The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1909-09-17
JEWISH DEFENSE
OF REVEALS
EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE or THE
FARGO MooRHEAD YOUNG PEo-
PIES UNION COME TO THE DE-
TENSE OF THE REVIVAL FORM
OF CONVERSION"

| To The Forum: The following is a
Jewish defense Of revivals appearing in
THE Temple" from the pen of DR.. H.
G. Enelow and quoted in The Literary
Digest of September 4. 1909.
So much has been said by psycholo-
gists and theologians in disparagement
of that form of conversion" induced
by revival meetings that many even
In the most evangelical branches of the
christian ministery have inclined to
doubt it's efficiency. 1t is therefore
with special interest that we encounter
in Jewish paper an earnest defense of
REVEALS and conversions, as the revival
method and spirit have been supposed
by many to be peculiarly remote from
the genius OF Judaism.
The Digest quotes in part as follows:
"Revivals and conversions are part
not only of the christian religion, but
every other true religious or spiritual
system. Indeed, the historical student
will have no trouble in tracing the
christian custom and teaching back to-
Jewish origin. Nor is this phase of the
religious life anything to be ashamed
of, or superfiuous, or out Of harmony
with the modern insight or idealism.
The true psychologist will admit its
high value Briefly speaking, a re-
vival is an effort to stir up the dormant
religious forces Of the people A con-
version is an awakening of the soul Of
the individual, the sudden Pickering up
of the divine light within it, in it's sud-
den response TO the call of God.
Revival meetings may be bad or
good. Conversions may be bad or
good. They are bad when they repre-
sent a mere momentary excitation of
the religious emotions without the
purpose and the endeavor to lead to
permanent Improvement OF conduct.
They are good when they can note the
beginning of a better mode Of life. in
spired by the heightened feelings of
some propitious moment Such CONVEX
sions may be occasioned not only by
regular revival meetings; they may oc-
cur in the most diverse places; they
may be engendered by all manner of
incidents A book, a conversion, a SER
mon. an illness. a sublime scene of
nature-any experience tina stirs up
the depths of the souI-may be the
cause of such a conversion, which
means the sudden realization of God
on the part Of the human soul, and re-
Spouse to his call. That such, CONVEX
sions take place daily, we all know
Their worth can not be exaggerated
1t is mistake to deny them. 1t is
foolish to sneer at them.
The Hebrew word for conversion
is 'shuba,' or return, and every stu
dent of the Bible and Of talmudic theo-
logy knows that part this doctrine
has played in Jewish teaching and life.
What could be grander and more stir
ring than the calls to return of that
immortal prophet Of revival, Ezekiel i?
What could be finer than the old Jew
ish teaching that God waits until the
very day of his death for the sinner to
return? Soulless, mechanical, or hys-
terical conversions, Judaism deprecates.
Such conversions should be discarded
and discouraged by every other honest
religion. But Judaism has never failed
to recognize the spiritual worth Of the
genuine revival and the sincere con-
version"
Executive committee Of Fargo-Moo
head Young Peoples Union