Is it Possible to be Both an Atheist and a Jew?

[Gawd]

Israeli author Yoram Kaniuk asks court to cancel his 'Jewish' status

The author Yoram Kaniuk is expected to ask the Tel Aviv District Court this morning to order the Interior Ministry to permit him to "leave the Jewish religion" by altering his entry under the heading "religion" in the Population Registry. Kaniuk wants any official state document on which he appears as "Jewish" to be changed to "Without Religion."

An earlier request to the Interior Ministry was turned down and Kaniuk explains in his petition that he does not wish to be part of a "Jewish Iran" or belong to "what is today called the religion of Israel."

Kaniuk, 81, would like to equate his standing to that of his 10-month-old grandchild, who is registered as "Without Religion" at the Population Registry.

The unusual request by Kaniuk, one of the more important and prolific authors of the War of Independence generation, from the court, so close to the date commemorating Israel's independence, reflects his continued revulsion at the way the Jewish religion has lately rebelled against the values of the Declaration of Independence. This feeling has intensified recently as he became a grandfather and learned that his grandchild is defined in the Population Registry as an "American Christian." The child's mother, Kaniuk's daughter, who was born in Israel and served in the IDF is also defined this way because of the fact that her mother, Kaniuk's wife Miranda, is American and a Christian.

......

He explains that he was never religious and never kept the religious obligations, and even though he was born to a Jewish mother he is asking not to be registered as a Jew. The petition states that "the plaintiff would prefer to be registered as an Israeli under the 'nationality' heading, but this is still not possible since the plaintiff cannot present a document showing change of religion since he is not changing his religion."

Kaniuk told Haaretz yesterday that "the son of my daughter, who was born in Israel and served in the army, is my grandchild, and I was born and lived in Israel and my mother Sarah came here in 1910. Because my wife Miranda is not Jewish my two daughters and grandchild, who were born here, are a non-Jewish minority in my house. I am so terrified by these gentiles that I want to be exactly what they are, to only be part of the Jewish nation. Because the State of Israel does not recognize the Jewish nationality they suggested at the Interior Ministry that I convert to Christianity or Islam, but to be a member of the Jewish nation without the religion is impossible. If that is so, I want to be without religion so that at the age of 81 I can share this classification with my grandchild."

No.
http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/ne ... s-1.361720

[DRSB]

There are millions of Jewish atheists in the world, only in Russia there are several million, to mention but several.

[Gawd]

There are millions of Jewish atheists in the world, only in Russia there are several million, to mention but several.

You entirely missed the point of the article. WHOOSH!

[DRSB]

There are millions of Jewish atheists in the world, only in Russia there are several million, to mention but several.

You entirely missed the point of the article. WHOOSH!

No, I didn't, I responded to your question, which indeed does not match the point of the article.

[Gawd]

There are millions of Jewish atheists in the world, only in Russia there are several million, to mention but several.

You entirely missed the point of the article. WHOOSH!

No, I didn't, I responded to your question, which indeed does not match the point of the article.

Tell me, then, what is the point of the article I posted?

[DRSB]

There are millions of Jewish atheists in the world, only in Russia there are several million, to mention but several.

You entirely missed the point of the article. WHOOSH!

No, I didn't, I responded to your question, which indeed does not match the point of the article.

Tell me, then, what is the point of the article I posted?

I leave this to you.

[charlou]

I can't help feeling optimistic that people are taking a personal stand and taking steps to remove themselves from traditional and formalised assocation with religion. I can very much understand the reasoning behind wanting to disassociate oneself from it on a personal level, and the desire to be removed from the statistics that are used to 'bolster' religious credibility, including financial and political power.

[Gawd]

Tell me, then, what is the point of the article I posted?

I leave this to you.

Racial and religious discrimination in Israel.

[Hermit]

Tell me, then, what is the point of the article I posted?

I leave this to you.

Racial and religious discrimination in Israel.

It seems that one cannot be an Israeli citizen and simultaneously an atheist. Changing one's classification from being an adherent of one religion to any other seems to be possible, but opting out of religious classification altogether is not. I don't see any religious or racial discrimination in that. What I do see is that non-religiosity is not recognised in Israel as a valid option.

[DRSB]

Tell me, then, what is the point of the article I posted?

I leave this to you.

Racial and religious discrimination in Israel.

It seems that one cannot be an Israeli citizen and simultaneously an atheist. Changing one's classification from being an adherent of one religion to any other seems to be possible, but opting out of religious classification altogether is not. I don't see any religious or racial discrimination in that. What I do see is that non-religiosity is not recognised in Israel as a valid option.

In which respect Israel is not at all unique in the world. Take the US for example, what would happen if a presidential candidate proclaims himself an atheist, would (s)he dare?

[Gawd]

Tell me, then, what is the point of the article I posted?

I leave this to you.

Racial and religious discrimination in Israel.

It seems that one cannot be an Israeli citizen and simultaneously an atheist. Changing one's classification from being an adherent of one religion to any other seems to be possible, but opting out of religious classification altogether is not. I don't see any religious or racial discrimination in that. What I do see is that non-religiosity is not recognised in Israel as a valid option.

Guess what happens differently to a Jew-Jew compared to an Arabic-Jew if both become atheists? The Jew-Jew atheist still gets everything while the Arabic-Jew atheist gets kicked out. It's racial in additional to religious bigotry in Israel.

[Gawd]

Tell me, then, what is the point of the article I posted?

I leave this to you.

Racial and religious discrimination in Israel.

It seems that one cannot be an Israeli citizen and simultaneously an atheist. Changing one's classification from being an adherent of one religion to any other seems to be possible, but opting out of religious classification altogether is not. I don't see any religious or racial discrimination in that. What I do see is that non-religiosity is not recognised in Israel as a valid option.

In which respect Israel is not at all unique in the world. Take the US for example, what would happen if a presidential candidate proclaims himself an atheist, would (s)he dare?

In America, you are not supposed to be discriminated by your race or religion (not that I buy the Amerikkkan crap). You also don't get your rights stripped away because you are the "wrong" religion/race.

[Santa_Claus]

I'm still putting him on a train heading east.

[Hermit]

Guess what happens differently to a Jew-Jew compared to an Arabic-Jew if both become atheists? The Jew-Jew atheist still gets everything while the Arabic-Jew atheist gets kicked out.

Quote the bit in the article from which such a conclusion can be drawn.

[Rum]

An apostate Muslim is required to be killed.