Judaism as a Civilization: Toward a Reconstruction of American-Jewish Life

CHAPTER XXII INTRODUCTORY. THE NEED FOR REORIENTATION TO THE PROBLEM OF RELIGION

CHAPTER XXII INTRODUCTORY THE NEED FOR REORIENTATION TO THE PROBLEM OF RELIGION Religious tolerance implied in Judaism as a modern civilization-Religion indispensable to Jewish civilization-The relation of religion to science-The wrong deducticns from psychological approach to religion. THE current versions of Judaism as a religion prove to be least helpful and least tenable when we want to know what to make of the diversity of religious belief and practice to which we must resign ourselves as a permanent condition of world-Jewry. Even if the Neo-Orthodox or the Reformist conception of Judaism were theoretically correct, the mere fact that it would limit Jewish life to a specific system of belief and regimen of conduct, departure from which constitutes a departure from the norm, is sufficient to condemn such a version of Judaism as unworkable. The expectation of getting all Jews to submit to one code of law and doctrine is, under modern conditions, nothing less than chimerical. The variety of ideas which obtain in Jewish life is a replica of'that which exists in the world at large. It is difficult to conceive how Jews living in Persia, eastern Europe, Germany and America could hold similar views on religion. To expect, therefore, a single type of religion to unite them is as futile as to expect all mankind to subscribe to one universal religion. On the principle of religious tolerance alone, from which Jews should be the last to recede, Judaism must be so construed as to grant to the individual Jew the right to regard as his religion whatever he conscientiously accepts as such. Formerly, each civilization was identified with a particular religion. In the days of undisputed Catholic supremacy in Europe, the aim of the church was to bring the various peoples of the world under one civilization and one religion. The national cultures were 30 4 JUDAISM AS A CIVILIZATION then still in their infancy. The church produced the enlightenment and esthetic expression which constituted the culture of the European peoples. When, with the advent of the Renaissance and later with the outbreak of the Protestant revolt, the European nations became sufficiently mature to cultivate their own civilizations apart from that which they had inherited from the church, the same principle of intolerance that had existed in the Catholic church was continued in the Protestant states. In modern times, however, the principle of intolerance has yielded to the assumption that civilizations must henceforth recognize the citizen's right to adopt whatever religion his conscience dictates. The outstanding philosophical proponents of religious tolerance whose arguments have laid the foundation of the modern attitude of the state toward the religion of its citizens are Spinoza and Mendelssohn. The former in his Tractatus Theologico-Politicus and the latter in his Jerusalem were the first to formulate in detail the theory of religious toleration. This principle of tolerance is integral to the very conception of Judaism as a civilization. That conception implies that we may disagree with Neo-Orthodoxy, either as an interpretation of Judaism or as the only true version of religious truth, but we must concede that it is possible to be an orthodox Jew and yet live Judaism as a civilization. Likewise, whether or not we agree with the theologic assumptions of Reformism, we must admit that one can be a Jew, provided those assumptions are not lived up to so consistently as to prevent one from sharing other Jewish interests besides those of religion. But the conception of Judaism as a civilization does not stop at this point. It addresses itself to those who hold these versions of Judaism, and pleads that they give up their denominational or sectarian spirit, and look upon themselves as parties in a larger Jewish life. Though theirs may be the co"ect version of religious truth and practice, they share too many elements in common with the rest 01 Jewry-dements which are included in the term civilization -to make difference 01 religion a cause lor aloofness. But, it will be asked: would the conception of Judaism as a civilization admit of Jews professing Christianity or Mohammedanism ? The answer is: by the same token that we must reject the assumption that Judaism is, or can be reduced to, a religion only, we must see in Christianity and Mohammedanism not merely REORIENTATION TO RELIGION religions but civilizations. A Christian is essentially one who belongs to the...