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November 19, 2005
Jewish Leader Blasts 'Religious Right'
Here's one of the leading Jewish leaders in America complaining that the evangelical Church is akin to Hitler and are "zealots claiming a monopoly on God". Yes, you heard that right. A Jew is claiming that conservative Christianity is conspiring to steal the Judeo-Christian God away from him in a Nazi-esque way. What next?
Associated Press HOUSTON - The leader of the largest branch of American Judaism blasted conservative religious activists in a speech Saturday, calling them "zealots" who claim a "monopoly on God" while promoting anti-gay policies akin to Adolf Hitler's.
Rabbi Eric Yoffie, president of the liberal Union for Reform Judaism, said "religious right" leaders believe "unless you attend my church, accept my God and study my sacred text you cannot be a moral person."
"What could be more bigoted than to claim that you have a monopoly on God?" he said during the movement's national assembly in Houston, which runs through Sunday.
The audience of 5,000 responded to the speech with enthusiastic applause.
Yoffie did not mention evangelical Christians directly, using the term "religious right" instead. In a separate interview, he said the phrase encompassed conservative activists of all faiths, including within the Jewish community.He used particularly strong language to condemn conservative attitudes toward homosexuals. He said he understood that traditionalists have concluded gay marriage violates Scripture, but he said that did not justify denying legal protections to same-sex partners and their children.
"We cannot forget that when Hitler came to power in 1933, one of the first things that he did was ban gay organizations," Yoffie said. "Yes, we can disagree about gay marriage. But there is no excuse for hateful rhetoric that fuels the hellfires of anti-gay bigotry."
The Union for Reform Judaism represents about 900 synagogues in North America with an estimated membership of 1.5 million people. Of the three major streams of U.S. Judaism _ Orthodox and Conservative are the others _ it is the only one that sanctions gay ordination and supports civil marriage for same-gender couples.
Yoffie said liberals and conservatives share some concerns, such as the potential damage to children from violent or highly sexual TV shows and other popular media. But he said, overall, conservatives too narrowly define family values, making a "frozen embryo in a fertility clinic" more important than a child, and ignoring poverty and other social ills.
One attendee, Judy Weinman of Troy, N.Y., said she thought Yoffie was "right on target."
"He reminded us of where we have things in common and where we're different," she said.
Yoffie also urged lawmakers to model themselves on presidential candidate John F. Kennedy, who famously told a Houston clergy group in 1960 that a president should not make policy based on his religion.
On other topics, Yoffie asked Reform synagogues to do more to hold onto members, who often leave after their children go to college. He also said the Reform movement, which is among the most accepting of non-Jewish spouses, should make a greater effort to invite spouses to convert.
Does this guy even hear himself talking? He's guffawing during at speech at an American institution suggesting our religious tradition is comparable to the Nazi mentality. WHAT?? You can find his jovial expression and the entire transcript here.
Posted by sdf at November 19, 2005 11:24 PM
Comments
Since when are deranged Christo-Fascists like Pat Robertson the embodiment of American religous tradition?
Posted by: New Orleanian at November 21, 2005 10:06 AM
Well...as a former member of the Reform Judaism movement, I can honestly state that Yoffie is a loon. He is the primary reason I left that movement.
Posted by: BH at November 24, 2005 01:24 AM
I believe that he is right. As the church, we have gotten our eyes off of Jesus and instead focused on other things. No longer do we preach the Gospel to the hurting people around the world, bathe ourselves in the word, and give ourselves to constant prayer like Jesus taught us to. Instead, we have taken the easy way out and tried to have the government enact Christian laws on sinners instead. A law will never reach the heart of a sinner and cause him to get saved. All a law will do is cause people to close their hearts to the good news about Jesus. I believe that if Jesus was alive today, he would not be pushing to make gay marriage illegal. Instead, he would be on the front lines, telling the homosexuals about eternal life, winning sinners to His kingdom, and condeming the church like he did the pharisees.
Posted by: Cody at November 29, 2005 10:26 PM
simply put:
before this *moron* (Rabbi Eric Yoffie) should be able to score easy political points by bashing the ubiquitously EVIL EMPIRE of the USA, he ought to be required to honestly address his own TORAH.
In other words, let this vocal moron directly address Levitus 18:22 wherein homosexuality was explicitly condemned four millenia ago. Does he condemn orthodox Judaism's stand on homosexuality? Hell No. He does not. Does he even hint how and where Christians derive their scriptural view of homosexuality? Of course not!
This moron's condemnation has nothing to do with contemporary democratic Evangelical convictions. It has WHOLLY to do with his evaluation of his grandmother's Torah.
let's be theologically accurate here, okay?
Posted by: sdf at December 3, 2005 07:24 PM
Reform Jewish rabbis (and some others, too) are sometimes not too concerned with truth. Reformed Jews can believe anything they want -- even Buddhism -- and be accepted. Many are atheists, and virtually none believe anything of traditional Judaism. The attacks on conservative Christians are bad, but in fact are pretty mild compared to what they say about Jewish believers in Jesus. It's difficult to maintain much respect for such as these. They are, indeed, the blind leading the blind.
Posted by: Avi at December 4, 2005 10:04 AM
I think Rabbi Yoffe uses "civil liberties" as a euphemism for sin. I've never heard anyone from Focus on the Family speak hatred toward homosexuals or anyone else. They do speak against sin.
copper
Posted by: copper at December 11, 2005 09:15 PM
There's no such thing as a "Reformed" Jew.
And there's no such thing as a Jewish believer in Jesus, any more than there's such a thing as a Mormon Catholic or a Christian Muslim.
Always nice when people actually know what they're spouting off about (sarcasm).
Posted by: aba at June 10, 2007 08:20 PM
Aba,
Oh? There are many respected Rabbis who would disagree with both of your points, as would millions of Reformed Jews and Jewish believers in Jesus. I'm certain you have some support for your assertions. Care to present them?
Posted by: Avi at June 11, 2007 03:41 PM
