I Send Email

Today, I made a bit of a break with my local rabbi:

Hi Rabbi Z.,

[My wife] tells me that you left a message on our voice mail recently. I have a moment now to drop a note, so I want to thank you for your call. Unfortunately, I must pass along my regrets, as I'll be unable to attend the Shavuos party this week. Certainly, my schedule is hectic, as usual. And certainly my family and I have our hands full with [my son's] autism.

But there's something else, and that is that I'm less inclined these days to participate in religious activities because I've abandoned the idea of gods altogether. I won't bore you with the full story of this transformation in my thinking. Basically, the research I did for [Rabbi S.] three years ago opened my eyes to arguments and information (some new, some old) that led me to put away the pretenses of gods, favored peoples, angels and demons, afterlife, and so on. I say all this not to offend, shock, or disappoint. Neither am I interested in debating the topic or discussing it further. My purpose in sharing this information with you is so that you can understand why I am focusing my energies in other directions.

Nevertheless, I still have the same high level of personal affection for you and your family. [My wife] and the kids enjoy seeing everyone. We'll be by in the future as we can. In other respects, however, I am gone and not coming back.

Best,

Larry