Religion brings out the worst in us when we’re fanatic and the best when we’re pragmatic.
The worst manifests itself as idolatry: turning that which is partial and temporary – the work of human minds and hands – into something total, eternal, divine. That’s how ostensibly passionate defenders of the faith become idol-worshippers in the guise of piety. Recent haredi riots in Jerusalem are an apt illustration.
In their important book, Idolatry, Israeli philosophers Moshe Halbertal and Avishai Margalit assert that “the prohibition against idolatry entails not only a ban on the worship of other gods but also a ban on certain ways of representing the right God.” Idolatry can also be in our hearts and minds. That’s why so many seemingly decent people, including Jews, admire and support religious fanatics.
The late Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel defined an idol as ”any god who is mine but not yours, any god concerned with me but not with you.” For him, “to act in the spirit of religion is to unite what lies apart, to remember that humanity as a whole is God’s beloved child.” Fanatics despise those who don’t share their passions.
The Jewish religious ideal of shalom comes from the Hebrew word meaning “to make whole.” Idolatry separates and puts asunder, while true faith unites and makes whole. Idolatry always makes for conflict, true faith makes for peace. Hence the belligerent intolerance of fanatics, be they blackhats or skinheads.
The enemy of truth isn’t only falsehood but also certainty. Those who dogmatically assert what God really wants cannot work with those who know that truth is complex. Instead of co-operation, fanatics seek domination. They’re prisoners of their certainties. They can only impose, never co-operate.
Fanatics need leaders, real or imaginary. It’s easier to be certain when others tell you what to be certain about. By ascribing superhuman qualities to mortals whom they “must” obey – be they rabbis or gurus – they shield themselves from their own responsibility of trying to do what’s right.
Normative Judaism is text-based, not leader-based. The Torah of Moses may be perfect, but Moses isn’t. Those who invent and glorify saintly authorities distort Judaism.
Purveyors of certainty describe pragmatic religious liberalism as wishy-washy. Bystanders who want to be commanded, not taught, believe them. For me, to be a liberal is a badge of honour bestowed on those who seek to pursue God’s truth wherever it can be found, free from dogma and prejudice. The most effective way in which I know how to combat fanatics is to remain true to my liberal convictions and act on them.
