Al-Huda
Foundation, NJ U. S. A
the Message Continues ... 8/132
Newsletter for August 2012
Article 1 - Article 2 - Article 3 - Article 4 - Article 5 - Article 6 - Article 7 - Article 8 - Article 9 - Article 10 - Article 11 - Article 12
Religion Is Very Easy
by
Rabbi Allen S. Maller
Faithful believers, who worship the One and only God, and
sincerely follow the teachings of their religion, find it very
hard to understand how other people who worship the same God and
follow the same religious teachings, can engage in acts of
corruption and deliberate terrorism. Perhaps we think that
people of other religions can do such things; because we do not
know in much detail what their religions actually teach them.
But we do know our own religion, and we know that it does not
permit the sexual exploitation or murder of women and children.
Yet we frequently read of such activities, not only being done
by members of our own religion, but condoned or covered up, by
some leaders of our own religion. How can this be explained?
All religions condemn hypocrisy. Almost always this refers to
those who claim to be believers, and yet do less than they
should. But what about those who do more than they should?
Examples of condemnation of religious fanaticism and extremism
as hypocrisy within ones own religion are much less frequent. It
is not easy to tell your own pious followers that more isn't
always better, or that pious intentions do not justify evil
deeds. The Talmud records a good example of this rare type of
criticism of the more is better philosophy. Rabbi Isaac
condemned the extremism of some super pious Jews who advocated
extra self-imposed abstinence saying, "Aren't the things
prohibited by the Torah enough for you, that you wish to
prohibit yourself additional things?" And several Ahadith report
that Muhammad told Muslims, "Religion is very easy, whoever
overburdens himself in his religion will not be able to continue
in that way. So do not be extremists, but try (only) to approach
perfection, and receive the good tidings that you will be
rewarded (just for that)."
If self-imposed extremism is condemned, how much more the
extremism that hurts others. Indeed, all disgraceful activities
by religious people reflect negatively on their religion and on
God. In Judaism this is called Hillul Hashem- profaning God's
name/reputation. In recent years religious riots in India, the
slaughter of innocent Muslims at prayer by an Orthodox Jew in
Hebron, Muslim suicide bombers throughout the Middle East and in
Pakistan, and the cover up by Bishops of molestation of young
boys by some Catholic Priests in the U.S. and Europe, brought
terrible disgrace upon organized religion's reputation. One way
to understand these terrible events is in the light of a saying
by a Hassidic Rabbi (Michael) who taught, "When the Evil Urge
tries to tempt people to sin, it tempts them to become super
righteous."
God tells us that such activity must not be covered up or
sanitized by religious believers. It must be vigorously and
publicly condemned since it undermines the very ability of God's
religion to influence people to live according to God's
directives. We all know that religious people are human and
sometimes religious people can do dastardly things. But when
piety influences religious leaders to attempt to rationalize,
sanitize, or cover up, rather than to publicly condemn these
activities, people will increasingly reject organized religion
and God. A religious piety that does not require morality and
kindness is valueless and hypocritical, and thus as serious a
sin as worshiping other Gods or idols, the first two of the Ten
Commandments. The third commandment applies to pious religious
hypocrites 'DO NOT MAKE VALUELESS THE NAME OF ADONAI YOUR GOD,
FOR ADONAI WILL NOT SANITIZE ONE WHO MAKES HIS NAME VALUELESS.'
Exodus 20:7 and Deuteronomy 5:11 (My translation) This
commandment doesn't refer to the important issue of perjury, or
to the trivial issue of profanity. Perjury is prohibited in the
ninth commandment and profanity by itself isn't serious enough
to be placed in the Ten Commandments. This commandment refers to
the great harm done to religion, and to God's reputation, when
religious people do despicable deeds in God's name and/or
religious leaders try to cover up or sanitize the sins of
religious people to preserve the institution's name. The burning
of witches, the Inquisition, and Jihad suicide bombers, are
examples of the misuse of God's name by some segments of
organized religion. This commandment warns religious people and
their leaders that, "Men never do evil so completely and
cheerfully as when they do it from religious conviction."
(Pascal)
Fanatics believe the ends justify the means, thus subordinating
God's goal to their personal or political goal. Extremists
believe that more is always better. To them the Talmud says, "If
you (try to) grasp too much, you don't grasp anything." Our
Rabbinic sages extended the prohibition of misusing God's name
even to taking unnecessary oaths i.e. not required by a court,
and making unnecessary blessings i.e. not required by Jewish
law. Personal piety and sincerity do not justify excessive
behavior even if self-limited. How much the more so if
extremists judge others by their perfectionist standards?
Religious people should not misuse their piety by going beyond
normal community limits, and then try to justify it in God's
name. This is a religious principle that Islam, Judaism and
Christianity apply to both excessive personal, as well as
political behavior. As the Bible says, "Do not be overly
righteous." (Ecclesiastes 7:17): and as Muhammad told Muslims,
"Religion is very easy, whoever overburdens himself in his
religion will not be able to continue in that way. So do not be
extremists, but try (only) to approach perfection and receive
the good tidings that you will be rewarded (just for that)."
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