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Saturday, March 12, 20051110666000
Not-So-Conservative Judaism
"Forming a survival strategy: Conservative Jews plan bold new steps to stem tide of secularism," by Arlene Nisson Lassin, Houston Chronicle, 11 March 2005, http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/religion/3080795.
The "Conservative" branch of Judaism is facing obliteration
Dwindling congregations and increasing numbers of interfaith marriages are two issues Conservative rabbis plan to tackle following a four-day international gathering in Houston.
"With increased secularism on the part of Jews in this country, with diminishing support for Israel, and with the tough reality of diminishing demographics, it is more challenging than ever to hold our critical middle ground," said Rabbi Alvin Berkun, vice president of The Rabbinical Assembly, a Conservative organization.
...
"In the American Jewish Committee Survey of 2002, 39 percent of Jews were in interfaith marriages," Schorsch said. "Of that number, in the follow-up Phillips survey, they found of the ... interfaith marriages with children, only 8 percent of the mixed families described themselves as Jewish. Twenty-four percent identified themselves as Christian, and 68 percent identified no religion.
How can this be, at a time when "mainline" faiths are fading and socially conservative ones, such as Mormonism, Catholocism, and Evangalical Christianity, are blooming?
Well, Conservative Judaism isn't conservative, for one.
In other business, the rabbis reiterated support for stem cell research, the peace process in Israel and women's reproductive rights. The issue of same-sex marriages was referred to a special Law Committee.
The massacre of the innocents is not a conservative ideal. It is not a Jewish one, either.
16:20 Posted by Dan tdaxp (Webmaster) in Abortion, Faith, Homosexuality | Permalink | Comments (3) | Email this | Tags: judaism, jews
Comments
Niecly put - in order to combat secularism the Conservative movement determines to secularize its dogma.
Perhaps in the interest of egalitarianism and diversity we should pay a little homage to Moloch and Baal. Or have we already started doing that?
Posted by: Stuart Berman | Friday, July 15, 2005
As an outsider, it certainly looks like Conservative Judaism has morphed from trying to coopt secularism (abandoning "contextual" rules to focus on the important) to being coopted by secularism (maintaing only a form of Judaism while being no different than what exists in the world).
There is a role for traditionalist churches (holding together communities) and outreach churches (building communities). From what I can see, Conservative Judaism is fulfilling neither function.
Posted by: Dan | Friday, July 15, 2005
In my opinion the general status of each sect is:
Chabad (ultra Orthodox): outreach 'church'
Orthodox (modern): traditionalist 'church'
Conservative: trying to 'emulate' the successful reform movement
Reform movement: largest American sect rapidly assimilating itself into oblivion (mostly relies on social programs to interest American Jews in activities that are not Christian in name and nature)
Messianic: generally regarded as apostates or 'pretend' Jews by above
Also - Secular Jews: Most likely the most numerous, but Jewish in name only
I hope to find the book from the Conservative movement that descibes the dogma of the movement - it seemed very reasonably inclusive - but the reality of today is that the religion has become an activist religion for non religious causes.
Posted by: Stuart Berman | Friday, July 15, 2005