Posted on 11/19/2005 3:40:09 PM PST by Alouette
HOUSTON - The leader of the largest branch of American Judaism blasted conservative religious activists in a speech Saturday, calling them "zealots" who claim a "monopoly on God" while promoting anti-gay policies akin to Adolf Hitler's.
Rabbi Eric Yoffie, president of the liberal Union for Reform Judaism, said "religious right" leaders believe "unless you attend my church, accept my God and study my sacred text you cannot be a moral person."
"What could be more bigoted than to claim that you have a monopoly on God?" he said during the movement's national assembly in Houston, which runs through Sunday.
The audience of 5,000 responded to the speech with enthusiastic applause.
Yoffie did not mention evangelical Christians directly, using the term "religious right" instead. In a separate interview, he said the phrase encompassed conservative activists of all faiths, including within the Jewish community.
He used particularly strong language to condemn conservative attitudes toward homosexuals. He said he understood that traditionalists have concluded gay marriage violates Scripture, but he said that did not justify denying legal protections to same-sex partners and their children.
"We cannot forget that when Hitler came to power in 1933, one of the first things that he did was ban gay organizations," Yoffie said. "Yes, we can disagree about gay marriage. But there is no excuse for hateful rhetoric that fuels the hellfires of anti-gay bigotry."
The Union for Reform Judaism represents about 900 synagogues in North America with an estimated membership of 1.5 million people. Of the three major streams of U.S. Judaism — Orthodox and Conservative are the others — it is the only one that sanctions gay ordination and supports civil marriage for same-gender couples.
Yoffie said liberals and conservatives share some concerns, such as the potential damage to children from violent or highly sexual TV shows and other popular media. But he said, overall, conservatives too narrowly define family values, making a "frozen embryo in a fertility clinic" more important than a child, and ignoring poverty and other social ills.
One attendee, Judy Weinman of Troy, N.Y., said she thought Yoffie was "right on target."
"He reminded us of where we have things in common and where we're different," she said.
Yoffie also urged lawmakers to model themselves on presidential candidate John F. Kennedy, who famously told a Houston clergy group in 1960 that a president should not make policy based on his religion.
On other topics, Yoffie asked Reform synagogues to do more to hold onto members, who often leave after their children go to college. He also said the Reform movement, which is among the most accepting of non-Jewish spouses, should make a greater effort to invite spouses to convert.
*pat pat*
We don't claim a monopoly on G-d or heaven. Read the Torah (Old Testament) if you doubt me. Righteous people of all sorts get in, so long as you meet a general set of criterion (which Christians and many other decent, righteous people do). Furthermore, it says, in Deuteronomy I believe, that G-d will send different prophets to different peoples to spread His Word and His Laws.
Now, if you want to hold a grudge for what happened 2000 years ago, I say all European people have some explaining to do for murdering Caesar. Or killing Rabbi Akiva, if you want a religious leader.
Or are you just trolling for flames?
Great post and tagline!
My feelings about Reform Judaism long predate my participation in FR. Regarding "piling on," I cannot help the fact that others feel the same way.
Reform Judaism is not a religion. It is an attempt to sanctify the platform of the liberal wing of the Democratic Party. They follow the Democratic platform rather than the Torah.
For example, they did not become pro-abortion until the Democratic Party became pro-abortion. When the Democrats were pushing gun control, they pushed gun control. When the Democrats de-emphasized gun control, so did they.
When the Democrats became feminist, Reform Judaism became feminist. And on and on. The only "morality" they recognize is liberalism.
Read my post 92. Reform Jews past a certain age are -generally- not very sincere in their faith anymore. In fact, they don't even accept the Bible as given by G-d anymore. Some of the Rabbis don't believe in G-d. They have some openly gay and lesbian Rabbis. And they do, generally (almost universally perhaps even), promote a leftist social agenda.
This is not to say it applies to all of them, but I'd say it applies to a fairly large majority. It's unfortunate. They really were a denomination started with great ideas, by great men, and had noble intentions. The problem was some of their ideas worked too well, and they got carried away with others, and confused others still for political movements of the day (e.g. confusing socialism for social justice).
