Rabbi Brian's Highly Unorthodox Gospel

Recently I got an email with an offer to read and comment on a book by Rabbi Brian Zachary Mayer, Rabbi Brian's Highly Unorthodox Gospel. (It comes with stickers that you apply at various places in the book.)

Naturally I said, "Absolutely!" to Rabbi Brian.

Hey, we share a first name. Also, a state, since Rabbi Brian lives in Portland, the more with-it city some 50 miles north of where I live in sleepier Salem. And both of us don't like organized religion. Plus, we each have a beard, though Rabbi Brian's is way darker, since he's way younger.

I've read most of the book, which is pleasingly quirky. When I'm done with it I'll write a laudatory review that Rabbi Brian can use in his marketing. The book hasn't been released yet, but you can sign up to get a notification when it's available on his Religion Outside the Box web site. 

This isn't a religion bashing book in the style of Sam Harris, Christopher Hitchens, Daniel Dennett, Richard Dawkins, or Brian Hines. (I don't belong in the company of these noted authors; just couldn't resist seeing my name in the same sentence as theirs.)

Rabbi Brian's general attitude is summed up in a newly coined word that is featured a lot in the book:

Spiritualigiousness
The quality of being Spiritual + Religious
Without the baggage

Can't disagree with that, though I've gone so far down the non-religious rabbit hole that I'm coming to have a distaste even for the notion of "spiritual." However, I almost totally agree with the book's description of Spiritualigiousness, which Rabbi Brian says in a footnote is based on Erich Fromm's work in his book And Ye Shall Be Gods.

This is a portmanteau of the words spiritual and religious. Why not just use the word spiritual or religious? Because people carry a lot of baggage about each of these words.

Some people hear spiritual and think woo-woo wackadoodle. Some people hear religious and think only in terms of organized religion -- a set of paths and goals. 

Spiritualigiousness shouldn't have that baggage. Spiritualigiousness is that part of life that is not physical, emotional, or intellectual. Spiritualigiousness has six qualities.

(1) A spiritualigious life is marked by valuing questions more than answers
(2) A spiritualigious life is one in which values are hierarchical
(3) A spiritualigious life is marked by transformation
(4) A spiritualigious life is about connection, connectedness, oneness, unity
(5) A spiritualigious life is not about you
(6) A spiritualigious life is best understood via paradox, both/and thinking -- e.g., while it's not about you, it's also not not about you -- opposites are true

Please, let's take a moment. 

Notice the lack of creed or mentions about God in our six qualities of a spiritualigious life. I'll repeat this a lot: one doesn't need to believe in God to have a very healthy spiritualigious life.

Here's totally valid claims about the book on the ROTB web site. 

Yay! Atheist friendly. Being an atheist now, I can confirm that the book did indeed come across as friendly to me.

Since I was religious, Eastern religion variety, for about 35 years, I found it easy to relate to how Mayer started off as a "real" rabbi, albeit an unconventional one, then eventually found that he wasn't happy in that role and set out to preach an unorthodox spiritualigious message.

Not knowing much about Judaism, I'm enjoying Rabbi Brian's descriptions of how he became a rabbi, did all the usual rabbi stuff, got into occasional trouble for going outside the usual rabbi mold, and decided to devote himself to pursuing a path that better suited him. 

There's lots of interesting observations in the book about how the Bible is misinterpreted, why Jewish dietary and other rules don't make sense (great to see that my inability to comprehend "kosher" is largely shared by Rabbi Brian), how the Talmud is made out to be more than it really is, and such.

Rabbi Brian comes across as a really nice guy. It's easy to see why he was popular with the non-dogmatic Jews he served as rabbi for. Mayer is intellectually rigorous (he's a mathematics teacher) yet has a good sense of humor. 

As do his friends. Since I don't like kale, I enjoyed this anecdote from when he lived in Van Nuys, California:

I'm chatting with Lisa, a friend and neighbor mom, as our preschool-aged boys play together in her hot San Fernando Valley backyard.

We chat kitchen wisdom -- something that isn't of interest to either of our spouses.

"I found a great tip about kale," she says. "If you put a bit of coconut oil in the pan before you cook it, it'll  slide off into the trash so much easier."

Lisa is been-on-a-nationally-televised-sketch-comedy-show type of funny. When you live in LA, these are your next door neighbors.

I'll have more to say about the book once I've finished it.

Comments

[Appreciative Reader]

“…Sam Harris, Christopher Hitchens, Daniel Dennett, Richard Dawkins, or Brian Hines. (I don't belong in the company of these noted authors; just couldn't resist seeing my name in the same sentence as theirs.)”

I’m afraid I’m going to disagree with that opinion of yours, Brian, and in the strongest possible terms! Without a shadow of doubt your name does belong squarely in that august company.

Dawkins and Hitchens and the rest of them may have sold gazillions of books, and may have influenced a much larger number of people with those books and with their lectures; and your reach, when measured in terms of those specific metrics, may well be less than theirs, sure; but it seems to me you completely understate to yourself the value of this lovely blog you’ve set up and maintained over all of these years. This blog is a priceless resource; and in my opinion the worth and influence of the whole of it adds up to far more than any single book or even any single multi-volume set of books.

I can attest from my own personal experience how very much I’ve learned, and gained, from your blog. Given my starting point in this journey of self-discovery, I’ve found your writings perfectly aligned to help me with my exploration. Among the names you mention there, it is Richard Dawkins whom I admire the most, and whose books and lectures have guided and influenced me the most. And yet I have no hesitation in stating unequivocally that I’ve learned from your blog, and been helped by your blog, far more than even Dawkins. (That is, it is silly I suppose to compare one person or writer with another like this; but still, if we must compare the one with the other, then that’s my personal estimate of that particular comparison.)

I suppose it is a question of where one’s at in one’s journey. I myself started out from a POV that was fundamentally skeptical (that is, I don’t think I’ve ever been given to unquestioning blind faith), but nevertheless to begin with theistic. Given that, your (ongoing) journey resonated with me; and while I’ve always made up my own mind about things, but the discussions in your blog have played an invaluable role in helping me to better navigate and explore these waters. And I’ve no doubt that many who are situated as I have been, have been similarly helped, and going forward will continue to be helped, by this unique blog of yours, taken as a whole.

I’ve said this a few times before over the years, but now seems a good time to once more thank you, Brian, for this untiring labor of love of yours.

[William J]

Hey Brian re.@AR
Ditto....
Regards

[Brian Hines]

Appreciative Reader and William J, thanks a lot for your support. My day isn't going so well at the moment. What you said cheered me up. Much appreciated.

[Wedontknowasmuchaswethinkwedoandwearealoneintheuniverse]

What we don’t understand always frightens us. Atheism is a good way to discount everything we don’t understand. Yay atheism 🙏 😥

[howdoiknowimnotdreamingrightnow]

Sweet kale is the best but bad for people with gallbladder issues.

What do we know?

https://www.youtube.com/live/_aL_hY8DjMU?si=j3gClw3eY-LrKg7x

Not much.