ASK THE RABBI

Dear Rabbi and Susan,

 

Although I am not a religious Jew, I consider myself always to be Jewish. I'm also proud to be American and do my best to uphold the American tradition of being self-sufficient.   In patriotic circles, one constantly hears that unless and until this country gets back to its Christian roots, we're doomed (I'm, of course, greatly paraphrasing here).   How, as a Jew, can I fully participate in being a patriot while at the same time being involved in a process that so promotes Christian values? Even Glenn Beck, who I think is a true hero and leader, bases his work in his Christian-based values.

 

Thank you.

∼ Edward R.

 Dear Edward,
We appreciate your sentiment and your question. This is something that we have not only spent much time thinking about, but we wrote a bestselling book, America’s Real War: An Orthodox Rabbi Defends Judeo-Christian Values. We also started an organization, The American Alliance of Jews and Christians. Because of our public position and our eagerness to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with our Christian fellow citizens, we frequently find ourselves in Christian venues. We find much common ground based on our shared conviction that more than two millennia ago, God gave a message to mankind through Moses on Mt. Sinai. That message enshrined the foundational values of both ancient Israel and modern America.
We personally make a very clear distinction between values and theology. We know that our theological beliefs as Jews do not correspond to the theological beliefs of Christianity. However, in this amazing country, Christian and Jewish values nearly always coincide. In a way quite distinct from Europe, many of the founders of this country saw themselves as “Old Testament Christians” and Jews were involved in the history of America from long before the Revolutionary War. When religious freedom was inscribed as a Constitutional principle, the men writing the document were well aware that not only were they presenting a welcome to Christian denominations that were enemies in Europe, but they were offering full rights to Jewish citizens as well. At the same time, numerous statements make clear that they saw this country as a nation whose origins and survival were bound up with Christian values. We agree. We greatly fear a post-Christian America. To ask our friends to separate their values from their religious beliefs would be not only wrong, but also foolish. Just as Torah shapes our positions, their positions are shaped by the Church and its underlying roots in Judaism. We certainly appreciate that under American law, we are equal citizens. As such, we are delighted to stand with the Bible-believing Christian community in a Christian country bound by secular law.
One final note, dear Edward: We note that you say that you are ‘not a religious Jew.’ That may be so and obviously we accept it and you! However, we would like to raise a possibility for you to consider, and that is that you meant to say that you are not an observant Jew. There is a big difference between not being religious and not being observant. While it would be best for religion and observance to both be present, sadly, there are observant Jews who are not religious and there are religious Jews who are not observant. You may be one of the latter.

We hope this gives you some guidance,

Rabbi Daniel and Susan Lapin

http://www.rabbidaniellapin.com/ask_rabbi.php#3015