It’s not what we set out to be, it’s what we’ve become – a herd of cattle, sheep, and yeah…chickens. Maybe it’s time to let history go so we can move forward like the big boys and girls we were meant to be…as individuals AND part of humanity. Not part of anything except a community of people with a planetary goal that does NOT include grievance. It’s time to put away childish things.
In other words…”out with the old and in with the new.”
In the midst of post-production on this video, I inserted the query “Is being a non-practicing Jew simply being an Egyptian? Asking for a bunch of friends.”
That’s when you know a video has expanded to need a bigger thought container. I really don’t think I’m meant for a ten minute time limit.
Again, I took to Chat GPT because I don’t have an audience to bounce these questions off of:
Me: It is said that being Jewish is both an ethnicity and a religion, but wouldn’t non-religious people just be called Egyptians?
Chat GPT: Short answer: no, non-religious Jewish people wouldn’t be called “Egyptians,” and here’s why.
Ethnicity ≠ modern nationality
“Egyptian” is a national identity tied to a modern state.
“Jewish” is an ethno-cultural identity that formed long before modern nation-states existed.
Jewish identity comes from peoplehood, not belief
Historically, Jews understood themselves as:
• a people
• with shared ancestry
• shared stories, laws, languages, and culture
• and a religious tradition
Religion was part of that—but not the sole defining factor.
That’s why:
• You can be Jewish by birth
• Jewish law traditionally defines Jewishness through lineage, not belief
• Someone can be atheist and still be Jewish in an ethnic/cultural sense
Why “Egyptian” doesn’t work as a substitute
In ancient times, people weren’t categorized like we do today.
• An ancient Egyptian who stopped believing in Egyptian gods didn’t stop being Egyptian.
• An ancient Israelite who stopped practicing religion didn’t suddenly become “Egyptian,” “Roman,” or something else.
They were still part of their people.
So a non-religious Jew doesn’t become something else—they’re just a secular Jew.A modern way to think about it
Many Jews today describe themselves as:
• Ethnically Jewish
• Culturally Jewish
• Religiously Jewish
• or any combination of the three
Examples:
• Secular Jewish writers
• Jewish comedians
• Jewish families who celebrate holidays culturally, not religiously
• Jewish atheists who still identify strongly as Jewish
None of them are suddenly “not Jewish.”
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Me: So everybody else has to accommodate the way it works for one ethnic group?
This isn’t a rule people have to follow—it’s a fact about how identities formed
Ethnic and religious categories didn’t all develop the same way. Some identities are:
• purely religious (e.g., belief-based)
• purely ethnic (e.g., ancestry-based)
• ethno-religious (both at once)
Judaism falls into the third category. That’s not a preference or a demand—it’s historical reality.
Me: OK, let’s twist your noodle. Suppose time isn’t linear, so does a historical apply here?
Short answer: yes—but not in the way we usually use it.
Long answer: “History stops being a CAUSE and becomes a CONSTRAINT.
Boom! There it is.