“Judaism, without respect for and adherence to the particular and the commanded and emphasizing solely the progressive and the prophetic, is not Judaism.”
…I had to read it twice for comprehension (maybe because I’m not Jewish), before at least taking a curious crack at seeing if I could somehow improve comprehension with minimal edit and without diminishment of the message. Voila!
PS I’ve always thought the term, Jewish Progressive, an oxymoron.
When Reform places of worship started using the church as the true paradigm of a house of worship instead of a synagogue, they set this concept into motion. Now it is a foundation of a lot of people’s Judaism.
I think your application of Hillel to the issue masterfully proves that progressivism must permit itselt to be interrogated by Judaism. Very simply, if Jews don't start from the premise that first they must keep other Jews alive, all is lost. If we die, we cannot help any of the downtrodden non-Jewish groups we care about.
Second, I think that in part we have a very big problem because Judaism, arguably, believed in very diffrent things over the millenia. Some scholars and theologians have held that prior to the time of Ezra, JEWS ALLEGEDLY BELIEVED THAT THEIR WAS ONE G-D FOR THE JEWS AND OTHER G-DS FOR OTHER NATIONALITIES. Indeed, look at the words of the Shema: "Hear oh Israel, the Lord YOUR G-d. the Lord is one. " By modifying the word Lord with the word your, the Shema implicity says that our G-d is not the G-d of the Egyptians etc.
After all, in the days of the ancient temple in Jerusalem, we had animal sacrifice. (In Carthage, they sacrificed 4 year old humans to appease the "gods.") The anicent origins of Judaism can confuse us as we have believed in very different things at different times.
“But progressivism is very bad at acknowledging that it too has power, and it must accept other people’s right to speak truth to it. In this regard, Judaism does not hesitate, as it has never hesitated.”
I’d like to nail this on the door of our uber-progressive shul, like Martin Luther.
Thank you, a sorrow for all of us. Christianity (2nd of the 3 missionary faiths - Buddhism & Mohammedism) suffers from the same suicidality. American congregations have sponsored hundreds of thousands of "refugees" without converting them to Christianity. In Minnesota, three of its most prosperous cities have been degraded by persons from Somalia, and sharia law is afflicting most Minnesotans today. Bah!
I would be tempted to ask you: how come that people took it in the first place?
Reading you hints at the idea of humanism that is seemingly at the core; this is a powerful attractor indeed (and I myself fall for it quite easily).
Some state that progressivism has a core rooted in psychopathology, reflecting an origination located differently. I suppose it could be worth to double-check on that one and see if there isn't something hiding somewhere.
To me, the initial adherence to progressivism would amount to the induction of psychopathology hiding in an ideology - rather than an adhesion to an ideology.
"If progressivism cannot accept the Jews, then what is it really worth?"
This shows that progressivism has destructive features regardless of the group... Catholics, Inuits, and housewives *should* face the same problem.
"Yet Judaism has always, from the beginning, insisted on its right to be different. The Jews have remained “a people that dwells alone.”"
Judaism, in its lonely tribe spec (something that I don't qualify as negative) may be more susceptible of the infiltration by pathological ideas leveraging such idea. Progressivism seems to be one.
Nothing can save progressivism from itself.
Judaism without respect for and adherence to the particular and the commanded and emphasizing solely the progressive and the prophetic is not Judaism
“Judaism, without respect for and adherence to the particular and the commanded and emphasizing solely the progressive and the prophetic, is not Judaism.”
…I had to read it twice for comprehension (maybe because I’m not Jewish), before at least taking a curious crack at seeing if I could somehow improve comprehension with minimal edit and without diminishment of the message. Voila!
PS I’ve always thought the term, Jewish Progressive, an oxymoron.
Progressives also care about their own tribe more than they care about others.
When Reform places of worship started using the church as the true paradigm of a house of worship instead of a synagogue, they set this concept into motion. Now it is a foundation of a lot of people’s Judaism.
Hi, JpR, as one who grew up going to church, what is a primary characteristic of the church paradigm you would cite as an example for me? Thank you.
The platform is in the front, not the middle.
The pews are mixed, not men and women separately.
There is sometimes an organ. Musical instruments are prohibited in Judaism on Sabbath and festivals.
Men pray bareheaded. In Judaism men cover their heads to pray.
And women singing in a choir. In Judaism women singing in public is not traditional.
Interesting, JpR, thank you. The descriptions you provided do indeed ring true to church for me.
I think your application of Hillel to the issue masterfully proves that progressivism must permit itselt to be interrogated by Judaism. Very simply, if Jews don't start from the premise that first they must keep other Jews alive, all is lost. If we die, we cannot help any of the downtrodden non-Jewish groups we care about.
Second, I think that in part we have a very big problem because Judaism, arguably, believed in very diffrent things over the millenia. Some scholars and theologians have held that prior to the time of Ezra, JEWS ALLEGEDLY BELIEVED THAT THEIR WAS ONE G-D FOR THE JEWS AND OTHER G-DS FOR OTHER NATIONALITIES. Indeed, look at the words of the Shema: "Hear oh Israel, the Lord YOUR G-d. the Lord is one. " By modifying the word Lord with the word your, the Shema implicity says that our G-d is not the G-d of the Egyptians etc.
After all, in the days of the ancient temple in Jerusalem, we had animal sacrifice. (In Carthage, they sacrificed 4 year old humans to appease the "gods.") The anicent origins of Judaism can confuse us as we have believed in very different things at different times.
“But progressivism is very bad at acknowledging that it too has power, and it must accept other people’s right to speak truth to it. In this regard, Judaism does not hesitate, as it has never hesitated.”
I’d like to nail this on the door of our uber-progressive shul, like Martin Luther.
Thank you, a sorrow for all of us. Christianity (2nd of the 3 missionary faiths - Buddhism & Mohammedism) suffers from the same suicidality. American congregations have sponsored hundreds of thousands of "refugees" without converting them to Christianity. In Minnesota, three of its most prosperous cities have been degraded by persons from Somalia, and sharia law is afflicting most Minnesotans today. Bah!
The progressivism of 50 years ago is totally different of today’s so called progressives. Today is just Gramsci Marxism wrapped in a sweet dessert
"progressivism serves as the critical framework"
I would be tempted to ask you: how come that people took it in the first place?
Reading you hints at the idea of humanism that is seemingly at the core; this is a powerful attractor indeed (and I myself fall for it quite easily).
Some state that progressivism has a core rooted in psychopathology, reflecting an origination located differently. I suppose it could be worth to double-check on that one and see if there isn't something hiding somewhere.
To me, the initial adherence to progressivism would amount to the induction of psychopathology hiding in an ideology - rather than an adhesion to an ideology.
"If progressivism cannot accept the Jews, then what is it really worth?"
This shows that progressivism has destructive features regardless of the group... Catholics, Inuits, and housewives *should* face the same problem.
"Yet Judaism has always, from the beginning, insisted on its right to be different. The Jews have remained “a people that dwells alone.”"
Judaism, in its lonely tribe spec (something that I don't qualify as negative) may be more susceptible of the infiltration by pathological ideas leveraging such idea. Progressivism seems to be one.
https://www.jns.org/contemplating-a-break-up-with-my-synagogue/
This is what Conservative Judaism looks like -as woke as possible