Religion for Atheists: Book Review

The thinker and philosopher Alain de Botton wants to “steal” (that’s his word) from religions their rituals  and ceremonies and incorporate them into communal restaurants, museums, atheist temples, and secular universities. He says there are “good bits” we can get from religions without considering their mystical aspects.

In his new book “Religion for Atheists” (Pantheon Books, 2012) de Botton thinks atheists are missing out on Rembrandt‘s Christ in the Storm (p 234), Bach’s St Matthew Passion (p 167), and Michelangelo’s Pieta (p 228).

He doesn’t have to steal. You can attend any church sponsored concert without  showing a membership card or pledging your commitment at the door. You can visit the Metropolitan Museum showing the works of Renaissance artists by just giving a small donation at the gate. You can enroll in any university course on humanities and learn how philosophers and theologians arrived at their conclusion on how to live. And you can  go to Starbucks, and if you are in a friendly mood, engage in conversation with strangers.

I like his idea of Agape Restaurant,  where patrons can seat in long tables and celebrate (my suggestion) national holidays like Thanksgiving, Mother’s Day or Presidents’ Day.

We Compartmentalize

De Botton may complain that the establishments I mentioned do not in themselves promote neighborliness because they thrive in an environment of commercialism. But that is exactly the point. In our society, in the 21st century, we compartmentalize our activities into work-leisure, professional-personal, and ecclesiastical-secular.

People of like-minded beliefs gather together in a communal setting. Their rituals and ceremonies are a  reflection of their common faith. It is this faith that bind them together and make them recipients of life-wisdom derived from their scriptures.

Mimicking these observances without internalizing the mystical aspects, is shallow and without meaning. The nonbelievers may be uplifted by the solemnity of the occasion but will soon “come back to reality” after the ceremony.

Atheism as a Formal Religion

If de  Botton wants atheists, agnostics and secularists to have a sense of community without feeling left out of the  grandeur and sanctity of religious rituals, then they can organize themselves as a formal religion. Modifying the terms “god“, “prayer” and “divine” to humanist context. Among mainstream  religions, in this day and age, there are sects which define god as a metaphor, as nature, or as an experience in their lives. That god is the divine within us, and when we pray we are praying to the god in us.

Auguste Comte (p 306) had tried forming this “new religion” but failed because he did not pattern it after the symbolic, metaphorical aspect of the Church.

Borrowing from Comte, de Botton acknowledges Comte’s “recognition that secular society requires its own institutions, ones that could take the place of religions by addressing human needs which fall outside the existing remits of politics, the family, culture and the workplace.”

This “atheist religion,” from all appearances, will look like any other church but without the supernatural aspect. For example, Thomas Jefferson spent a couple of nights in the White House cutting and pasting the New Testament, removing the parts referring to miracles and the supernatural. This cut and paste job is now called the Jefferson Bible. And later in life Jefferson said, “I am a church unto myself.”

This “religion” will have its own rituals on the passages of life like birth, marriage and death. It will ordain its own ministers. It will be registered as a religion  which believes in a nonsupernatural god. It is a religion in ethical, humanist terms. But a religion like any other faith.

This way we shall see the emergence of a truly relevant religion in our time.

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The Jewish Annotated New Testament --- Book Review

(This book review was delivered at Englewood Public Library (NJ) on Mar 14, 2012)

A book review of

The Jewish Annotated New Testament

(Amy-Jill Levine and Marc Zvi Brettler, editors)

by Adolfo Borromeo

Over two thousand years ago, an itinerant teacher walked the towns of ancient Israel, preaching a new covenant with God. Although he said he came not to break the Law (the Torah) but to fulfill it (the New Testament), he was undermining the priestly class and threatening Roman authority.

His followers called him messiah and “king of the Jews” who would bring about a reign of peace and sanctity to the Jewish people.

He was doing all right initially, but when he started criticizing the priestly class, the Pharisees in particular, then he got in trouble. He became a threat to the priestly class.

So the high priest, Caiaphas, had Jesus brought to the Roman governor on charges of blasphemy and sedition. The ancient Israelites (and the priestly class in particular), being under Roman rule, could not try Jesus, so they brought him to Pontius Pilate who ordered his crucifixion.

When Pilate said to the crowd, “I am innocent of this man’s blood, see to it yourselves,” they cried, “His blood be on us and on our children!” ( Mat 27.24-25 NRSV) This verse from the gospel has been the basis for the condemnation of Jews as “Christ-killers” through the ages.

