Chanukah: The Freedom to Choose Morality

In his latest anti-religionist rant, Christopher Hitchens has turned his sights on Chanukah, calling it a celebration of "the imposition of theocratic darkness." Nothing could be further from the truth.  In fact, Chanukah is a celebration of freedom from tyranny - when the Jews fought for and won the freedom to worship and believe as they chose. 

Hitchens mistakenly claims that Jews wished to destroy Hellenism.  I don't know where he comes up with this cock and bull story.  The Jews were not seeking to destroy Hellenism or philisophy, art, science or progress in their quest for freedom.  Ample evidence of this can be seen in Jewish world contributions in those areas which Hitchens, in his mouth-foaming lather to disparage religious practice, chooses to ignore. 

The truth is, without the type of freedom that the Maccabees sought, human invention would eventually stop.  It has been proven many times throughout history that it is difficult to be creative when one is enslaved by others. Instead of invention, one becomes preoccupied with extricating oneself from beneath the master's thumb.

In his thesis, Hitchens canceled out the entire basis of Judaism, which is to say that art, philosophy, technology, invention, and human progress are nothing without ethics and morality. Chanukah is not about erasing the Greek culture or creating a theocracy (in fact, Judaism is the antithesis of theocracy - Jews believe that only Jews should practice Judaism and they do not proselytize) or tribal backwardness.  Chanukah celebrates the freedom to choose to have morality and values underlie and support one's endeavors.

Hitchens for some reason seems to feel enslaved by religious morality and finds it necessary to fight its invisible bonds.  But who is holding his hand to the fire? Be religious, or not.  Be moral, or not.  It's between you and your conscience. Jews will never force their morality down your throat.  Insinuating that they would is a defamation.  It is an untruthful claim, lacking...morality.

No surprise, I guess.

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[Batya]

Those whose lives are truly dark are blinded by the light. They must be patient, until they can truly see.