[kindred]

[According to a 2003 Harris Poll, "Only 16 percent of Jews go to synagogue once a month or more often"; and regarding belief in God: "Protestants (90 percent) are more likely than Roman Catholics (79 percent) and much more likely than Jews (48 percent) to believe in God. Religious affiliation here includes many people raised as members of a religion or religious group, regardless of what they practice or believe now."]

Unfortunate facts, yet proof that their are always unbelievers (atheists)in any religion. Secular Jews identify with the secular left which generally supports the enemies of Christ's Israel.
It is an enigma.

[sergeantdave]

The answer is that communists have infiltrated religion - Judiasm, Catholicism, etc. Anyone remember "liberation theology"? The marxists have lured millions of useful idiots to aid in the destruction of religion. And enthusiastic communists have now started their own religion called environmentalism.

[conservative physics]

It's news that over 50% of Jews don't believe in God?

I was under the impression that the majority of Jews had a long history of not believing in God, at least that's the impression I get from reading the old testament.

[MajorityOfOne]

In sum, maybe Judaism is just another religion.

[Alouette]

FRmail me to be added or removed from this Judaic/pro-Israel/Russian Jewry ping list.

Warning! This is a high-volume ping list.

[hoosierboy]

I am orthodox and go to synagogue several times a week. Most of the orthodox vote republican. I am just curious if jews like prager, medved, and mark levin also are practicing jews?? Its funny a person like rush, who I never question his conservatism, rarely mentions the fact that he attends church.

[Celtjew Libertarian]

According to a 2003 Harris Poll, "Only 16 percent of Jews go to synagogue once a month or more often";

That's a somewhat misleading statistic. Compared to Christianity, Jewish religious practice is more home centered. The Passover Seder and lighting Chanukah candles are generally home-based religious activity. Even Shabos (Sabbath), among those who observe it, is based as much at home -- lighting the Shabos candles, eating the Shabos dinner.

It is possible to show up at the Synagogue only for the high holidays and still be an observant Jew.

[livius]

I think a lot of it in the US has to do with where American Jews came from: many came out of parts of Europe where Socialism (or even Marxism) was in the air in the late 19th-early 20th centuries. This was certainly true in New York, where Lower East Side immigrant Jewish culture was marked by a rather bitter atheistic socialism, and Jews were very active in left wing causes, published socialist newspapers, set up left-wing summer camps, etc. Their children and grandchildren, even though many of them were wildly successful in the evil capitalist world, continued to follow these ideas, actively or not. This explains not only the fact that many Jews in the US are "secular," but why so many of them are left-wingers, as well.

[familyop]

"Explaining Jews, Part II: Why Are Most Jews Secular?"

At least Dennis bothered to write "most." By doing that, he avoided falsely accusing all Jewish people as most other writers have recently done.

The answer to the question in the article is that Judaism is not an instant religion. One cannot only say a one-line statement of belief and be doing enough. And one cannot say that because a Jew did something notorious today, that he or she is not Jewish.

But if a writer is going to compare Jewish people to another group, the only group to honestly compare them to is that of the nations--all others. And we see that most others in the world are becoming more irrationally, negatively obsessed with Jews every year now.

Outside of good, honest agreements for positive work, each religion and nation should deal with its own problems.