Expelling those who do not believe – Ask the Rabbi
Q. Why does Judaism not expel Jews who refuse to believe?
A. We believe in the right, not the duty, to believe.
Belief has to be genuine and cannot be foisted upon you. Inability to believe should never be regarded almost as a hanging offence.
Doubt must be allowed for. Hopefully one will work through the doubt and come to belief, but not everyone will.
It has been said that if human beings had no choice but to perceive God and, in the terminology of the Torah, they had no possibility of hardening their heart, then faith would not be faith because it would not have arisen in our heart but would be forced upon us.
