Posted on 12/06/2006 6:27:57 PM PST by Anti-Bubba182
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Leaders of the Conservative Jewish movement opened the door on Wednesday to the ordination of gay rabbis and the recognition of gay marriage, but made it clear the more orthodox in the faith may go on opposing such liberalization.
"We as a movement see the advocacy of pluralism and we know that people come to different conclusions," said Rabbi Kassel Abelson, speaking for the 25-member Rabbinical Assembly Committee on Jewish Law and Standards which issued a series of advisory reports.
"These ... are accepted as guides so that the gays and lesbians can be welcomed into our congregation and communities and made to feel accepted," he added.
The statements issued by the committee are not binding on congregations or seminaries. One said openly gay people should be allowed as rabbis and that "committed gay relationships" can be recognized but not blessed. That statement also retained the prohibition in the Torah (the Five Books of Moses) against male homosexual intercourse.
In a separate vote the group also upheld a 1992 statement that advises against gay ordinations and the recognition of same-sex marriages. The result is a mixed approach that will allow both liberals and the more orthodox in the movement to pursue whichever policies they prefer.
With so much left to the institutions' and congregations' discretion, the issue was likely to go on stirring controversy in the movement.
Four members of the committee resigned after the statements were issued, saying they opposed the methods used to reach the conclusions in the paper liberalizing gay rabbis.
There are perhaps 6 million Jews in the United States, only about a third of them affiliated with a congregation. Of those who do attend synagogue 38 percent are Reform, 33 percent Conservative and 22 percent Orthodox, according to one survey.
The Conservative movement holds the middle ground between liberalism and orthodoxy and the gay issue is a matter of division within it, as is the case with many other faiths.
Rabbi Jerome Epstein of the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism in New York, asked what backing the two differing views might have, said: "Based on the e-mails and phone calls we have been receiving my guess is that it's very close to an even split at the moment."
Rabbi Elliot Dorff of the University of Judaism in Los Angeles said each of the rabbinical schools would hold their own discussions on the papers accepted by the council.
"I imagine each of the seminaries will handle it differently," he said. ""My guess is that within the next several weeks we will be announcing that our rabbinical school will be open to gays and lesbians because we have already had this discussion"
Rabbi Joel Meyers, executive vice president of the Rabbinical Assembly, said rabbis who so desire could start performing commitment ceremonies recognizing gay relationships immediately.
Levitical Law is clear, Rabbi.
Israeli Court Orders Government to Recognize Gay Marriage
In a landmark 6-1 decision, Israel’s Supreme Court ordered the government to begin recognizing “gay marriages.” The move is widely perceived as “peace offering” to the Muslim community.
“The polygamy permitted under Islam allows the powerful and wealthy to take a disproportionate share of the women off the marriage market,” the court said in its ruling. “This leaves weak and poor Muslim men with no access to a normal heterosexual union. Sodomy, bestiality and suicide bombing become the default options. By allowing homosexual unions maybe we can head off a greater evil.”
The court expressed a willingness to consider recognizing “inter-species marriages” if the appropriate case could be brought to its attention. “The companionship of a goat or ewe may be the best some of these social misfits can hope for,” the court continued. “If these man-beast relationships can be normalized under the law the urge to rape or kill may be diminished.”
A poll of single Muslim men revealed that 32 percent hoped to find a woman—even a fat or ugly one--to wed. “They are covered in public, so no one knows you have an ugly wife,” said Abdullah Mushwah, a poll respondent from Bethlehem. “If you have sex in the dark even the husband doesn’t have to see her face. They can also cook. Although they do complain more that a goat or sheep.”
Thirteen percent say they already have a male lover they would like to marry. Goats are favored by 5 percent, sheep by 4 percent. Other livestock garnered a 2 percent share. Thirty-five percent professed themselves satisfied with “raping whores.”
Nine percent said they weren’t sure which option was best. “The options for a poor man are all bad,” said Muhar Kalidath, a respondent from Jerusalem. “Martyrdom and the virgins sound good, in theory. But a goat is a sure thing and not expensive. I find it difficult to decide.”
read more...
http://www.azconservative.org/Semmens1.htm
I think so too.
No thanks, I've seen enough!
GABBIS? YIKES!
"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." -Manuel II Paleologus
Except that they are not real Rabbis.
Conservative Judaism is an offshoot of Reform Judaism. It was formed by Reform Jews who wanted something of a "return to tradition," but didn't want to go all the way back to being Orthodox. I believe the Conservatives can still be fairly "liberal" politically.
Of the six million Jews in the United States....only two million go to synagogue. Of that two million only 500,000 are actually real Jews. The rest are just leftist liberal democrats.
Either that or simply become less involved.
My understanding is that "Conservative Judaism" is actually more liberal than the reformed branch. Perhaps someone with more knowledge of this could help clarify this.
It would seem that the term 'conservative' is taking quite a beating these days. Put me down into the ultra-orthodox American catagory, please.
ping
"Goats are favored by 5 percent, sheep by 4 percent.."
Don't forget the jackalope out here in Colorado. Very popular with your "alternative lifestyles" crowd!
I hang out with Chassidic Jews so I can tell you that the Orthodox consider them all to be real Jews (except for Conservative and Reform converts). It's Conservative and Reform Judaism that they don't consider to be Jewish.
It must be the Democrats in their congregation speaking for the rest. (s)after all religion is relative to society's needs.(/s)
That is why and how they may win. They believe and observe their beliefs.
Perhaps they should call themselves "Rabbies."
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