Rebirth and Renewal: One Jewish Guy’s Perspective

HUCC Address by Bruce Pollock

Sunday June 7, 2009

When I met Cheryl almost 9 years ago, a new chapter in my life began. The year before was the saddest and loneliest time of my life with the dissolution of my first marriage after 23 years. Nothing spectacular ended the marriage. Life can just wear on you – with so many tensions and strains. After a while, those tensions can erode a marriage or any close relationship.

Many of you know the story of Cheryl and Bruce, the first encounter. I met Cheryl at my 25^th college reunion at the U of R. After the first weekend together I could tell Cheryl was a wonderful person. After the third encounter several months later, I knew I was falling in love. I also knew this was crazy. I lived in Connecticut and Cheryl was here. I had children at home and so did she. Neither one of us was moving – so what kind of future did we have?

And then there was the question of religion. Cheryl wasn’t Jewish. When I was brought up, one of the guiding messages from my parents and the Jewish community was you’ve got to marry within the faith otherwise Jews will be assimilated into the wider community and Judaism will be a goner. If you aren’t Jewish, you may have a hard time understanding this point of view. But as a young Jew, you constantly hear the stories about the wider community wanting to get rid of the Jews. Christians want to get rid of the Jews – most recently as the German holocaust. Arabs in the Middle East want to get rid of the Jews. Through history, Jews have been regarded as undesirable, second-class residents, forced to live separately in pogroms. There are so many stories of the demise of Jewish communities around the world. You grow up looking over your shoulder wondering why so many people hate you just because of your religion.

So I considered all of this as I thought about my relationship with Cheryl. But given my circumstance and being the person she is, the decision was really very easy. My first wife was Jewish and my children were all raised Jewish and feel a close affinity with their faith. So I was off the hook about perpetuating the Jewish faith. On a personal level, it became apparent that Cheryl and I had the same deep religious values and lived by them. We both regarded religious activity as an important part of our lives. The religious values we shared were the same: love your neighbor, spread joy in the world, and support the disadvantaged.

So I started to go to Church with Cheryl. I am very lucky that Cheryl belongs to a United Church of Christ and in particular to this Church. You have all opened your hearts and home to me. I started going to Church to be with Cheryl to support her. I still come here for that reason but now I also come here to be with all of you, my friends.

Before meeting Cheryl, I had probably been to a Church service once or twice in my life. At first, I was concerned coming here and how I would feel regarding Jesus Christ. This symbol of love and life for Christians is a symbol of fear and oppression for Jews. In the name of Jesus Christ, Jews were massacred in the Crusades. In the name of Jesus Christ, Jews were expelled from Spain. In the name of Jesus Christ, Germany exterminated Jews in concentration camps in World War II. In the name of Jesus Christ, people around the world still hate and discriminate against Jews today.

For much of my life I’ve tried to understand the roots of anti-Semitism. My Rabbi here at Temple B’rith Kodesh summed it up like this from a Christian perspective:

1. God chose the Jews

2. God gave the Jews Jesus

3. Jews rejected Jesus

4. God rejected the Jews

5. Those that accept Jesus are the new covenant, the new Israel, the new chosen people

In the name of Jesus Christ, Constantine and other fanatic Christians that followed him have made it their business to eliminate the world of Jews. Still today, Jewish communities throughout the world are constantly on guard, experiencing bigotry, prejudice, and oppression.

When it comes to religion there are two types of people: 1) those that believe the Bible is the word of God and all the stories in it are true and actually happened as told in the Bible, and 2) those who view the Bible as revealing truths but the specific stories themselves may not actually be true. They are parables to bring you to the truth.

If you read the Bible literally, it is a frightening book. If this book was rated, it would certainly get an “R” rating. Children should not be allowed to read this book until they are old enough and even then with adult supervision. Let’s examine some of the incredible, sometime horrifying stories. What are the lessons from these stories?

· After being given the Garden of Eden, did Adam and Eve really disobey God and end up as outcasts?

· Did God really turn Lot’s wife into a pillar of salt?

· Was Jonah really swallowed by a whale and then spit out days later?

· Did Abraham really take his only son, Isaac, into the desert to sacrifice him?

· Did Jacob disguise himself as his brother, Esau, to steal his birthright from his father, Isaac, with the help of his mother?

· In a rage of jealously, did Joseph’s brothers get rid of him and then lie to their father, Jacob, telling him that Joseph was killed by wild animals?

· Did Moses really bring 10 plagues on the Egyptians, including the slaying of all first born male children, to escape from slavery?

· Did God really appear to Moses in a burning bush and recite the 10 Commandments? Did Moses have to get a new set of tablets after destroying the original ones in a rage?

· Did Jesus really touch lepers to try to heal them?

· Was Jesus really nailed to a cross, left to die, and then rose from the dead?

The list of amazing stories in the Bible goes on and on. Are any of them true? At least for me, it doesn’t matter. For me, these stories are just stories. I don’t know if any of them are true and it doesn’t matter. The Bible is a rich source of dilemmas and turmoil about life. The stories should be told and discussed for the lessons they hold. These stories reveal many truths about life, even if the stories themselves may not be factual. Those that believe all these stories are factual may have little tolerance for those who believe otherwise and may discriminate against those who have different stories, different narratives, and a different path to God.

