Post by Rodney Farber on Oct 1, 2018 16:04:43 GMT
What does it mean to be a Jew?
A while ago, I was watching a PBS documentary on Jews in America. One segment specified that there were a substantial number of secular Jews. WTF is a secular Jew. I thought a Jew (like a Catholic or Muslim) was a person with a Jewish set of beliefs. Also, I recently viewed an old YouTube clip of The Atheist Experience wherein one of the hosts declared that she was an atheist Jew.
So if a Jew is not a person with a specific set of beliefs, what are they?
And what happens if a female converts to Judaism and then immediately becomes a secular (or atheist) Jew? Are her children Jews?
Inquiring minds want to know.
A while ago, I was watching a PBS documentary on Jews in America. One segment specified that there were a substantial number of secular Jews. WTF is a secular Jew. I thought a Jew (like a Catholic or Muslim) was a person with a Jewish set of beliefs. Also, I recently viewed an old YouTube clip of The Atheist Experience wherein one of the hosts declared that she was an atheist Jew.
So if a Jew is not a person with a specific set of beliefs, what are they?
Are they a race like African Americans or Inuit? Well, they can't be because my neighbor converted to Judaism when she married so the kids would be Jewish. (I believe that anyone born when the mother is a Jew is automatically a Jew).
Are they a place of origin (e.g. Irish) or place of residence? Again, no for the same reason above.
Are they defined by lineage? (e.g. Can anyone become a Kardashian other than by birth or marriage?)
And what happens if a female converts to Judaism and then immediately becomes a secular (or atheist) Jew? Are her children Jews?
Inquiring minds want to know.
