We both are against Religion and denounce the existence of some divine plan. However, his family is of a jewish background.
He recently took a college course at georgetown, focusing on religious history.

He’s starting to really enjoy reading the Torah, and joined a ‘cultural’ jewish movement group at his college that hosts luncheons preaching about jewish history and its importance ect.
And he’s also stated that he really likes his jewish background and wants to participate.

We’ve had arguments over how outrageously stupid I think this is, and I told him he is dumbing himself down.

He responds by saying “What is wrong with Judaism? Judaism has always been the religion that has been targeted of violence not creating it. What is wrong with wanting to be involved with the Culture? So what if I want to do yakimpoor, shabbat, passover ect.? Religion, especially Judaism, isn’t as bad as some people make it out to be”.

I’ve never been a debater, and I’m not well versed in the torah either. But what I do know, is that I despise religion greatly, because of so many reasons that you guys probably know better than me.

What types of arguments can I present to him? Any scenario’s showing how Judaism is no different then any other religion? Any verbal ammunition to be able to debate with him and possibly convince him would be much help.

thanks.
EDIT: I know this isn’t a relationship counseling forum, mainly just looking for good arguments and points.

Since Sam has mainly used Christian and Muslim examples (at least what I have read so far) of spreading questionable morals (I agree with him on these examples) I would like to point out what I think are the biggest moral shortcomings of dogmatic Judaism:

1.  Gods Chosen People

Rabi’s and other follower of Judaism must simply stop this non-sense.  I believe it causes the followers to devalue other people.  There is no rational basis for this claim.

2.  Give me my homeland back

Sorry, this does not scale and therefore not rational and infringes on others well-being.

3.  Eye for an Eye

This is a terrible idea and leads to the Hatfield and McCoy syndrome.  Again it is not rational and does not lead to human well-being.

Sam Harris is therefore defined by jewish religious law as “Apiqoros” (the religious term for “Atheist” or basically anyone who holds a philosophical viewpoint which contradicts the jewish religion specifically). An “Apiqoros” is a name taken from the name of Epicurus who first raied the question of the problem of evil, and in our days many jews have in fact raised that question after the holocaust.

And according to Maimonides an “Apiqoros” must be killed. and why orthodox rabbi’s arn’t ordering to kill all jewish atheists? (except for neturei karta and other very extreme fundamentalists)
the answer is quite obvious, they can’t, because reality will smite them.

“The demand for secularization should be supported by all religious Israelis, because it is no less in their interest than it is in that of secular Jews.”

Long live critical thought!

http://richarddawkins.net/article,4161,Flying-rabbis-fight-swine-flu,BBC-News

Rabbis and Kabbalah mystics recite prayers to ward off swine flu

A group of rabbis and Jewish mystics have taken to the skies over Israel, praying and blowing ceremonial horns in a plane to ward off swine flu.

About 50 religious leaders circled over the country on Monday, chanting prayers and blowing horns, called shofars.

The flight’s aim was “to stop the pandemic so people will stop dying from it”, Rabbi Yitzhak Batzri was quoted as saying in Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper.

The flu is often called simply “H1N1” in Israel, as pigs are seen as unclean.

According to Israel’s health ministry, there have been more than 2,000 cases of swine flu in the country, with five fatalities so far.

“We are certain that, thanks to the prayer, the danger is already behind us,” added Mr Batzri was quoted as saying.

Television footage showed rabbis in black hats rocking backwards and forwards as they read prayers from Kabbalah, a form of Jewish mysticism which counts the singer Madonna among its devotees.

The shofar is the horn of a ram, and is used to mark major religious occasions in Judaism.

I find that religion fails to inspire any morality in the people and serves chiefly to make us unfriendly to one another.

- Benjamin Franklin

Ves Heill
Wotansson

Where too are the displays near the World War I gallery? The total deaths for that conflict reached sixteen million. There were over two million civilian deaths from the Ottoman Empire and one and a half million civilian deaths in Russia alone. The U.S. Air Force further neglected the thirty to forty million civilians killed by our Cold War adversary the Soviets. In the same gallery there is no display for the forty million civilians killed by our other major Cold War adversary the Chinese.  What of the two million Korean civilians and the two million Vietnamese civilians who lost their lives in those conflicts?

It is truly appalling and disgusting that the U.S. Air Force honors one ethnic group who lost six million people and ignores tens of millions of civilians who were slaughtered in equally heinous manners. What is driving this glaring and disgusting oversight? How did these other people not even receive a footnote? It is disturbing that the tens of millions who have been ignored are all from Asia which seems to indicate a not so subtle Xenophobia. A wiser and non-bigoted option would be to not have a display at all if all of those who suffered in like manner can not be remembered. As it stands the U.S. Air Force and by default the U.S. federal government have engaged in an action that is an unimaginably large statement of ethnic superiority.

Jews are quickly “offended”

1. By any discussion of history that sheds an unfavorable light on the true history of the Judaism.
2. Someone else’s non compliance with their expectations for political beliefs.
3. Choosing to have an opinion that doesn’t tow the party line.
4. Setting boundaries, like “no I’m not going agree with your political agenda”.
5. Asking questions or confronting the history or doctrine of Judaism that is incorrect or doesn’t make sense.

Jews would ask that others not be “offended” by their peculiar religious observations, their unorthodox beliefs, the claim that they are GOD’S CHOSEN PEOPLE (that shouldn’t offend anyone) or that they have authority from God to judge you. No one is supposed to take offense to anything a Jew says or does, but they are “offended” by everything.

How convenient for them, just another way to blame the victim and claim they are the victims. Everyone’s being mean to them while they are so nice to others.