I’ve been a reader of The Jewish Week for many years, and I thought Eric Herschthal’s essay, “Are You There God?” (April 13), was the finest the paper has produced. It focused on an all-too-vital and widespread issue that hasn’t been given enough press.
My theory regarding the large number of Jewish atheists is that we’re a product of our own intellectual success. The result of generations of Talmudic and Midrashic critical thinking have produced a rigorously intellectual culture that no longer requires the services of an imaginary being to protect us or answer any of our needs. As God has metamorphosed from literal being to figurative mythological metaphor, we’ve come to realize we still cherish our cultural identity, and even our religious roots, but we no longer need to dwell in the darkness of superstition.
Cortlandt Manor, N.Y.
