Why are Frum Bloggers Liberal?
The substantial majority of chareidi and halachic thinking Jews find themselves aligned with conservative thinking in a general sense. The preponderance of opinion is that on social issues conservative thought is closer to (though not identical with) both the Torah's imperatives and the self interest of our community.
So why is it that it seems more than 50% of my fellow frum bloggers and commenters are liberals, even in areas clearly labelled 'abominations' in the Torah, and even coming down against a clearly pro-Israel administration and clearly pro-Israel political movements in America?
Later update (post from a frum blogger who would love for me to link to him, but I can't because of this stuff): "Demolishing dumb arguments (The mass revelation argument for the Torah's Historical Veracity)"
While I may have the some of the same questions this fellow does, knowing what not to talk about is a part of maturity and responsibility. Plus, a Rishon like the Kuzari and other Rishonim who may hold similar views deserves the basic respect of not using dumb language.
posted by Leapa at 2/20/2006 09:57:00 PM
5 Comments:
liberal compared to whom? and liberal in what sense? politically?
i would hope your fellow bloggers when push come to shove don't give a bleep about politics. religiously well now thats a horse of a different horse of a different color. liberal orthodox or modern orthodox or is it none of the above? perhaps we should call ourselves Jewish Survivors of the Techonology Wars. This is a small piece of Jewish History that started about two hundred and fifty years ago when Franklin caught lightning in a bottle. The internet has just let it sort of leap off the page onto an electronic medium. sorry i don't buy anyone on this page is a card carrying liberal a la Scoop Jackson.
Even liberal on their positions in social issues impacting on the Torah community.
And Torah Jews, but willing to forego the drive for the highest spiritual level.
And willing to wink at certain aveiros.
Hey, what was wrong with Scoop? He was normal, and good for the Jews to boot!
Liberal today means advocating both the positions and the lifestyle of Kennedys and Clintons.
Daas Torah has a certain strain of liberal universal thought. The Torah was written by the Master of the Universe, you can't get more cosmic than that. social issues are based on how does the individual express his innate goodness within society. thats kind of basic 101 a being human.
As for winking at averios thats just another cute way of saying one must give the devil his due. psychologically no matter if you a chasid or a misnagid the concept has its basis in the Literature its just a matter of terminology.
as for scoop jackson he was poltician which by definition makes him suspect.
Am I a liberal? (frumtalk.blogspot.com)? Hardly. Am I part of the 'vast rightwing stupidity' that has taken over most of middle-America and middle-Lakewood? Nope.
What you might mean is that most frum bloggers aren't crowd followers. They think independently. I don't think that they wink at deviant behavior. But on the ohter hand, they understand that we live in America and not Bnei Brak.
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