We presented three programs
The first program was presented by Ralph Graff and discussed Theism (the belief in a Deity that takes an active role in human affairs and can respond to prayer) and Deism (the belief in the existence of a divine power that was involved in creating the cosmos but that does not take an active role in human affairs). Ralph discussed how each of these ideas has been reflected in Jewish theology over the years.
The second program was presented by Jaron Asher and Larry Friedman. Jaron discussed Judaism and Buddhism, including the influence that Buddhist thought and practice has had on Jews, especially in modern times. Larry discussed Pantheism (the belief that God and Nature are essentially identical, including the role that Baruch Spinoza played in formulating the philosophy of Pantheism), and how some prominent Jews, most significantly Albert Einstein, defined themselves as believers in Pantheism while still considering themselves Jewish.
The third program was presented by Richard Gavatin and discussed Atheism (the belief that there is no God or other divine, spiritual force in the universe) and Agnosticism (the belief that whether or not there is a God is essentially unknowable and therefore one can neither believe nor not believe in God).
In our final program, we discussed our own personal theologies and invited participants to discuss their own personal theologies. There were a total of 19 participants in the final program.
No one described themselves as a traditional Theist. Several participants who explained why they were not Theists said that the existence of evil in the world (including the Holocaust) did not allow them to accept the premise of a personal God that ordains everything that happens.
At the other end of the theological spectrum, no one defined themselves as an Atheist.
Several participants said that Pantheism most closely aligned with their personal theological beliefs. And others defined themselves as Agnostics, while simultaneously discussing the importance of Jewish practice and observing Mitzvot.
A notable theme from several of the participants was that their personal theology had changed over time in response to challenges in their lives and continued engagement with these issues, and was continuing to change as their life progressed.
Our overall impression was that all of the participants think about these fundamental questions on an ongoing basis, that their beliefs reflect a wide range of theological beliefs and that they may not have definitive answers for these questions, and all continue to engage with these issues within the context of their identities as Jews.
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