Not Jews in Perpetuity

Now Pope Benedict XVI, as a result of Vatican II Council, has declared that Jews could not be held responsible for Jesus’ death. The Pope further said that when Matthew said “the Jews”, he meant the mob in Pilate’s courtyard at that time in history, and not the Jewish people in general. (George Conger, Jews as Christ Killers, www.getreligion.org)

And Matthew 27.24-25 should be read in a theological sense, that is, neither all Jews at that time, nor Jews today, can be charged with the crimes committed during Jesus’ passion. The Jews should not be spoken of as rejected or accursed as if this followed from Holy Scripture. (Vatican II, NA4; annotation on the Navarre Bible New Testament)

The book editors Levine and Brettler say this verse may be referring to the destruction of the Second Temple in 70 CE, and the “children” may be specifically the generation (after Jesus) who experienced that destruction, and not Jews in perpetuity. (The Editors’ Preface, xii.)

The reason this charge of deicide (the killing of Jesus) gained currency through the ages is because Christianity had become a world religion, from a marginal faith after Jesus’ death to state religion at the time of Emperor Constantine. If this Jesus movement had remained a marginal religion and without the sanctioned power of the Roman state, the followers’ beliefs would have been on the fringes of society.

Jesus Was a Jewish Preacher

From my readings on New Testament scholarship, Jesus did not think of forming a new religion but wanted to remain in the faith of his birth. We must realize that he was a Jew, his followers were Jews, and so he referenced his teachings from Jewish prophets and Hebrew scriptures. He was preaching to the Jews, so he must talk to them from their own ancient tradition. He made that clear when he said he came not to break the Law but to fulfill it.

Amy-Jill Levine says that it is from Torah that Jesus takes his “Great Commandment” (Mt 22.36-40): love of God (Deut 6.5) and love of neighbor (Lev 18.19).

Now Jesus and his followers might have believed he was the messiah. But that claim had to measure up to early and later Jewish expectations. Even now, Jews and Christians, quote the same Bible --- the Tanakh for the Jews and the New Testament for the Christians --- in arguing their point whether Jesus is the messiah.

Ms. Levine, writing from an earlier book, The Historical Jesus in Context, said the historical man from Nazareth cannot be understood fully if he is divorced from his context. The spread of the gospel cannot be comprehended unless one appreciates its adaptation to the cultural expectations of its proselytes.

After all, Jesus was not the only one who claimed he was the messiah. There were a number of others before and after him who declared they were bringing about a messianic age of peace and justice, the latest being Rebbe Menahem Schneerson (1902-94) of the Lubavitch movement. The followers of this Chabad sect believe that the rebbe is the messiah and will return soon.

But David B. Levenson, in his essay Messianic Movements (535), says the vast majority of Jews project their messianic concerns into a distant idealized future, if they are held at all. He says the Reform Movement, which represents a large percentage of American Jews, has rejected the concept of an individual messiah in favor of the idea of a messianic age of peace and justice achieved through human efforts.

Jewish Christians not Christian Jews

Early Christianity was a Jewish sect within Judaism, and Paul, early on, preached in the synagogues. It was only when Paul preached to the gentiles and told them they could be Jesus followers without observing Jewish practices like the sabbath, kosher foods, and circumcision, that the final break-off came about. Because orthodox Jews, on the other hand, would not consider a so-called convert who did not observe Jewish practices.

For example, “when a Gentile is circumcised, he has converted to Judaism. The act of circumcision is the act of male conversion.” (Essay Judaism and Jewishness by Shaye J.D. Cohen, 515.) But “Paul insisted that Gentile followers of Jesus did not need to practice circumcision (Gen 17.9-14; cf. Gal 5.2), and Mark’s Gospel rejects the dietary restrictions (Lev 11.1-47; Deut 14.4-21; Mk 7.19b). (Essay The Law by Jonathan Klawans, 515.)

That’s why Jesus followers were then referred to as Jewish Christians, noting their cultural origin, not as Christian Jews or Jesusian Jews, if they had remained a sect of Judaism.

Bishop Spong’s Theory

Bishop John Shelby Spong, in his book Re-Claiming the Bible for a Non-Religious World, has a theory about this anti-Semitic verse in Matthew’s gospel. When the Jesus followers finally broke off from Judaism, they had to show the Romans that they were a friendly faith. That they were not a subversive faith. That while their early members were in fact Jews, now the majority are gentiles of various persuasion and nationalities. That it was really Caiaphas by his instigation --- and not Pilate by washing his hands --- who “killed” Jesus. And writing “His blood be on us and on our children” --- that drove home the point that the Jews were “Christ-killers”.

Also, in the gospel, when the Pharisees tried to entrap Jesus by asking him if it is lawful to pay taxes to the emperor --- Jesus answered, “Give to Caesar the things that are Ceasar’s and to God the things that are God’s (Mt 22.21). This shows, to the Romans, that Christians respect Rome’s power and authority.

The Messianic Period

The early Jewish belief of messiah was a person who had no supernatural powers. Nowadays, many Jewish thinkers believe in the coming of a messianic period brought about not by one person but by events in history. When humankind will enjoy relative peace, harmony and social justice.

Now knowing Jewish and Christian contexts, both traditions must apply trajectory interpolation of their scriptures toward the coming of this messiah or messianic age.