Nothing unfair about it - it's fact.
When a Reform Jew becomes politically conservative, nothing differentiates him from fellow white, middle class Americans, who are predominantly political conservatives (at least by the modern usage of the term).
I'd make a (safe) wager that your friend will have few identifiably Jewish descendents unless they happen to become traditional religious Jews.
Woot! Go team!
(Denny Crane: "I Don't Want To Socialize With A Pinko Liberal Democrat Commie.Say What You Like About Republicans. We Stick To Our Convictions. Even When We Know We're Dead Wrong.")
I suspect you are right. As Torie said, however, there are many individual Reform Jews who are good Jews. The problem is, as a movement, they've lost their once strong connection to the faith and lost sight of the forest for the trees.
That about sums it up. Well put.
"Rabbi Eric Yoffie, president of the liberal Union for Reform Judaism"
More likely:
Rabbi Eric Yoffie, president of the Union for DEFORMED LIBERALISM
He should be deposed for the defamation of God's name and word.
Have you ever noticed that the "official branches of Judaism" consist only of Orthodoxy and liberal heresies, with no room for more "conservative" heresies like "messianics," Qara'im, or others (and there are a few conservative heretics of various stripes around)? The liberals are trying to monopolize the name of Judaism for themselves, which is why they restrict the "branches" to the Orthodox (real Judaism) and themselves. I don't know why the Orthodox continue to put up with the "branch" bushwah; it has become so transparent.
So is it safe to say 'Reform Judaism' is another facet of the Progressive movement? Does it slightly twist or totally deny the Torah? This is an education for some of us.
I always wondered if Eric Yoffie was a red diaper baby, or at least an SDS type back in the 60's. I can well imagine that he was involved in leftist protesting at whatever college he attended. Saperstein too, though he seems even more of a hard leftist, if that is possible.
Anyway, Yoffie, as the chief rabbi of Reform Judaism, is one of the reasons I stopped going to our Reform temple.
I've sometimes found fault with elements of the "Religious Right" myself, but I have to say that I don't see anyone over on the Religious Right comparing the Religious Left, of which Reform Judaism is a part, with Joseph Stalin and his many followers. And it's sure as hell a more apt comparison than that Hitler one made by Yoffie.
Yoffie needs to read the Torah, Genesis in particular, to see its take on homosexuality, if that book is still used as an authority by his denomination.
Yes.
Does it slightly twist or totally deny the Torah?
It ignores the parts that disagree with liberalism. There are Christian churches like that, aren't there?
The Jews aren't a religious denomination. They are a sovereign nation in exile with their own laws and legitimate governing authorities (and Eric Yoffie ain't one of 'em). I say it's time the United States government recognize their sovereignty and extraterritoriality under the authentic Orthodox Rabbinate and all the pretenders be completely dismissed as "rabbis" or "Jewish leaders" whatsoever. I also say the Rabbinate and Battei Din be recognized as having the authority to govern all who qualify Halakhically as Jews including the authority to discipline clowns like this, by tying them up and beating them if need be. I also think the Rabbinate should be given the authority to carry out the death penalty whenever it is Halakhically justifiable.
Even if I didn't say it I'd still feel this way. I'm just sick and tired of all this menel at the moment.
The Jewish right too: "In a separate interview, he [the liberal rabbi] said the phrase encompassed conservative activists of all faiths, including within the Jewish community."
I parted company with the Reform movement back in the late '60's when I became involved in campus activism for Soviet Jewry. The rabbi of the Temple my family belonged to told me that Jews in the Soviet Union were "happy under Communism" and that only "fanatics" (i.e. Orthodox) were trying to stir up discontent.
There's no need to read any further than this sentence. The man's a moron!
Yes...of course....look at the liberal branch of the Episcopalian denomination as an example with the ordination of a gay bishop. Not to bash a gay person but scripture has clearly defined requirements to become a bishop and being homosexual is not one. Christian liberals who ignore the tenets of the faith are not TRUE christians of the doctrine.
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