From: strom@watson.ibm.com (Rob Strom)
Subject: Re: Ethics -- a quest
Date: Thu, 30 Jul 1992 19:28:54 GMT
Disclaimer: This posting represents the poster's views, not necessarily those of IBM
Organization: IBM Research

In article <DELPHINE.92Jul29224153@wpi.WPI.EDU>, delphine@wpi.WPI.EDU (Delphine Clomenil) writes:
|> In article <1992Jul29.145708.4644@watson.ibm.com> strom@watson.ibm.com (Rob Strom) writes:
|> 
|>    (I'll suppress the urge to re-open the argument about
|>    why I dislike the term "Judeo-Christian", but I will point out that Spinoza
|>    was not Judeo-Christian; he was Jewish.)
|> 
|> Pardon my ignorance, but I thought Judeo-Christian included Jewish and
|> Christian (Catholic, Protestant, and Orthodox) religions.  I was under
|> the impression that it refers to the aspects that are common to both,
|> like the teachings of the Old Testament, etc.
|> 
|> 
The last time this discussion appeared, it evolved into something
of a flamewar.  Hopefully, it won't happen again.

Many Jews object to the term for a number of reasons.  Here are mine:

o  First, it over-emphasizes the similarity between Judaism and
   Christianity.  For example, in your post, you imply that the
   teachings of the Old Testament (= the Jewish Bible) are common
   to both Judaism and Christianity.  In fact, though both religions
   include these writings in their sacred writings, they are
   interpreted differently, both in general and in detail.  For
   example, the Torah of the Old Testament is viewed by Jews
   as laws to live by, and by the Christians as an impossibly
   high standard, imposed merely to teach humanity why it needs
   a savior.  The story of Adam and Eve is interpreted by the
   Christians as "original sin" and by Jews as a lesson that
   humanity entails responsibility.  So what is the "Judeo-Christian"
   interpretation?

o  Second, since many Americans are either Christian or very
   familiar with Christian ideas because they are so prevalent
   in our culture, "Judeo-Christian" is often used to mean
   "Christian".

o  Third, the American Christian right-wing uses the term to describe
   American religious culture, in support of a monoculturalist
   agenda which many advocates of religious pluralism and
   church-state separation deplore.  Atheists and adherents
   of minority religions should
   be upset at these attempts to suggest a normative religion
   for America.

o  Fourth, it is a Christian religious tenet (which Jews
   profoundly reject) that Christianity subsumes and
   completes Judaism, and that the Jewish Bible anticipates
   and foreshadows Jesus.  The Jewish position is that
   Christianity started as a Jewish movement, but changed
   when more Gentiles than Jews accepted Christianity.
   It then incorporated so many non-Jewish features
   that it should be considered a separate religion,
   just as Buddhism is no longer reasonably called "Hindu-Buddhism".

o  Use of the term obscures discussion, rather than clarifying
   it.  It's not clear that the term has any more legitimate
   validity than Judeo-Muslim, Christo-Muslim, etc.  Calling
   Spinoza a "Judeo-Christian" philosopher makes no more
   sense than calling Augustine a Christo-Muslim philosopher.

-- 
Rob Strom, strom@watson.ibm.com, (914) 784-7641
IBM Research, 30 Saw Mill River Road, P.O. Box 704, Yorktown Heights, NY  10598
Newsgroups: alt.atheism