Monday, March 27, 2006

Fundamentalism.

I notice that GH has rededicated his blog to the pursuit of a "rational Judaism."

I've often though that GH and I are men of different temperaments. I like questions. I like it when things don't add up. I like it when something I was taught turns out to be bogus. I like learning more about the world, and seeing how learning fouls up the received wisdom. I get a kick out of that whole process. I think it's fun when things don't shtim. I think that when things don't shtim you're closer to truth, because the human mind has this tendency to pretend things shtim for the sake of peace.

GH, it appears, does not enjoy any of this. Questions and conflicts within Judaism give him agita. So I don't know what he hopes to acheive by insisting on rationalism: once you're a Jewish rationalist peace of mind becomes impossible. Only a fundamentalist has that kind of security, only a fundamentalist can ever say that it all adds up.

If it's peace of mind GH seeks, as he's so often said, he should become a fundamentalist- even if that means being a fundmentalist atheist.

Everything shtims for them, too.