The Denver Jewish news., 1921-10-12
Why Not Jewish Thought
By Rabbi Morris LIGHT enstein,
Athens, GeOrgiu.

Christian Science and New Thought
into the Jewish ranks. We have heard
both scholarly and caustic arraign-
ment, from pulpit and press, against
these encroaching persuasiOns. Jewish
acumcn has been toiling assiduously TO
expose the fallacies of the new re-
ligious teachings and to prove their in
compatibility with the doctrines of
Judaism. The Central Conference Of
American RaBbis has. time and again,
registered its protest against those
who would surrender their own NUM-
ficcnt fountain OF religious Inspiration
and offer allegiance to faiths foreign
to them and their fathers.
But in spite of all this, the churches
of thesc new religions continue to
boast, and with good cause. of their
constant gains-gains in Jewish souls,
in Jewish devotecs, who bring to them
the zeal and devotion. the religious
fervor aud piety. accommodated thru
centuries. and now rekindicd by the
light of these strange fires. Altho
these new proselytes are, in many in
stances, reluctant to admit their Sc
verance from the House of Israel.
their departure from Judnism is new
crthless an unmistnknble fact. The
young men and women. In particular.
whose parents have already crossed
the bridge to the new religions, re-
fuse entirely to take cOgnizance OF
their Jewish origin. and conduct their
lives in every respect as non-.Iews.
This phenomenon is perhaps the
greatest tragic occurrence in our spir-
itual history: for with the exception
of some prehistoric. or Biblical, rec
ortls of heathcn worship among the
ancient Isrnelites. we have no i'll
stance OF dcsertion en- mnsse. and of
volitionnl urge to Iuench religious
longing at the fount of other religions.
The problem has already Uutgrown the
realm of polemics and sophistications.
1t is menace which confronts every
Jewish teacher. requesting an immc-
.diate and practical preventive. I'M
less we of today. who have witnessed
the inception and progress of these
movements. find an adequate solution
the coming generation will refuse TO
recognize II ns II problem ut nll.
1t is evident. however. that neither
nntngonism nor protest are the proper
combative measures. Negative action
seldom achieves positive results. In
, fact. n great share OF the success of
Christian Science and New Thought
Is due to the constructive l,Olity that
they have adopted. They neither argue
build up a new religious CONSCIOUSNESS
in their followers.
Those who may read the literature
of Christian Science and New
Thought. will readily see thar it is
lnrgely dependent on the Old Tcstn-
ment for its substance If they will
aualyzc its ontological and cosmOlogi-
cal conceptions. they will become con-
vinced that these are based. (par-
ticIllariy In the case of New God
conception, even the formulas
Thoughr), on the Jewish panthcistic
employed in the process Of mental
healing being essentially portions of
the PsalmOiy. OF course, they nre
cloaked in non-Jcwish garb and in
terfwincl with Christian tradition.
We may now ask ourselves, If cOncep-
tions and principles originating i'll
Jewish lore are adequate 10 found cen
tres of religious gravity for the non-
Jews, why should these very same
principles noe be employed by the
Jews themselves to achieve similar re-
suits? l mean plainly why should we
nor organize centres of Jewish thought
for those who are in need of relig-
ions announcement, consolation and
help. Those who are brokcn-heartcd
and detected thru their encounter with
life need not rclinquish their own
faith and seek encouragement ana
cheer al the doors of others. We can
administer these remedies ourselves.
If God is mcrciful to them when they
seek Him in n domain foreign to
them why should He do less, for them
il they would cntrcat Him in their
own sphere?
Even the conception of healing thru
the Invocation of God, is entirely con-
gruous with the dpctrines of Judaism
One needs but TO study, for example,
Exodus IL :26. deuteronomy Z 10,
jeremiah II II and countless other
Biblical and pOst-Biblical passages
dcaling with healing thru the interveh-
lion of God, to he convinced that He
the Giver of Life. is also regarded, i'll
the Jewish faith, as the source or
health and strength.
Let not the religious methods and
psychological application employed by