Published in the Humanist in Canada Winter of 1997/98

THE INSANITY OF JUDAISM

I was thinking of the rationalizations that Jews give for the holocaust, "God moves in mysterious ways." Of course, Christians use the same rationalization when some catastrophe happens. When an individual engages in merciless, murderous behavior, most rational and sane people would condemn such acts. In his book, The Informed Heart, the famous psychiatrist, Bruno Bettelheim, tells of his experience in a concentration camp. He describes how Jews used to hold court, putting God on trial for murder and abandoning his"chosen" people. They found him guilty of crimes against humanity, and after the trial, they formed a group (minyan) to pray to that very same OMNIPOTENT God. My thought is that those Jews and Christians who come to Gods defense have no sense of morality and employ a double standard that can only be described as insane. That defense, "God moves in mysterious ways, " used by Jews and Christians alike, is utilized for the same reason  as insecure individuals who are afraid of voicing an opinion or judgment--out of fear of criticism and condemnation. How would a Jew or Christian fare if they engaged in polemic about an omnipotent "God", the Hebrew or the Christian variety, as a psychotic monster? These same people, through years of brainwashing, do not trust their own judgment. In effect, they are saying, "Who am I to judge?" Those who refuse to make a value judgment of an immoral act like mass murder in effect condone it. The fact that these people look through religious-colored glasses does not spare them from judgment. Ignorance of the law is no excuse, no matter by whom it is given--not even "God", for the wonton murder of six million Jewish men, women and children.

Newton Joseph,Ph.D.