More on Judaism in Modern Culture
posted by Krista | 11/29/2003 9:32:26 PM | Permalink | 
Stumble It!
Two days later I can finally continue my last thread on modern day Judaism... this is still my ramblings on Rushkoff's Nothing Sacred: The Truth About Judaism book, which I think has some excellent ideas. So the question becomes, with Judaism now more concerned with self preservation rather than the spiritual development of its believers, has it lost its purpose, or maybe I should say relevancy? And if so, how would one restructure the religion to bring it up to speed with modern times? This is not unlike what the Catholic Church has been facing with the mass exodus of GenXers and their kids since Vatican II. And the more the older folks try to bring our generations back, the more we look to other alternatives. I mean I grew up Catholic and sure, every once in a while I'll partake in one of the rituals, but it's just that to me - a ritual with little spiritual backing. And while that may have some community value- we all participate in the same ritual and therefore it has some meaning - it still seems superficial, as in it has lost its original meaning and now we do it because it's always been done this way.
With Judaism, arguing and discussing the meaning of Jewish spirituality and ethics has always been a part of Judaism as rabbis dealt with pressing concerns of their times. That doesn't mean that they changed the very fundamentals upon which Judaism was founded but that while some pieces provide the framework, others are irrelevant. An example is sacrificing at the Temple. Once the Temple was destroyed, sacrificing was no longer necessary so Jews had to rework what they were doing to account for the Temple's destruction. Rushkoff appeals to this when he argues for a more Open Source Judaism that could be relevant to modern practitioners.
Being a media critic who wrote extensively over the 90s about cyber culture, Rushkoff suggests that like the Open Source community, Jews can work together as a community to restructure Judaism and once again spark the lively debate over meanings and ethics that Judaism has always been known for. It's an interesting concept - meaning that you would keep the core elements that make up Judaism but you could do away with certain aspects that no longer apply will creating other modules to fit in their places. That doesn't mean conforming Judaism to your every day lifestyle no matter how lax - there are still ethical principles involved, but taking the heart of the spirituality and reworking the outwards expressions to remain true to the core in ways that mean something in modern terms.
To do so, you need to start questioning the more difficult questions, as Jews, particularly in Israel, fight for their piece of the holy land. Jews have always thought of themselves as God's chosen people - they have this special place in God's heart (metaphorically or actually) that no one can touch, but what does that mean? Talk to some Christians and you get the same story. We follow the teachings of Christ - if we do this and this and are patient, eventually God/Christ/the Messiah will return bringing about the end of days. As the Chosen people, we will finally then be able to live in peace with our God. Now that mentality is great and all, but it limits the spiritual development of those who follow that kind of dogma. All God requires is blind faith and if you wait long enough, he will save you. It's a very passive stance on life. Everything happens to you, but as long as you're the good little Jew (or Christian) like Job, it will all work out eventually... particularly in the next life. Though, many Jews don't necessarily believe in heaven, so they long for the end of days when the Messiah will return to Israel...
