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February 20, 2011 | 10:30 pm

How to Make Liberal Judaism Relevant? Ask a Mormon

Posted by Mark Paredes

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“And he said, Go forth, and stand upon the mount before the LORD. And, behold, the LORD passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and brake in pieces the rocks before the LORD; but the LORD was not in the wind: and after the wind an earthquake; but the LORD was not in the earthquake: And after the earthquake a fire; but the LORD was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice.” – 1 Kings 19:9-12
——-

While perusing the findings of the 2011 Yearbook of American and Canadian Churches published by the National Council of Churches (NCC), I couldn’t help but notice that all of the denominations that were listed as “growing”  – Latter-day Saints, Catholics, Seventh-day Adventists, Jehovah’s Witnesses, Pentecostals – were not members of the ecumenical NCC. However, almost all of those with declining membership figures were mainline Protestant members of the NCC, including Presbyterians, Methodists, and Episcopalians. Coincidentally, I also happened to read an article in the Forward newspaper that documented the decline of the Reform and Conservative movements in Judaism (i.e., the Jewish equivalents of liberal Protestants), which are “struggling for relevance and funding.” As a member of one of the fastest-growing faiths who wishes to see more Jews become active in their communities, I humbly offer several suggestions for making liberal Judaism more relevant and meaningful to people who are voting with their feet to abandon organized Judaism.

Not long ago I ran into one of the most well-known figures in the LA Jewish community, a man who is probably on a first-name basis with every major community leader and rabbi. I told him that I had visited many synagogues, but had yet to find one with a spiritual service. Where, I asked, could I find a rabbi who brought the spirit of God into the worship service? “When you find one, please let me know,” he replied, adding that he had been on a similar quest for many years. 

I am occasionally asked what the essence of Mormonism is. I always answer that it is the “still small voice” that came to Elijah on the mountain. While Mormons appreciate articulate, learned speakers, the most popular speakers and teachers in the LDS community are those who are able to touch people spiritually while informing them. Everything that we do in our worship is designed to invite the spirit of God to accompany us. Spirituality is certainly not foreign to Judaism: I have been touched on several occasions while witnessing the blessing of children at the Sabbath table, and am moved by events like the Moses-Aaron Cooperative for autistic Jewish teens. However, I have not yet been to a synagogue where I can expect to have my spirit touched on a regular basis. Elijah’s still small voice is unique and inimitable, and has the power to inspire people and to change their lives in a way that only God can. If synagogue members were able to be spiritually inspired on a weekly basis by their services, they would flock to them. Lectures, symposia, and social events are wonderful, but they cannot take the place of true spirituality in worship. 

Here a word must be said about preaching (usually liberal) politics from the pulpit in the “prophetic tradition.” When LDS prophets speak, millions of people hear what they have to say. Almost all of their talks deal with how to become closer to God and to others, and they do not preach politics from the pulpit (though they do preach morality). Result: our church continues to grow throughout the world. By way of contrast, I have never been inspired by hearing politics preached from the bimah. Political rabbis do not believe that they are prophets, yet they claim to be speaking in the tradition of Moses, Isaiah and Ezekiel. Result: the movements whose rabbis do this are shrinking. Could the substitution of politics for spirituality be turning a lot of people off? 

The lay-run LDS Church expects its members to contribute time, money, and effort to their congregations. Active Mormons pay tithing and are called to serve in various volunteer capacities, some of which require substantial time commitments. Most devout Mormon men (and an increasing number of women) spend two years giving service around the world. Synagogue members, on the other hand, are not usually expected to give more than a membership check (though there are often many opportunities to volunteer). Congregations need to make a greater effort to draw upon the considerable talents of their members in a way that makes them feel both needed and wanted as Jews. One way to do this is to ask every member who joins to commit an appropriate level of time and means to build the synagogue community. Simply writing a check should not be enough.

Finally, I continue to believe that Jews should actively seek converts. There’s no need for them to put on tags and knock on doors, but they should try to show non-Jews why they should be Jewish. In order for Jews to do this, they would have to study their faith and learn to teach it to others [Reform Chabad, anyone?].  I’ve heard many arguments against Jewish proselytizing, but they all fail to answer this question: if being Jewish is so great, then why shouldn’t others become Jewish? I believe that the world would be a better place with more Jews in it, and I’m sure that many people would be receptive to overtures by committed and knowledgeable Jews. After all, a recent poll showed that Jews are the most popular religious group in the country. I’m betting that if Jews saw their leaders advocating for conversion to Judaism in the public square, more of them would want to support their community.