And realizing the historical continuity of both scriptures, what the Christians call the Old Testament and New Testament, we can appreciate each other’s holy book.

I find the essay by Michael Fagenblat (The Concept of Neighbor in Jewish and Christian Ethics, pp 540-543) personally moving. He explains the similarity in the concept of neighbor in the parable of the good Samaritan (Lk 10.25-38) to Judaism’s love for the stranger.

Leviticus 19.34 says: The alien who resides with you shall be to you as the citizen among you. You shall love the alien as yourself, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt.

And in Deuteronomy 31.12: Gather the people --- men, women, children, and the strangers in your communities --- that they may hear and so learn to revere the Lord your God.

In comparison, I find Letter to the Corinthians’ poetry equally sublime and soaring.

If I speak in the tongues of mortals and of angels,

but do not have love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.

And if I have prophetic powers and understand all mysteries

and all knowledge, but do not have love, I am nothing….

Love is patient, love is kind, love is not boastful or arrogant

or rude. It does not insist on its way, it is not irritable or resentful. It does not rejoice in wrongdoing but rejoices in the truth.

It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things,

endures all things. Love never ends. (1Cor 13.1-8 NRSV)

Moral Teachings of Scriptures

And both traditions can emphasize the moral teachings of their scriptures. Do not be discouraged by detractors who say, “Oh, but the Bible send contradictory messages.” The Bible was written at a particular age and time in history, with different cultures, ancient beliefs and mystic practices. But now, in this day and age, with global acculturation, reconciling beliefs and realistic practices --- you know in your heart what Bible teachings are morally right and sincerely honest to live by.

And so Jews, Christians, and by extension Muslims, must continue to worship together ---- worshipping the same God --- in bringing about a world of peace, harmony and religious tolerance.

God Works through Human Beings

After all, as N.T. Wright wrote in his book Simply Jesus, God intended to rule the world through human beings. God manifests itself through human initiative, not by a miracle from heaven trumpeted by a host of angels. It is through man, and man alone, that the blessings of peace and justice can be achieved.

By your blood you ransomed for God

Saints from every tribe and nation,

You have made them to be a kingdom

And priests serving our God,

And they will reign on earth. (Rev 5.9-10 NRSV)

God has laid the foundations. Now he leaves it up to us to live together as cousins in faith or die separately as strangers, or even worse, as enemies.

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The Jewish Annotated New Testament

Here's an excerpt of my lecture titled A Critique of the Book The Jewish Annotated New Testament, at Englewood Public Library, Mar. 14, 2012.

Excerpt of A critique of the book The Jewish Annotated New Testament

(Amy-Jill Levine and Marc Zvi Brettler, editors)

by Adolfo Borromeo

Over two thousand years ago, an itinerant teacher walked the towns of ancient Israel, preaching a new covenant with God. Although he said he came not to break the Law (the Torah) but to fulfill it, he was undermining the priestly class and threatening Roman authority. When Pilate said to the crowd, “I am innocent of this man’s blood, see to it yourselves,” they cried, “His blood be on us and on our children!” ( Mat 27.24-25 NRSV) This verse from the gospel has been the basis for the condemnation of Jews as “Christ killers” through the ages.

Now Pope Benedict XVI has declared that Jews could not be held responsible for Jesus’ death. The Pope further said that when Matthew said “the Jews”, he meant the mob in Pilate’s courtyard at that time in history, and not the Jewish people in general. (George Conger, Jews as Christ Killers, www.getreligion.org)

The book editors Levine and Brettler say this verse may be referring to the destruction of the Second Temple in 70 CE, and the “children” may be specifically the generation (after Jesus) who experienced that destruction, and not Jews in perpetuity. (The Editors’ Preface, xii)

Amy-Jill Levine, writing from an earlier book, The Historical Jesus in Context, said the historical man from Nazareth cannot be understood fully if he is divorced from his context. The spread of the gospel cannot be comprehended unless one appreciates its adaptation to the cultural expectations of its proselytes.

I find the essay by Michael Fagenblat (The Concept of Neighbor in Jewish and Christian Ethics, pp 540-543) personally moving. He explains the similarity in the concept of neighbor in the parable of the good Samaritan (Lk 10.25-38) to Judaism’s love for the stranger (Lev 19.34; Deut 31.12).

In Leviticus 19.34: The alien who resides with you shall be to you as the citizen among you. You shall love the alien as yourself, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt. In comparison, I find 1Cor 13.4-8 equally sublime and soaring.

Love is patient, love is kind, love is not envious or boastful

or arrogant or rude… Love never ends.

And so Jews, Christians, and by extension Muslims, must continue to worship together, whenever possible, in bringing about a world of peace, harmony and religious tolerance.

After all, as N.T. Wright wrote in his book Simply Jesus, God intended to rule the world through human beings. God had laid the foundations. Now he leaves it up to us to live together as brothers or die separately as enemies.

***