Already a member?
Welcome to Brazen Careerist!
Adam Salamon is using Brazen Careerist to share ideas. Join now to become a member and start networking with Adam Salamon and other professionals just like you. Learn more.
Adam Salamon is using Brazen Careerist to share ideas. Join now to become a member and start networking with Adam Salamon and other professionals just like you. Learn more.
I am writing this from the perspective of an American Reform Jew.
I had a conversation with a friend recently, where we got the chance to talk about pork. As many modern Reform Jews do, I consciously choose to eat pork. In my experience, eating pork amongst Jews is a common point of discussion (and humor), so I asked him why he chose to eat it.
My friend gave me a very interesting answer which I’ll discuss, but it also got me to think about Judaism, and the evolution of religion. The Torah specifically states not to eat pork, but is that outdated?
From Wikipedia, “The Torah refers to the entirety of Judaism’s founding legal and ethical religious texts. There is the written part of the Torah, commonly referred to as The Five Books of Moses, and the oral portion which consists of the “traditional interpretations and amplifications handed down by word of mouth from generation to generation.”
As part of our discussion, my friend discussed how he viewed the Torah as the mass-communication tool of their era. The world had no other way to mass-communicate to citizens, and the world lacked a moral and legal standard. For pork specifically, the Torah outlawed those foods because they posed a health risk for people in that day.
The question I have posed is, if those foods didn’t pose a risk, would the Torah have outlawed them? If you believe that Man created the Torah, and not God, then the answer is probably no; the Torah wouldn’t have outlawed those foods had they not posed a risk.
Obviously, pork does not pose the same kind of risk that it did 3,000 years ago. More importantly, the majority of Jews in the world aren’t following the Torah’s interpretations the same way they used to. I think this brings up the larger question. 3,000 years ago, if the Torah was the only way a Jew could feel Jewish, it was the only way they could learn about the world, it’s laws, and moral code, then can we say that in a world so different, the Torah is outdated? Could we agree that this extends to other religions?
The world has changed. We can get information about the world in ways people in biblical days never dreamed possible. We no longer have to rely on religious texts for information on social norms and moral codes, we get that from each other. How does religion survive over the long haul when generations start to get their information not from the Torah, Bible, or Koran, but from each other?
Will social media made religion a thing of the past? What does religion look like 500 years from now?
Interesting perspective Adam. In some ways you are right. Culture does effect religion and the laws that are held to a congregation of believers. You can look at Vatican II for the Catholics and see that change was needed. But in my personal opinion, I think it's also important to remember that sometimes tradition is a rich part of religion. Just because things are different now, doesn't mean that religion SHOULD necessarily always change.
Thanks for the comments Rosie. I think the role of religion is what has changed more than anything. It's change has been extremely rapid with industrialization.
It doesn't serve it's purpose as a primary political, communal, or legal code anymore, and I see that continuing to deteriorate over time.
I agree that the cultural and spiritual aspects are pieces of religion that may not change as quickly.
Adam,
I am a Protestant Christian, so I don't have a vested interest in your decision on this matter. But aren't you making a big assumption in thinking that the only good reason for the ban is that pork posed a health risk? I don't think we (or the people long ago) needed a word from God to tell them not to eat spoiled meat.
Hi Tom,
I think that depends on whether you believe the Torah/Bible was written by Man or God.
Either way, regardless of what you believe, pork was just a small example amongst dozens of laws in the Torah that could be looked at today as outdated. For example, you'll find examples of being stoned to death as capital punishment.
This doesn't really happen today, even amongst the most religious Jews & Christians.
The pork reference is still just an example. The larger point is that social media, and the new world it is helping create, has connected us in ways that further isolates religion from having as big of an impact then in the past.
As Ryan Paugh mentioned on my blog, it can be argued that Social Media can help empower religion in a lot of ways, but that impact is probably more spiritual and cultural rather than political and legal.
I think that there is always will be room for religion. You don’t need to go to the church to believe in god or read a bible. In fact social media can help religious people. My school friend is a monk and he is very much up to date. Monks from around the world can now communicate via e-mail, skype and a web-cam, they live in the world of advanced technology and if their leaders are wise, social media will help them to survive. Kate from puppy food.
Stop using your companies pre-printed thank you notes. Hand write a thank you note! Hand writing is much more personal and it shows you care. More...
Josh Swindle to All Fans
9 people have recommended this.
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Email
Print
