*groan* I know I know, everyone and their brother and then his step-cousin twice removed has something to say about this year's election, but I'm hoping that mine will at least give you something new to think about.
Bear with me while I set this up a bit: during my recent vacation time I had two good friends from Syracuse visiting. One of them (Andrew) just came back from spending three months in Jerusalem, doing something related to the film industry. We had many many interesting discussions about the different ways that a lot of the Jewish people he met approach their own faith, and the demonstration of that faith. In a nutshell, if I understood correctly, he met a lot of people who either were born Jewish or converted later in life who had or have devoted a significant portion of their lives doing detailed research on religion and the history of their faith before converting or in order to better understand and represent their heritage. My friend, and the people he met in Jerusalem, was constantly in the process of debating aspects of the Torah, Jewish history, and how the religion is used on a daily basis even today. It was this inquiry, this passionate, in-depth, probing journey that actually solidified these people's faiths and allowed them to share ideas and explore new facets of Judaism. Questioning, and research, and reliance on fact do not negate their faith. Andrew even told me that many rabbis or students of
religion in Israel openly accepted both the Big Bang theory and the
story of the Genesis in the Torah, and developed theories of time that
allowed the six days of the Genesis to actually represent the Big Bang
itself. He seemed really in awe of this espousal of faith, and I was too.
I'll admit, like many other young people (and just people), that I have been severely disillusioned by American politics of late, and I think in discussing my friend's experiences I have finally come to a concrete conclusion of why. In America, obviously largely Christian, a lot of the every day values and morals that may or may not relate to government have been derived from religions precepts. And rightly so, because in the past that was the source of everyone's morality, whether you were Christian or Jewish or Muslim or Buddhist. It isn't a coincidence that they match up a great deal. However, what has troubled me and what I find too often goes hand in hand with today's version of Christianity in the US is a disapproval related to inquiry, probing, or questioning. Sometimes it is more subtle than others. Yet to me it seems starkly clear now that whether you talk about religion, patriotism, political stance, oftentimes a questioning attitude is seen as subversive, atheistic, or tantamount to an act of betrayal.
I thoroughly and utterly reject the validity of this notion. I believe, and it seems from talking with my friend Andrew that a lot of Jewish people (and probably others that I don't know about) believe this also, that questioning can be a form of supporting one's faith. I believe that deep inquiry can allow and actually forces people to be stronger in their faith. Then, discussion and debate are not ended by the phrase "that's just what I believe", but the discussions are opened with statements like that, and people seek to understand the nuances of another person's faith or political stance or patriotism, instead of trying to convince the other of supporting unquestioningly one side or another. In America, I see a lot of differing views and opinions which at one time in my life would have thrilled me. But watching people continually unable to share and explore their own or other views in a diplomatic or even remotely civil manner is abhorrent to me, and renders social interaction practically pointless. Let's not be afraid to question oneself, or to find out that one's view is not the only "right" view out there. It seems to me that a much richer personal and social existence is within reach with this simple change of heart.
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