neocon's Journal: A Religious JE? Sure, why not...

In 1999, Fr. Thomas Hopko (OCA) wrote:

In modern secularized society, the language, structures, symbols and rites of classical, biblical Christianity remain, while their content and meaning are radically altered. In the post-modern "deconstruction" of the modern worldview -- by way of radical personal and cultural existentialism, the sexual revolution, the mystical quest, the politicization of theology and ethics, and the explosion of material and spiritual hedonism and avarice -- traditional language, structures, symbols and rites are recreated to the point where their original content and meaning no longer remain at all, but are replaced by a whole new reconstruction of reality.

...

If more than a half century ago H. Richard Neibuhr could say that in modern American liberal Protestantism "a God without wrath brings man without sin into a kingdom without judgment through the ministrations of a Christ without a cross" (The Kingdom of God in America, 1937, p. 193), it can now be said that in the new age of most-modern pluralism divinity without sovereignty brings humans without dignity into an age without responsibility through the exploitation of a god or goddess of your choice without tragedy.

Does this apply to other religions and sects as well (from my own upbringing, I'd say that it's at least as applicable to Judaism in America as to liberal Christian churches; from my experiences now, I'd say it applies as much to the `high church' sects as to protestantism; am I right?)? Can this problem be solved? Is it a problem worth worrying about at all? How does this change compare to changes in other institutions (governmental, educational, etc)? Discuss.

Moo

[Chacham]

Not sure what you mean. Too many fancy words. :)

Okay I'll bite...

[Zarf]

I never answer questions directly. I always ask a question. Typically I'm being socratic and asking leading questions. On occasion I get genuinely surprized by the answers. I have a coworker who is particularily annoyed by this habit. He likes to make buzzer noises and say "nope wrong!" and things like that while I'm talking. Those habits I find far more annoying since I'm only guilty of trying to make him think and he is guilty of preventing an opposing view-point from even getting out.

So how does this