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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]As far as I can tell, you have hijacked this thread by becoming the new OP. Please answer the question on why they still have such a strong bond if they're atheist? Since you needed proof of the percentage, below is are some articles for your reading pleasure. This quote sums up what I see among jewish friends I've known MY ENTIRE LIFE.

"They go because they want some kind of ethnic identity," Magid said. "They don't care about the prayers. It allows them to feel a sense of Jewishness, but has little to do with religion."

http://www.simpletoremember.com/articles/a/jewsdontbelieve/

http://www.haaretz.com/jewish-world/jewish-world-news/new-poll-shows-atheism-on-rise-with-jews-found-to-be-least-religious-1.459477

http://davidduke.com/another-duke-podcast-today-zionism-is-simply-the-latest-expression-of-judaism/

http://tabletmag.com/jewish-life-and-religion/154532/david-silverman-atheist

http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/religion/story/2011-09-26/jew-atheist-god/50553958/1

[/quote]

Even assuming those percentages to be true -- what's the difference? Does every Christian sitting in church believe 100% in the church's teachings? You also have (as the writers of some of those articles had) a bit of a misconception about the purpose of Jewish prayer and Jewish attendance in synagogue. Unlike Christianity, Judaism does not mandate religious attendance except for certain holidays. Most Jewish religious practices take place in the home, such as keeping kosher, observing the Sabbath, wearing special clothing, etc. There are Orthodox Jews (mostly women) who rarely step foot in a synagogue, and no one thinks the worse of them. It is not a requirement to attend weekly or even monthly, although of course there are many people who want to do so.

I would also disagree that saying prayers has little to do with religion. No one who is truly atheist would bother going or saying the prayers. They would feel uncomfortable, just as I would feel uncomfortable reciting the Lord's Prayer when I am not Christian. But it's true that many Jews who go to synagogue probably don't believe 100% in what they are reciting. It is ritual and comfort because they grew up with it, and their parents grew up with it, and their grandparents, etc. Let me compare it to Thanksgiving. Does every American sitting down to Thanksgiving dinner pause to remember the Pilgrims? I doubt it. It's evolved -- many people say what they are thankful for in their modern lives. Some people don't say anything and just sit down to a turkey dinner. But it is still a shared cultural experience, and would feel odd to most people to miss it. Or take Christmas as another example. There are many non-religious people who celebrate Christmas. There are threads on DCUM every year arguing that Christmas is a secular holiday. Should people who don't go to church on Christmas be banned from celebrating it in a different way, with a tree or presents or whatever?

I am not sure why you feel such hostility to Jews, but I suggest you do some hard thinking about why you may judge them differently from other groups and why you are so hung up on their religious or cultural practices.[/quote]

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