After years of debate, the Conservative Jewish movement is on the verge of redefining its approach to homosexuality, a pivotal decision for a movement that occupies a shrinking middle ground between Orthodox and Reform Judaism.The word "conservative" is continuing its redefinition into meaninglessness.
Thursday, November 30, 2006
Not So "Conservative" Any More?
SEE THIS ARTICLE in the Washington Post:
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To be fair, the "Conservative" Jewish denomination has never been politically conservative. Judaism is in general a quite liberal religion, and the non-Orthodox manifestations even more so. So it's a mistake to associate "Conservative" in this context (where it just means "between Reform and Orthodox") with conservative in a political context.
ReplyDeleteDavid,
ReplyDeleteI used to spend time with a group of self-described "Conservative-to-Orthodox" Jewish singles. Politically, they all voted Republican, but were in the Liberal wing of the party. Morally, they were very conservative and avoided vices like smoking, alcohol and modern "dating". Interestingly, they were quite similar in many ways to traditional Catholics.
Both groups aren't strictly either politically liberal or conservative.