A few weeks ago at our temple's annual meeting, we had a spirited debate over God. In approving changes to our temple's by-laws a few months ago, the mission statement made no reference to God. A temple member pointed out that the original mission statement of the congregation was quite God focused. Members of the by-laws revision committee noted that the newly adopted mission statement was not a principled decision about God or the community's theology. So, the annual meeting entertained a motion to insert "worship of God" into the mission statement of the congregation. The debate was interesting, heartfelt and the meeting ultimately approved the motion but not without several "nay" votes. It turns out we are not alone.
The Israeli military has been grappling with a similar issue. An article in Haaretz newspaper, reports on the annual memorial ceremony for fallen soldiers on Mt. Herzl in Jerusalem:
"Amikam Gurevich, who hosted the eve of Independence Day torch-lighting ceremonies on Mount Herzl for many years, always opened with "May the people of Israel remember." Subsequent announcers have taken up the "May God remember" version. A similar process has occurred in many Memorial Day services, often at the bequest of military rabbis and religious bereaved families." But not everybody wants God in the memorial opener. After several requests, as the paper notes, "IDF chief sides with Almighty to settle dispute over prayer for fallen soldiers."
So far, God is winning these referendums* but any political observer can tell you that these early votes indicate a broader trend and God will not always win. Does God need better lobbyists or will God rely on old fashioned influence?
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* Yes, some people use "referenda" but the OED suggests referendums since the Latin word referendum is a gerund with no plural form of its own. Or so says Wikipedia.
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