Hi Judith Weiss,
In a message dated 9/17/97 4:34:08 AM EST, you write:
"In many ways Judaism is much closer to tribal religions than to
universalist ones such as Islam and Christianity. (Ray spoke of this in a
post several months back.) When you convert to Judaism, you aren't "saved"
and you do not necessarily subscribe to any particular idea about God. You
join a people and agree to live by its codes for behaving appropriately in
community."
The early Christians were almost certainly much more oriented to community
than to creed and the renewals that have taken place over the centuries
have usually (always?) been directed at getting back to the egalitarian,
communitarian roots. For example I have argued that the first industrial
revolution sprang from the activities of the Dissenters who rejected the
hierarchy of the priests and the authority of the text in favour of an
individual search for the Spirit in a communal context.(<A
HREF="http://www.mc grawhill.ca//trade/books/0875845827.html">McGraw-Hill
Ryerson - Crisis & Renewal)
"Judaism is more about deed than creed, and emphasizes behavior in this
life rather than reward in the next. (Most Jewish prayer consists of
noticing how wonderful the world is as manifestation of the Divine. Good
basis for scientific exploration, I think. Study is considered a form of
worship, and is conducted by discussion; again, good training for
scientists.)"
It's also been a marvellous cradle for nurturing entrepreneurs - the
Jewish diaspora must be the most creative collection of communities in
this respect. One of the major roots of their success was/is I suspect
that they had no home. They were always nomads, living on the "edge" of
systems, yet connected to each other by an extensive network. Innovation
always comes from the edges of a system. I found a similar pattern in the
dynamics of the Quaker communities of the First Industrial Revolution.
They too did not separate science or business from religion and excelled
in these areas.
BTW does any one know of a recent book/research that examines the success
of the Jewish communities in producing so many creative people?
Lastly, I personally have never thought of the term "Judeo-Christian" as
subsuming Judaism. I have always thought of it as acknowledging
Christianity's ancestry in its Judaic roots. From this perspective Judaism
subsumes Christianity (as well as Islam and Marxism, if one counts the
latter as a religion).
Best wishes,
David Hurst
--Learning-org -- An Internet Dialog on Learning Organizations For info: <rkarash@karash.com> -or- <http://world.std.com/~lo/>