The Blue Monkey Review

Along with reading Yaacov Lozowick's book, Right to Exist, I've also begun to read a book by Bruce Feiler entitled Walking the Bible. Mr. Feiler came to SHU and gave an interesting and hope-filled talk (based on a more recent book) about the need for the children of Abraham--Jews, Muslims, Christians--to rediscover the faith of Abraham and so find commonality and connection through this faith. It was a good talk, and one that should lift the spirit of anyone interested in the Holy Land and grieved by the violence there.

Yet Mr. Feiler's talk included few specifics of how this reconciliation might take place. He has witnessed more closely than I have the animosity and rage of the Palestinians and Israelis. How do we step from present realities into a future of cooperation and coexistence? The talk included a hint, though I'm sure I took it in a quite different way than intended. At Abraham's death, his two sons, Isaac (founder of the Jewish people) and Ishmael (found of the Arab people) came together after years of antagonism to bury their father. The point that Mr. Feiler wanted to leave us with, I believe, was that members of warring faiths could come together around common religious beliefs.

But, after some reflection, I found a different implication. For all its radical moral universalism, monotheism has left the world some of the bloodiest record of persecution. This can't surprise us. Monotheism means one god, ONE GOD! So what are you doing worshipping some idol? I regret as much as anyone the idolatry of consumer goods, prestige, and celebrity that flourishes in modern life. Yet, I come down on the side of choice, and, ultimately, of secular, material goals. Maybe the moral of Mr. Feiler's story should have been that the descendants of Abraham can unite in common, practical goals (bury the dead, divvy up the inheritance) once their religious passions have died.

I know, it's an ugly metaphor. And I do believe that religion can act for good in the world. But my religious persuasion lacks much in terms of the spiritual, and lacks almost all moral certainties. (You want to sacrifice your Sunday to the Steelers? Be my guest. Just don't expect me to join you.) Within the context of American society, religion competes with football and soap operas. It must act on its claims of moral good, or provide some emotional jolt, or people will lose interest, fast.

Or take the example of Europe. A New York Times article today deals with the rapid decline of religious commitment in Europe. To the low attendance rates at Catholic and Protestant churches we can add the disappearance of Communist fundamentalisms. From the pillars of Hercules to the Urals, Europe now has secular states committed to a greater or lesser extent to democracy and capitalism. You choose your leaders, you choose your groceries. And, in a region that in the century before last had state-supported churches in almost every nation state, most people choose not to go to church of any kind. My point? No major wars, and hardly any minor ones, since 1945 (one exception that supports my point is Northern Ireland). Plus: State sponsored welfare and health systems throughout the Western countries. Reproductive rights for women, legal protections for minorities and gays. Robust democratic institutions, genuine competition among distinctive and unapologetic political parties.