What's so baffling? Anyone who knows anything about the Reform movement knows very well that one of its central tenets is that the Torah and the Oral Law were created by men, not G-d. Not being Divine, they can be obeyed or ignored depending on how convenient a particular law or clause may be. As anyone reading this might surmise, this view is "just a little bit" untraditional.
My own personal view is that Reform Jews are Jews (at least those descended from demonstrably Jewish mothers, not from those who conveniently converted in order to be married), but the religion that they profess to practice isn't Judaism. It is similar, it has certain things in common, but it ain't the real article. The sooner they and everyone else realize that, the better off everyone will be.
"My own personal view is that Reform Jews are Jews (at least those descended from demonstrably Jewish mothers, not from those who conveniently converted in order to be married), but the religion that they profess to practice isn't Judaism. It is similar, it has certain things in common, but it ain't the real article. The sooner they and everyone else realize that, the better off everyone will be."
Yes, you are right; Conservative Judaism has likewise followed a path away from Judaism over the past 30 years. In concert with the Reform Movement, the Conservative Movement has multiplied its shame by last week coming out formally in favor of plans for a 10 days of homosexual celebration in Jerusalem.
The new divinity of Reform and Conservative Jewry is called "diversity."