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Correspondence

April-June 1966

Exchange with Dr. Shneour about His Scholarship on Extraterrestrial Life (1966)

Torah & Science

1. R. Lamm to Dr. Shneour

1. R. Lamm to Dr. Shneour (Apr. 28, 1966)

1. R. Lamm to Dr. Shneour (April 28, 1966)

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Correspondence

Exchange with Dr. Oliver about "The Religious Implications of Extraterrestrial Life" and Academic Criticism (1966)

Dear Rabbi Lamm, I want to thank you belatedly for sending me a copy of your paper "The Religious Implications of Extraterrestrial Life." This has lain in my "In" basket for several months now awaiting an opportunity on my part to read it. I have now attempted to do so. I found the first eighteen pages very stimulating reading and I think you have done a fine job of outlining the bases for discrepancies among current beliefs with respect to the probable frequency of incidence of interstellar life. It is perhaps this very lack of unanimity of opinion with respect to this question that makes it seem so desirable to settle the matter through direct observation if possible.Contact with another intelligent species would, in my opinion, be a tremendous boon in helping to accelerate man's thinking in many different ways. A great many questions with respect to the convergence or divergence of biological and sociological evolution would be answered. Probably technological development would be advanced in many areas and we might even receive answers to many questions we have not yet formulated. The knowledge rather than the belief that such races exist might enable us to draw sounder conclusions as to human destiny than we do today.Up until page 19 or 20, your paper displays a critical attitude that does credit to a scientist, let alone a theologian. Beyond that point you apparently accept without criticism the entire body of Jewish faith, a dichotomy also to be observed among Christian theologians. Because of this sudden change of pace, I was unable to read beyond about page 22 or 23 and am unable to offer any constructive comment on the remainder of the paper.Sincerely yours,B. M. Oliver Rabbi Norman LammThe Jewish Center131 West 86th StreetNew York, N.Y. 10024
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Correspondence

Exchange with Michael Kaufman about "Religious Implications of Extraterrestrial Life" (1966)

Dear Rabbi Lamm, Just a fan letter to let you Know how much I appreciated your excellent, thought-provoking study, "The Religious Implications of Extraterrestrial Life" in the current issue of Tradition. The discussion was significant in exploring a Jewish approach to the eventual discovery of life on other worlds, and as such I nave no doubt that your study will be the source to which Jewish (and possibly Catholic) theologians will turn in 10, 50 or 100 years when, as is probable, contact will be made with extraterrestrial life.However, of at least equal or greater significance in my mind, was your treatment, in the course of your discussion, of a number of major concepts of Jewish theology from the Orthodox point of view which provided fresh, new insights into biblical exegesis and the story of the Creation, and the nature of G-d, and His relation to man. You have thus made available to the Orthodox Jewish intellectual, scientist and collegian a major contribution to their understanding of Judaism, and all three will find in your discussion a new source of strength for their faith as they delve into questions relating to G-d, man and the universe.May G-d grant you the strength and the means to continue in the footsteps of the Rambam and S.R. Hirsch.Sincerely,Michael KaufmanRabbi Norman Lamm 27 West 06th Street New York City
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Correspondence

Exchange with Saul Handler about the "Religious Implications of Extraterrestrial Life" (1970)

Dear Rabbi Lamm: Last night I picked up a book, “The Making of Kubrick’s 2001.” On page 55 I found an article about you concerning your beliefs on extra–terrestrial life. I agree with many of the points you put forth. However, one paragraph does not strike me as well thought out. I quote: “One of our great difficulties is, who is to say that the physician, or the scientist, or anyone who has a Ph.D. and is in control of certain processes, has the right to determine the future, of anything’s or anyone’s life and death. Man is monkeying around with his environment. He is monkeying around with himself as well. He is changing himself.” True; man is monkeying around with himself and his environment, causing himself to be strangled by his own mass produced poisons spewing themselves out day and night into our life–supporting atmosphere. But man does not have the right of decision of life or death, over any living entity. However, he should have the right to “monkey” around with himself. This right is the start of all the religions in the world. If Abraham did not have the right to change his religion and monkey with one God, and only G.d, where would the Jewish people be today? If Moses did not fear G.d, and had less fear of the Pharaoh, he would never have decided to allow someone else to take his place as the leader of the Jews from slavery. Today, man has to change his environment, for his environment is out to destroy him. He lives surrounded by madness. Surrounded by a spiritually poor decadent population, striving only, for the god money. He lives surrounded by hate and fear. If he is not to change this, man as a race has a poor chance of survival. Many criticize today’s youth, saying they are too free, and immoral. This may be true in a relative way. For, these same parents were too strongly controlled by their parents. They were taught unnatural hates and prejudices, they were taught that the goal of one’s self was to make it in a large, one–family house and hav…
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