2018-03-31 Sherwin Wine

Notes on:

video of Sherwin Wine (1928-2007) - a Jewish secular humanist

We all have 3 agendas:

• Prudential - my happiness and well being
• Ethical - arises from being in a group
• Compassionate - focusing on one person, even at the expense of others

Humanistic Judaism - guide to making choices

• chose an alternative you believe in - atheists shouldn't choose a theist group
• do not hang in limbo - say it the way it is. You don't need theistic language
• do not wait for the perfect choice
• remember the individual - a problem with nationalism is collectivism, what have you done for the group? But, what has the group done for me?
• rescue what is rescue able - ethnic identity requires language and clothing. Without these there is only race. "white" only emerged after ethnicity diminished following world war 2.
• stop expecting magic power
• don't play god - truth is social and derives from the empirical.
• do not play the prophet - bad to think you have the truth, and are attracted to vengeance and utopianism
• do not put Jewish survival first - if I have to become parochial for Judaism to survive, the price is too high. In particular intermarriage is not to be eschewed.
• save all good things - why should I be Jewish? I love it. Good humor and defiance in the face of injustice.
• value what you use - not the Bible before all other writings
• touch the heart
• be open, be human - love wisdom where you find it

What is the way? It is the way of courage.

From the interval where he talks of his experiences in Africa: The people there have a supernatural world view. They are surrounded by the spirits of ancestors and enemies and live their entire lives negotiating with them.