As for Jesus, I see Jesus this way. He is a symbol: a symbol of life, of joy, of hope, and of love. He is a symbol of what we all can be. I don’t believe Jesus was “The” son of God. I believe he was “A” son of God, just like you and me. We all are sons and daughters of God and we all can strive to live lives of joy, hope, and love, just like Jesus. Let’s drop the use of “The” in religious references. The Jews are not “The” chosen people. They may be “A” chosen people just like Christians, Muslims, Hindus, and Buddhists. We are all God’s children and there are many pathways to God.

As God’s children, we need to defend and protect our religious values every day. These values are constantly attacked – by people who may wrap themselves in the Bible but then advocate atrocious, anti-religious deeds. Here’s a recent example: two weeks ago, a guest essayist in the Democrat & Chronicle wrote an article entitled “Sometimes, harsh treatment can be effective”. He starts by saying “Why are people so disgusted with the “enhanced interrogation techniques” at Guantanamo Bay?” He goes on to defend torturing terrorists as an effective technique, claiming “they hate America and have devoted their lives to killing innocent people.” Of course, he’s talking about people he has never met and has no understanding of who they are. But then he seems to soften saying “However, I cannot deny that torture is inhumane. Coming from a strong Christian background, I remember well that Jesus said “love your enemy.” But then he diverts from Jesus and wraps himself in his own rationalizations by saying “But consider the concept of utilitarianism, achieving the greatest good for the greatest number of people. Jesus died by this principle; he sacrificed himself so that Christians who followed could be saved. Similarly, America is torturing a handful of al Qaeda leaders to prevent future atrocities.” This article saddens me on many levels: first, in my view, this young man is distorting Jesus’ message; second, the D&C is giving a platform for this ugly opinion piece, and finally many readers probably agree with his message that “torture is OK”. For him, what goes on in Church stays in Church - in the “Real” world, religious values may not apply. We all need to fight to protect our religious values and confront those who, out of fear and misunderstanding, rationalize inhumane actions. You have to get to know “the Other” before you can make any statements or judgments about them. In my own experience, when you get to know “the Other” you discover that most people have the same basic good values.

Have you ever seen the movie The Matrix? It’s one of my favorites. This movie is not only a great Sci-Fi thriller, but it’s also a story about religion and at the center of it is the parable about Jesus. Religion gives us a way of making sense of the world. Movies can do the same thing – and this particular movie gives great insights into Christian values. In the movie, the world has been destroyed and machines rule. The film describes a future in which reality perceived by humans is the Matrix: a simulated reality created by machines in order to pacify and subdue the human population. So there are two worlds: the real world, which is a frightening, gruesome chaos where machines dominate, and the Matrix, where everything appears normal just like our day-to-day lives today. This is a parable. The Matrix is our religion today. It gives us order, makes our lives normal, and gives us purpose. Without the matrix of religion, we would be in a frightening, gruesome world without order or purpose. The hero of The Matrix is Neo. A freedom fighter, Morpheus, believes that Neo is "The One", a man prophesied to end the war with the machines through his limitless control over the Matrix. But Neo doubts that this can be true for much of the movie since he doesn’t have the strength – or will - to defeat the machines. This is a parable too. Neo is Jesus. Neo doesn’t gain the strength and will to defeat the machines until he dies. Then he is “reborn” by the kiss of his lover and destroys the machines.

Resurrection is a prevalent theme in Christianity. I believe this is a very useful concept. But I’ve come to know that you don’t have to physically die to have your life die. I also know that you can be reborn many times in your own life. In fact, if you are lucky, you will be given the opportunity to be reborn, to remake yourself, during your own lifetime.

My divorce 10 years ago was one of those times. My life, as I knew it, ended. When I met Cheryl I had the opportunity to be reborn, to be resurrected. Many of you know that I recently lost my job after 23 years at IBM. This was the death of my livelihood that I had known for most of my adult life. Rather than bemoan this death, I am looking forward to my next opportunity for rebirth, for resurrection. I almost welcome it. I was so happy with my first resurrection with Cheryl I am waiting with great anticipation to see what God has in store for me for my next rebirth.

Do I think Jesus Christ physically died and was resurrected? No. Do I think death and resurrection happens: absolutely yes. I’ve done it, as many of you have as well. When we have faith, when we have love, when we bring joy into the world, we can be reborn many times. For me that’s the parable of Jesus.

I’m very happy to be the Jewish guy coming here to HUCC. I get to be with the Love of my Life. I get to listen to the most inspirational sermons from Pastor Dave and Pastor Martha (although they didn’t get to listen to mine). I get to enjoy their parables that bring meaning to our lives. And I get to be with my dear friends, all of you. For me, I experience God in my relationships with other people. I know God is in this place. God is certainly Still Speaking to us here.

Thanks for letting me address the congregation today. I love you all.

Bruce J. Pollock

June 7, 2009