Monday, January 21, 2008

denominations? sects? what does it all mean?

You would think that after nineteen years of living an active Reform Jewish life, I would be able to clearly define the differences between what I believe versus what other denominations believe. It used to be simple, when I was younger- I would associate Reform Judaism with being less religious, whatever that meant. However, in the last four or five years I have come to realize that the assertion that Reform Jews are less religious or observant is not always accurate.

In high school, I took it upon myself to branch out and meet teenagers from all different Jewish backgrounds. I got involved with planning a benefit concert for Israel with USY, NFTY, BBYO, and NCSY, and every Wednesday night I would have "Latte and Learning" with Orthodox teenagers at the local kosher Starbucks. I was also very active in my region of NFTY, and I was sent to workshops all over the country where I would work with teens from other denominations. My experiences really opened my eyes to just how similar we all may be.

After exploring the websites of each movement (Reform, Conservative, and Orthodox), I have come to the conclusion that we aren't as different as we claim to be. Our religious practices may differ, but we are all working toward the same goal. That goal is to live a productive, successful Jewish life, raise our children to be the leaders of our respective movements, and to continue education throughout life. I always find it interesting when people get touchy or defensive about the movement they identify themselves with, because in the end everyone wants the same thing. I know that I get upset when people say "Reformed" instead of "Reform," because it sounds so negative when you add the "-ed." I prefer the term "Progressive" because it seems to hold a more positive connotation, and is more explanatory. I also found it interesting that the "religious continuum" seems to be cancelled out when one really breaks down the overall goals of each movement.

So to address the title of this blog, I pose a question. Is it disrespectful or wrong to call the different forms of Judaism "sects" or "denominations" when one is describing them? I remember being told back in the day that those words weren't appropriate to use, because we are all part of one religion. If that is the case, what should I say?

I guess that is all for this post, but I know that this discussion of the differences between the different movements will never truly be over. I hope everyone enjoyed their long weekend!

2 comments:

JMC said...

It's nice to think all Jews are working toward the same goal, but is that really the case? If so, how do you address issues such as the attempts in Israel by orthodox groups to claim Reform Judaism as a religion separate from mainstream Judaism? In essence, is everyone in fact practicing the same religion? (What does it mean to practice the same religion?) Or is it more that you want to believe everyone is practicing a similar religion for some reason? (And what's that reason?)

As to concerns with sects: just for what it's worth, what does each movement/group call the other movements? What are the specific terms they use?

Mara said...

I also found it hard to identify how and why I had distinguised between the different groups for so long. However, don't you think that it is important to understand the differences in idealogy? Wouldn't that make us a part of the same religion (since we believe in many of the same main ideas)yet not of the same "sect or denomination". I understand these terms are not the best, but in describing your religious views to someone not of the Jewish faith, how would you describe them without using these terms? You could not give your views relative to anything they would understand, such as you are more or less religious than so-and-so. Is it more important that we know who we are within Judaism, and use those terms simply for description outside of the religion? Great post. Really made me think! Mara