Orthodoxy, Relativism, and Religious Pluralism

30 Dec 2010 1 Comment

by Erica Hope in Beyond Brandeis, BIG, Erica, IFYC Tags: Challenges, IFYC, Relativism, Religious Pluralism, Response

Author: Erica

One of the reasons I fell in love with interfaith work is because it expands my exposure to diverse perspectives and learning experiences. Therefore, I was happy to read a very well written and thought-provoking blog post from a high school friend: http://curiousjew.blogspot.com/2010/12/interfaith-movement.html

She brings up many important questions about interfaith work that I have also encountered in conversations with others. I thought this blog would be an appropriate place to address them. The following is based on my personal life experiences and the opinions voiced are mine alone:

Relativism vs. Pluralism:

Chana brings up the concern that interfaith work leads to relativism and forces participants to compromise on tenets on their faiths and values. While I understand this hesitation and its origins, from my experiences, I have found that nothing is further from the truth.

In her widely used definition of religious pluralism, Diana Eck writes, “pluralism is not relativism, but the encounter of commitments. The new paradigm of pluralism does not require us to leave our identities and our commitments behind, for pluralism is the encounter of commitments. It means holding our deepest differences, even our religious differences, not in isolation, but in relationship to one another”.

For me, Judaism is, and will always be, my absolute truth. My involvement with IFYC has NEVER compromised this. I have participated in stirring conversations with people who believe in many gods, no gods, and everything in between. These conversations have never shaken my belief in Judaism or the Torah; however, they have opened my eyes to the splendor of humanity and faith. I enhance my understanding, without “modifying” my tradition of Judaism, through the values we share: Service, forgiveness, love, justice, etc… I can also expand my worldview through exploring the tapestry of our differences. Although some participants may believe in some form of relativism or universalism, this is by no means an expectation or requirement.

Religious Orthodoxy and Interfaith:

Another point addressed is the perceived lack of observant or traditional faiths represented by the IFYC Fellows and in interfaith work in general. I have a couple of thoughts:

1. I agree that to a degree, there is a lack of self-described observant IFYC Fellows. However, there is nothing logistically stopping them being involved with IFYC or similar programs. Theological obstacles are a different issue. The IFYC Fellows Alliance application is on its website, college students from all backgrounds are encouraged to apply.  I think we have both stumbled upon a larger systemic issue that may be present in some religious communities and the perception of interfaith work. I would love to work on addressing this.

2. I know many self -identifying “orthodox” or “very observant”  people who are involved with interfaith dialogue. For example two of the most involved members in the BIG- the Brandeis Interfaith Group – are orthodox Jews, one is on our executive board.

3. I highly reject the concept that one needs to be the most traditional in their faith to represent it. I also highly reject the idea that only Orthodox Jews are learned and observant.

In the case of IFYC, this issue is actually irrelevant: As a fellow, I do not represent Judaism, but Judaism as it means to Erica. I have never tried to do anything different and was never asked. This is actually one of the reasons why I love IFYC and its methods.

However, I still think the issue needs to be addressed.

I consider myself a progressive, observant, egalitarian Jew – this identity is ever-changing and far too complicated to explain in this post; nonetheless, it is something that I am proud of.  This is not my identity because I, “don’t understand many of the tenets of that faith”. In fact, I would argue the opposite. I am not a Conservative Jew because I do not understand Orthodoxy or because I have not studied Halakhah (Jewish Law). After experiencing many streams of Judaism and lots of introspection, I have decided that with respect to other practices,  for me, this is correct.   It is a conscious choice that I live every day. I am sure many “liberal” followers of other faiths feel the same way.

A few weeks ago, I had a conversation with a Rabbi who expressed similar concerns to Chana’s blog post. He asked me why young Jews should engage in interfaith work when they are still struggling with their own religious identity and are not strongly learned in Judaism. I told him that I had learned as much about being a good Jew from my Christian roommate as I had from 11 years of Hebrew school.

It wasn’t until I participated in interfaith dialogue that I truly understood b’tzelem elohim – the concept that humans are created in the image of God.

Sorry for the lengthy post, there was just a lot to cover!

I look forward to reading everyones’ thoughts and continuing this important conversation.

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