enjoy our emotions, the arts, the senses
 * Secular Spirituality - Spirituality without spirits
 * How do we know what is good?
 * Objective ethics.
 * Universal application, not universal acceptance.
 * Not relativistic ethics
 * Group (organizational) vs individual values and beliefs
 * What Are Our Principles (see Philosophical Foundations)
 * Who Wrote the Bible? What is the Bible’s role? Did Abraham, Moses, etc exist?
 * Practice
 * Principles of Practice
 * Retain those practices from Jewish tradition that are consistent with out values
 * Adapt other Jewish practices to reflect our values
 * Ignore those practices which cannot be used as is or adapted (eg Simhat Torah)
 * Create new practices to reflect our values
 * Forms of Practice
 * Holidays - Purim, Tu B'Shvat, Passover, Shavuot, Rosh Hashana, Yom Kippur
 * Life Cycle Events - birth(baby naming), coming of age(b'nai mitzvahs), marriage, death (funerals)
 * Mitzvot
 * Actions over beliefs - do right thing for wrong reason, do not do bad thing for "good" reason
 * Hypocrisy - not an ancient Jewish/rabbinic notion, links good and bad, denigrates good
 * What is the present of shJ?
 * Organizations
 * CSJO - Congress of Secular Jewish Organizations
 * SHJ - Society for Humanistic Judaism
 * WC/AR - Workmens Circle/Arbiter Ring
 * IISHJ - International Institute for Secular Humanistic Judaism
 * Secular Rabbis
 * Madrikhs
 * Posen Foundation
 * What is the future of shJ?
 * FAQs
 * SECULAR HUMANISM
 * 1) Do(es) God(s) exist?
 * 2) Is there life after death?
 * 3) What is the meaning of life?
 * 4) How can we believe in people after all the terrible things people do?
 * 5) Doesn't being rational miss the emotional side of life?
 * 6) Is there any place for spirituality?
 * 1) Who is a Jew?
 * 2) Can you be Jewish if you do not believe in God?
 * 3) Can non-Jews be converted to Secular Humanistic Judaism?
 * 4) Why is it important to affirm, celebrate and preserve Jewish identity?
 * 5) Can you participate in both Christian and Jewish cultures simultaneously?
 * 6) Is anybody a Jew - like a Messianic Jew - who says he/she is a Jew?
 * 1) What is the connection of Secular Humanistic Judaism to the Jewish tradition?
 * 2) Why not keep and simply reinterpret the old prayers (ala Reconstructionism)?
 * 3) How important are Jewish languages like Hebrew and Yiddish?
 * 4) How can you celebrate Jewish holidays and life cycle ceremonies without God?
 * 5) What place do the Bible and Talmud have in Secular Humanistic Judaism?
 * 6) Would you say that Secular Humanistic Judaism is less traditional than Orthodox, Conservative and Reform Judaism?