Religion and Violence

Many religions seem to have their brand of fanatics who claim both to know “the truth” and to have the right to impose it on others.  True believers fight over such issues as: who owns the land, what the holy books really mean, whose prophets are reliable, the nature and role of the Messiah, and on and on. Why do the great monotheistic religions, including Judaism, sometimes give rise to hateful thoughts and violent actions? is there some problem with monotheism itself ? And how have these religions … how, in particular, has Judaism … acknowledged these tendencies and tried to moderate, deflect or eliminate them? in this series, we will explore the historical and ideological foundations of Judaism, take serious note of the Bible’s frequent authorization of violence, often in the name of god, and examine the ways in which our tradition has sought to soften these tendencies.

Lecture 1

Lecture 2

Lecture 3

Reform Movement Celebration

To listen to the audio of the evant use the player on the right.

To download the audio of this remarkable event click the link below:

Reform Movement Celebration

FUNDAMENTALS OF JUDAISM

THE FUNDAMENTALS OF JUDAISM

Sundays, March 10, 17 & April 7 at 10:30 a.m.

What exactly are Judaism’s basic ideas and values?  What is the range of possible answers?  What does our tradition say
about god, miracles, good and evil, the suffering of the innocent, the Messiah, life after death?  In this three-part series,
we will explore some famous and important responses to these questions … from central texts like the bible, the Talmud
and the Prayerbook … and by thinkers like Moses Maimonides, Joseph Soloveitchik, Lawrence Kushner and Harold Kushner.


Lecture 1 March 10, 2013

Lecture 2 March 17, 2013

Lecture 3 April 7, 2013