I'm an atheist Jew and a good Christian

A traditional Passover seder plate is shown. The foods on the plate are symbols to help tell the story of the exodus of the Jewish people from Egypt as told in the old Testament of the Bible. (AP Photo/Dr. Scott M. Lieberman, file)

April 10, 2014
Commentary by Leslie Handler

Although the weather doesn't seem to be cooperating, it is finally officially spring. Along with spring comes the Judeo-Christian traditions of Easter and Passover. Passover is the one celebrated in my family.

At Passover time, we read from the Haggadah, a book telling the story of the Jews' exodus from slavery in Egypt. It is a time of remembrance and a time to celebrate freedom. In my home growing up, I was always taught to consider this a holiday to celebrate all kinds of freedom: freedom from slavery of course, but I was also taught to celebrate living in a free country where I wasn't a slave to a dictator, a job, a bad decision, or even, a religion. Although I was raised as a Jew, I now consider myself an Atheist Jew and a good Christian.

Please allow me to explain myself. I was raised as a reformed Jew. In our household, this meant we were "one" Jews. One day of eight was celebrated for Passover, one of eight for Chanukah, and one time a year we went to High Holiday services.

When I was a little girl, I remember asking my dad if he believed in God. He told me that, as a doctor, he felt he had to believe in God, because he witnessed the miracle of self healing on a daily basis. He told me that he couldn't believe that the intricacies of the human body just occurred by accident. From that day forward, I believed in God.

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