Faith and Tradition (was ID as a Cultural Phenomenon) (Humans)

by dhw, Thursday, November 12, 2009, 18:12 (5281 days ago) @ George Jelliss

George has reported on a radio programme in which Schlomo Sand claims that "the Israelites were never exiled from the "promised land", and that most Jews are descended from converts. [...] And how far are Palestinian Arabs the true heirs of the biblical Jews?" -George also suggests that religions "are not so much a matter of faith as of tradition, that of customs and ideas handed down from generation to generation, and in that way are similar to nationalism. Thus faith is not a matter of truth but of buying into the group-think for the sake of security or a quiet life."-This ties in with a masterly book which I had the privilege of translating a few months ago. It's by Jan Assmann, and the German title (for anyone out there who reads German) is Das kulturelle Gedächtnis (Cultural Memory). It will eventually be published by Cambridge University Press, but I have no idea when. Here is a taster for you:-"...the historicity of the Exodus is a matter of extreme controversy. On the Egyptian side, there is virtually no evidence on offer. The only mention of Israel in an Egyptian text refers to a tribe in Palestine, and certainly not to a group of immigrants or 'guest workers' in Egypt itself. What matters here, however, is not the historical accuracy but the importance of the story for Israelite memory. One simply cannot overestimate its significance. The Exodus of the Jews from Egypt was the foundational act which provided the basis for the identity not only of the people, but also of God Himself. Wherever the Lord of the Covenant appeared, calling on the Israelites to obey Him, they were referred to as 'my servants whom I brought forth out of the land of Egypt' (Leviticus, 25, 55). In other words, right from the start the people were defined by their emigration and segregation."-George's suggestion is a highly perceptive insight into the history not only of the Jews but also of many other religious movements, in which faith is almost synonymous with group identity and continuity. Another interesting observation is that the gods of many early polytheistic societies were confined to locations and even buildings. The huge advantage of Yahweh was that he was everywhere. If you're stuck out in the desert, you don't need a temple, because Yahweh is right with you. Monotheism has its practical advantages.-Let me just give you one more gem: "Rituals help people to achieve a form of coherence and continuity which fits in with Nature. 'Nature revolves but man advances.' This basic distinction between Nature and history ... as formulated by the eighteenth-century English poet Edward Young in his Night Thoughts ... is removed through the principle of ritual coherence. Strict repetition enables man to adapt to the cyclical structure of Nature's regeneration processes, and thus to participate reverentially in the eternal divinity of cosmic life."