I think you will find quite the range in the forum, religiously. It's pretty fun. At least I think so -- I like being around diversity.
On a scale of 1 to 10, 1 being a psychopath without conscience and 10 being Amish, I'm probably about a 9. I'm a revert to Judaism, meaning that my family had left the tribe and become Christian, and I was Christian for many years, but I returned to Judaism. In terms of observance, you can call me Orthodox-lite, or perhaps Conservadox. I pretty much aspire to an Orthodox level of observance, but in reality I break a few laws here and there: for example, I routinely violate Shabbat by using my computer. But pretty much I try to keep the 613 commandments.
You will find that Jews don't care that much about beliefs -- what matters is your behavior. I don't really have a lot of belefs. I believe in G-d, but it is hard for me to talk about a being that is so utterly beyond my comprehension. I will say this much: G-d is the Creator of all that is, and for some reason, He CARES about how we treat each other. I do believe He interacts with us, but in ways that are hard to pin down exactly what's going on. I'm not concerned about the historicity of the sacred texts as I am about the lessons they teach. Like, I think that G-d gave us the Torah, but did it go down exactly as recorded in Exodus? How should I know? It doesn't matter.
I have studied almost all the major religions in the world, and have a preferential fondness for Taoism and Native American spirituality. I think that every person who considers themselves educated will be Bible-literate. I think of the Lord of the Rings as my "other bible." Despite the obvious disagreements between various religions, I think a lot can be gained from studying their wisdom. The sages say, "Let the wisdom of the nations be your wisdom, but do not let their Torah be your Torah."
What I have difficulty with is understanding secular thinking. While the religious man makes a distinction between the sacred and the profane, the secular man doesn't believe anything is sacred. When I try to imagine a life without festivals and sacred days, without rites of passage, without anything sacred, it's like imagining in black and white. Have you ever read "The Sacred and the Profane"? It's a classic text for undertanding the difference between religious and secular thinking.
A word on agnosticism: Everyone who has a good brain has doubts. The theist sometimes wonders if there is no G-d. The atheist sometimes wonders, what if there is a G-d after all. I don't think the fact that we never know anything for sure makes us agnostics. I will classify as agnostic someone who not only says they don't know, but they LIVE THEIR LIFE inconsistantly as if G-d may OR may not exist. Again, we return to the Jewish emphasis on actions: If you say you are an atheist but you live your life AS THOUGH G-d exists, I think of you as a theist. If you say you are a theist, but live your life AS THOUGH there were no G-d, I say you are not believer at all. And YES, I do know a lot of religious atheists (meaning they live as theists even though they don't believe in G-d) -- I pray with them every Friday night.
Shalom!!!!!