Of course, one could also suggest that liberal Jews become more Orthodox, at least in the sense of adopting a more clearly defined set of beliefs (another characteristic of LDS Christianity) and greater expectations of their members. In my experience, Orthodox rabbis are also less likely to preach politics from the pulpit. Result: the Orthodox movement is growing, not shrinking. Whatever practices they may choose to adopt, it is my hope that the liberal movements will learn from others’ success, find a way to stay relevant, and perhaps pick up some converts in the process.         
       
——-

My podcast interview on LDS-Jewish relations is available on the LDS Church’s official radio station: http://feeds.lds.org/WhyIBelieve

Rabbi Arnold Rachlis, Dr. Armand Mauss, and Brett Holbrooke will conduct an LDS-Jewish dialogue at University Synagogue in Irvine, CA on Friday, March 11 @ 8:00 p.m.

Thousand Oaks Stake Director of Public Affairs Larry Bagby and I will be making a presentation on LDS beliefs at Adat Elohim on March 16 @ 7:30 p.m.

I will be speaking at the San Antonio (TX) West Stake’s Education Weekend on April 15 and 16. 

Regular readers will note that comments from anti-Mormon bigots have been deleted from this site. I figure that if they have something to say to Jews, they can get their own blog.

Mark Paredes is a member of the Jewish Relations Committee of the LDS Church's Southern California Public Affairs Council. You can contact Mark at deverareligione@yahoo.com and follow him on Twitter @jewsandmormons.

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Mark, so many fantastic suggestions along with your tremendous thoughtful insight. i’ll be sharing this for sure. Thank you!!

Comment by Karen on 2/21/11 at 1:04 am

Self-reported membership statistics are largely unverifiable and irrelevant. Especially since there’s an obvious motive for churches to inflate their membership statistics for propaganda purposes.
While it’s relatively easy to cook the books on total membership there are a few telling signs that growth isn’t what the church claims.

  Watchtower society membership data is compiled by them,there is no way to verify.Interesting that they have recently admitted to losses in almost all industrialized countries,and NOW they are reporting increases?”
Reports from TIME Magazine-”“An even more extreme example of what might be called “masked churn” is the relatively tiny Jehovah’s Witnesses, with a turnover rate of about two-thirds.”
That means that two-thirds of the people who were raised Jehovah’s Witnesses no longer are.

JW is the HIGHEST loss of any religion.
—
Danny Haszard Jehovahs Witness 33 years

Comment by Danny Haszard on 2/21/11 at 1:05 am

The author basically advocates a return to Orthodox Judaism. What this ignores is the essential reason Reform & Conservative Judaism were founded in the first place: to cater to those who viewed religion as a nuisance.

Comment by jay on 2/21/11 at 7:16 am

I love your phrase, the “still small voice” that came to Elijah on the mountain.

That is the essence of why I am an LDS member for the last 35 years.

Comment by Dean Bender on 2/21/11 at 8:19 am

@Jay
Reform and Conservative Judaism were founded to cater to those who wanted a religion of relevance and rationality, rather than all ritual all the time.  They have, over a 200-year history, become the dominant approach to Judaism in the United States; and if they are undergoing a “blip” right now in the growth trajectory, during a societal turn against affiliations and commitments, they will come back stronger than ever.

Comment by Larry K on 2/21/11 at 8:42 am

Best of all was your comment telling the anti mormon bigots to get their own blogs if they want to slam the jews.

Comment by charles johnson on 2/21/11 at 12:03 pm

Excellent. I especially liked the “ask not what your synagogue can do for you, ask what you can do for your synagogue” point.

Comment by Paul P. on 2/21/11 at 2:16 pm

I am so excited to have found you!  I didn’t realize other Mormon’s were as fascinated with Jewish people and culture as I am.  I would bet in my small Utah town there isn’t a single Jewish person.  I met a young woman in the mall selling Dead Sea skin care products.  Probably the most beautiful woman I have ever seen!  I wanted to know more about her, She said that all Israeli people are required to give two years to the military.  She extended her time to four years, she was a sniper.  How dang cool is that?  Not wanting to be a pest, and why would an overweight middleaged woman want to friend a young woman?  Is that weird?  so I bought more than I should have and left wishing I knew more about her and could continue to help her while she is in Utah.  I decided last month that I want to learn more including language.  Thank You for being here! 
I loved you comment to anti mormon bigots to get their own blogs! 
Yes!  I am very excited to have met you through this blog.

