(no subject)

[rymenhild]

I am tired of reading about the supposed chasm between Godly America and Worldly America. My Judaism is very important to me. My beliefs on moral/ethical issues such as how to define a just war guide my vote. One reason that I firmly believe in the division between church and state comes from my knowledge, as a present-day Conservative Jew and as a scholar interested in the history of religions, that the value structure endorsed by any one religion at any one time is a construct that may bear little resemblance to the values of the same religion at a different time, or to the values of any other contemporary religion. I'm part of the Religious Left, and I vote.

Comments

[a-trick-mind.livejournal.com]

That applies to Reform Jews as well. I could not have said it better.

[rymenhild.livejournal.com]

Thank you.

[nuqotw.livejournal.com]

I surely appreciate and share your frustration. While Schama's Godly America and Worldly America are arguably misnomers, he raises a valid point. There a is a growing chasm between the Religious Right (which scares me and has scared me as long as I can remember) and the Rest of the Country, i.e. Worldly America. We can see this division amongst Jews too. It is the division between people who believe in societal evolution and those who do not. (This is of course not the same as the division between Orthodox and Liberal Judaism.)

[rymenhild.livejournal.com]

Certainly, the religious right scares me. Also, certainly, the division exists in Judaism. My major point here is that "Godly America", or the "Religious Right", or the "Moral Majority" or whatever names may be used to describe it, do not and should not have a monopoly on religion and on moral values. We have religion and moral values too, and we use them in our politics.

[terebinth.livejournal.com]

My moals also affect my politics, although what influence my Judaism has on my morals is a mystery to more people than myself.

That said, I'm not sure I understand. It seems to me that all moral values of all peoples are subject to change over time. Why keep church and state separate on _that_ basis? It seems to me the same argument would apply just as well to separation of morality and state, which doesn't seem desireable.

[vitabeata.livejournal.com]

Thank you for posting the link to the SF Gate article... It's always interesting to see how the conservatism of my hometown (Grand Rapids) is played in the national media. Though I don't think calling it "gritty" is entirely fair-- it's actually a rather pretty place. Visually, at least.