From: khaikin@boa.cis.ohio-state.edu (dmitry khaikin)
Subject: Re: Conversion Question
Organization: The Ohio State University Dept. of Computer and Info. Science
Date: Tue, 17 Nov 1992 16:47:32 GMT

In article <1992Nov17.135125.25237@cbnewsl.cb.att.com> stank@cbnewsl.cb.att.com (Stan Krieger) writes:
>Isaac Balbin writes:
>>Stan Krieger writes:
>>
>>>This all goes back to a point I raised a few days ago.  The
>>>Orthodox Jewish community does not define our religion.  

   No, you are absolutely right. People don't define religion. We have
Torah to do that for us. Although, Conservative and Reform people did
define it or let's say redefine it. Let's be honest now. All
Conservative and Reform Judaism is is just a try to adjust the religion
to the society around you. It is very hard to be an Orthodox Jew, so,
you start not observing anything. Then to justify it you make it a
movement, saying that how dare Orthodox define what "our" religion
should be. They Orthodox don't define anything for you, it is just that
you are trying to redefine it for yourself. 
   Now, goyim come and see that Judaism makes a lot of sense then any
other religion. Well, of course, it does, that's because it is the
truth. Now, most of them see just how hard it is to be an Orthodox, so,
what is the answer: they go to Reform (most) and Conservative(some). Why
do you think they do that? Well, that's because their life is ajusted to
the goyish society and, although, they want to be in Judaism, they don't
really want to change their lives. Well, then they claim that "You don't
know how dramatically my life is changed now...". And the answer to that
is that you don't know just how dramatically your life is supposed to
change if you convert and I will say it once again: You don't have to be
a Jew to be a righteous person. Don't say that you are so into Judaism
and want to be a Jew and then get in Judaism and say: "Well, this should
not be here, I am not observing what those Orthodox "defined" for me.
Who are they anyway? I don't have to listen to them!" Well, maybe you
don't, but if you think that something in Judaism  or in Torah should
not be, then, I think, you should not be there either. It is either all
or nothing. You can't take just part of it and say that you belong to the whole
thing. 
   A whole different story is for people who are already Jews. Like I
earlier said, it is hard to be a Jew, but reajusting yourself to look
like goyim is not right. Look at the Conservative and Reform shuls. They
are very different from each other (I mean Ref. vs Ref. and Cons. vs
Cons.). That is kind of a proof to what I said. The way they are it is
natural for them to be different because the geographical location of
each one is different.This society thinks this, so the congregation of
the shul do that as well (of course, Conservative do less of it then
Reform). How dare Orthodox tell you how to prictice your religion? Well,
Orthodox really can't tell you that, but don't reinterpret them and make
a movement out of it. You don't want ot observe? Fine, don't. But don't
go around saying that it is OK to do that, because Orthodox are really
not the proper way to do it.
   One last thing. I understand that this article is going to bring a
lot of opposition and most of it probably going to be "How dare you tell
me ..." and "This is very insulting..." and so on. I am not going to
respond to those people. The reason being that you are not really
interested in my answer nor this post. Please don't try to make
something bad or insulting out this article just picking on some little
thing that probably doesn't even have to do with what I was talking
about and make big deal out of it. If you want to continue "swimming
wherever the stream takes you", then do it, just don't call it Judaism.
Call it something else, like Non-Observance.
   I don't even know why I wrote the paragraph above, I know that you
are going to say that it was insulting and so on, and will still go on
doing whatever you were doing, but it is a try.
   Now, if you read it  and feel like "bombing it", go ahead, I am not
going to answer. I don't mean to shut everybody up, please do answer it.
I will answer those that I think are interested in my answer.

Thanks,
Dima
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  "A word is worth one coin; silence is worth two."_____ The Talmud.
  "Silence is good everywhere, except in connection with Torah."____ The Zohar.
   khaikin@cis.ohio-state.edu (Dmitry Khaikin, Columbus Ohio, USA)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.jewish