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To: dalight

I had to reread the post and I still don't see why you are upset at this freeper. Why should they be ashamed. Look around, liberal reform Jews, just like liberal Christians or anyone else are not having children in the requisite numbers to reproduce themselves. Maybe you read something there that I am not seeing????


23 posted on 04/20/2006 8:24:06 PM PDT by antceecee (Hey AG Gonzales! ENFORCE IMMIGRATION LAWS NOW!!!)
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To: antceecee
First, this post was about attendance at weekly services. The leap to political view points and birthrates is completely unsubstantiated by this person's offhand comments. But, the contempt for Reform Judaism is unmistakable. Millions of people with good minds are praying for something like Reform Islam to show up and save the world.

The same contemptible statements could be made about white people as a whole. Such statements are being tossed around by several groups. But, prosperity is the more common cause of lowering birth rates as well as nearly 100 years of developing programs that focus on reducing the need to have many children as a "retirement plan." This trend, social security, the disintegration of the nuclear family, birth control, no fault divorce, two income families are all sources of reduced birth rates for all but the most established (2nd Generation + ) demographic groups in the US. The pews in Catholic churches are not filled with white families with 12 and 13 kids like they were even 20 years ago. So don't lay this at the foot of one congregation of Judaism and make all sorts of generalizations which have nothing to do with anything.

Its not about race, its not about religion as such, its about demographics and US values and politics.

Reform Judaism today is decidedly liberal, but you can find many congregations of all faiths lost in the woes of 20th Century moral relativism. Each person in the US has seen the failure of so many "experiments" of the 2nd half of the 20th Century.

But, even these failures have brought new truth and enduring successes. Its just that now is a time to do this learning.. to separate the discovery of the dignity and contribution of women in a modern society which is enriching and life affirming from the evil of death by "choice" and the denigration of the dignity of men and the denial of the great wonders of the institutions known as motherhood and fatherhood.

The "Great Society" turned out not to help the poor as much as it was the engine of the destruction of the dignity and the community of all who were sucked in by it.

And the rise of Secularism as an Ideal and its placement as the official "religion" of the US by courts attempting to extract a separation between Church and State have also been exposed as a great and enduring mistake.

But, now we know why. Admittedly the price was high. But, moving forward, each Religious community needs to reflect and learn. So don't look down your nose at Reform Jews. Try looking in your own mirror. They will wonder more in the desert, or perhaps they will find their way. This is all in God's hands.

32 posted on 04/21/2006 5:53:44 AM PDT by dalight
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