Comment by Laurie on 2/21/11 at 2:25 pm

@Laurie: you may want to check out http://www.mormonsandjews.org for a Utah-based organization of Jew-loving Mormons. Other sites are http://www.mormonsandjews.com and http://www.jewishconvert-lds.com/book_guide.html .

Comment by jenny anderson on 2/21/11 at 2:58 pm

@larry K. Without ritual, you are left with a religion that merely mirrors the current culture in all its vagaries. Ritual is but the external shell that holds within it the essential truths of Judaism. The “relevance & rationality” you seek become irrelevant & irrational without core beliefs that direct the religion from within. No matter how it is misrepresented, Rabbinic Judaism was never formulaic in its end goal, it was only formulaic in its adherence to actions which hold within themselves deeper truths.
I hope my comment is not perceived as antagonistic, but enlightening.

Comment by jay on 2/21/11 at 3:26 pm

@Jay
If you’ll reread my previous comment, you’ll see that I didn’t dismiss ritual, only all ritual all the time. Both Conservative and Reform Judaism have core beliefs, and core synagogue rituals, that role-model for adherents how they might incoporate Jewish ritual into their own lives.  Let’s not conflate Rabbinic Judaism with today’s Orthodox Judaism—which seems to worry more about the bug in the broccoli than about the bugs in society. There’s no need for Reform or Conservavive Judaism for those who find religion a nuisance; in a world where we are all Jews by choice, they can walk away.  Two million plus American Jews have chosen to stay Jewish, but on their own terms, as is true of perhaps another half million Jews who have chosen to stay Jewish on another set of terms.

Comment by Larry K on 2/21/11 at 4:07 pm

It may not be clearly recognized as such, but liberal denominations (Jewish or Protestant) share a very deep dogma that prevents them from becoming more orthodox and spiritual. You would have to be open minded to reserving leadership and teaching positions to men, and to general separation of roles by sex within the synagog. This is such an anathema to liberals of any stripe, I don’t see them getting beyond it. I really believe these synagogs and churches would rather ride that feminist dogma to the bitter end, than to act against it.

Comment by Hiram on 2/23/11 at 5:37 am

@ larry k
Clearly, this is a broader discussion than this forum allows. I would say however, that Rabbinic/Orthodox Judaism has always understood that the bugs in society begin with the bugs in the broccoli (so to speak); this is not meant in an esoteric sense. For further explanation, I humbly recommend the writings of Samson Raphael Hirsch. His classic “The Nineteen Letters” would be a very good introduction. You may find that Orthodox Judaism (not necessarily “ultra”) is far more relevant and rational than you imagine.

Comment by jay on 2/23/11 at 9:12 am

@ Hiram
Is it feminist dogma to believe that both men and women were created in the image of God?  Is it feminist dogma to believe that half of all Jews, as of all liberal Protestants, are women, and that most of them live in societies where they can just walk away if they are treated as invisible or other than equal?  I note that your comment was posted at 5:37 AM.  Might I suggest it’s time for you to wake up and smell the coffee?

@Jay
The issue with which this discussion began was not the relevance of Orthodox Judaism, but your assertion that the liberal streams were founded for those who found religion a nuisance.  As someone who left Orthodoxy, I didn’t find religion a nuisance, although I found Orthodoxy a nuisance.  Your characterization of the dominant streams was not only mean-spirited but also wrong.

Comment by Larry K on 2/23/11 at 11:54 am

@larry k
I stand by my advice to read Samson Raphael Hirsch. I often tell people, “The G-d you don’t believe in, I too don’t believe in.” The same is probably true concerning the Orthodoxy you don’t believe in.
If you want to continue the discussion, you can contact me at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address). Otherwise, all the best to you.

Comment by jay on 2/23/11 at 12:08 pm

For those Jews looking for spirituality - you may want to try learning the original sources - the Torah.  Check out Partners in Torah http://www.partnersintorah.org/ - a great way to find a knowledgeable teacher.

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