[Avodah] orthodox theology

[Micha Berger]

On Wed, Mar 05, 2025 at 06:40:21AM +0200, Joel Rich via Avodah wrote:
> In a recent discussion concerning whether a specific rabbi was within the
> pale of orthodox theology, I wondered what percentage of the rank and file
> think about theology and what they would define as beyond the pale (or
> within it, for that matter).

I am not sure I can bring this up without people focusing on the case,
which is why this reply is so long in coming. But regardless of whether
you think it is applicable to Lubavitch Messianism, this point is
discussed by R Dr David Berger in his book -- the part that covers
the end of the title "... and the Scandal of Orthodox Indifference".
His answer was "very little", as a community we are indifferent to
ideology. As long as their behavior checks the sociological boxes.

The rank and file define membership by observance of the mitzvos in which
we differ most from the heterodox movements. Unless we are talking about
beliefs specific to religions that our always in our face because of our
host culture, belief doesn't play that much of a role.

For that matter, neither do the mitzvos we don't have to face significant
opposition to maintain. Which there would never be a conversation
about whether someone who eats shellfish is Orthodox. But -- just to
pick another to'eivah -- someone who is dihonest in business is assumed
to be O until our embarassment forces us to "no True Scotsmen" him out
of the definition

:-)aBii!
-Micha

-- 
Micha Berger                 The same boiling water
http://www.aishdas.org/asp   that softens the potato, hardens the egg.
Author: Widen Your Tent      It's not about the circumstance,
- https://amzn.to/2JRxnDF    but rather what you are made of.