"Where God Was Born:" Bruce Feiler Visits the Delivery Room

A few days ago I heard Bruce Feiler speak at the Borders store in Stamford. He was promoting his new book "Where God Was Born: A Journey by Land to the Roots of Religion." His other books on the Bible (a/k/a the Torah to we folks of the Hebraic persuasion) always catch my eye at bookstores; I've never read them but decided an author appearance would be a good way to start.

Rabbi Josh Hammerman of Stamford's Temple Beth El introduced Feiler, who visited Israel, Iraq, and Iran while researching "Where God Was Born."

Feiler spoke of the Bible as a book about God and humans struggling to develop a relationship, despite constant disappointment. The exile to Babylon (modern Iraq) was critical to Jewish thinking, he explained, because the exile showed that the relationship with God matters more than the land and state that disappeared after the exile.

Despite the common image of the Bible (and reggae singers), Jews did not just sit by the rivers of Babylon and weep and kvetch. Instead, they invented religion with written scriptures and synagogues as places to go to worship God. Just as critical to the development of the modern world, King Cyrus was the first ruler to build a nation of pluralism, of different faiths. For this he warrants 25 mentions in the Bible.

Building on this theme for the modern era, Feiler welcomed this example of mutual respect and tolerance, saying that the Bible cannot be left to exclusivist views.

During the question period, Feiler said, "The two questions I get asked the most are, 'Is the Bible true?' and 'is "The Da Vinci Code" true'?"

Another question dealt with the spread and threat of fundamentalism. Soothing the multicultural relativists in the audience, Feiler said every faith has its fundamentalists (like those crazy Baptists and Buddhists who blow up buses), but they're a minority. They do present a challenge for the people of faith occupying the middle ground, who need to take by God, religion and the Bible.

The good news Feiler didn't mention: the last I heard, groups like the Presbyterians, Unitarians, and Reform Jews are staking out moderate positions of faith. That leaves only one big monotheistic religion to need moderating influence, but the identity of that religion slipped his mind.

I'll read his books to see if he's got some more details on this oversight.

As I write this entry, I'm flipping through the Dec. 9 issue of The Jewish Week. It features a full-page ad from a group very much on the same wavelength as Feiler: Gesher. The ad, with the compelling headline "There are many ways to experience Judaism -- Gesher wants you to respect all of them," discusses Gesher's role in creating the new Israeli movie Ushpizin, about the ultra-Orthodox community. Gesher's website says:

Gesher is Israel’s oldest and largest educational organization dedicated to bridging the gap between different segments of the population in Israel. By promoting mutual understanding, respect, and tolerance among Israelis of all backgrounds, Gesher (Hebrew for bridge) helps Israelis develop a Jewish-Israeli identity that honors the plurality of expressions and strengthens Israel as a Jewish and democratic state.

I like that message, and I've got Ushpizin on my list of movies to see. Now, if we can just get it shown in Baghdad and Tehran. That would mark real monotheistic cooperation. mission2moscow is confident that will happen when the Messiah comes and sets up His very own screening room, in Jerusalem.