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Reform Judaism (also known as Liberal Judaism or Progressive Judaism) is a major Jewish denomination that emphasizes the evolving nature of the faith, the superiority of its ethical aspects to the ceremonial ones, and belief in a continuous revelation, closely intertwined with human reason and intellect, and not centered on the theophany at Mount Sinai. It is also the most largest and progressive branch in Judaism because of changes such as permitting there to be gay and lesbian unions through rabbis that officiate under their own discretion. A liberal strand of Judaism, it is characterized by lessened stress on ritual and personal observance, regarding Jewish Law as non-binding and the individual Jew as autonomous, and great openness to external influences and progressive values. The origins of Reform Judaism lie in 19th-century Germany, where Rabbi Abraham Geiger and his associates formulated its early principles with the exception that it was Kaufman Kohler (1843-1926) who had first called a meeting of Reform rabbis in Pittsburgh . Since the 1970s, the movement has adopted a policy of inclusiveness and acceptance, inviting as many as possible to partake in its communities, rather than strict theoretical clarity. It is strongly identified with progressive political and social agendas, mainly under the traditional Jewish rubric tikkun olam, or "repairing of the world". Tikkun olam is a central motto of Reform Judaism, and action for its sake is one of the main channels for adherents to express their affiliation. The movement's most significant center today is in North America.

The various regional branches sharing these beliefs, including the American Union for Reform Judaism (URJ), the Movement for Reform Judaism (MRJ) and Liberal Judaism in Britain, and the Israel Movement for Reform and Progressive Judaism, are all united within the international World Union for Progressive Judaism. Founded in 1926, the WUPJ estimates it represents at least 1.8 million people in 50 countries: close to a million registered adult congregants, as well as almost as many unaffiliated individuals who identify with the denomination. This makes it the second-largest Jewish denomination worldwide.

God[edit]
In regard to God, while some voices among the spiritual leadership approached religious and even secular humanism – a tendency that grew increasingly from the mid-20th century, both among clergy and constituents, leading to broader, dimmer definitions of the concept – the movement had always officially maintained a theistic stance, affirming the belief in a personal God.

Early Reform thinkers in Germany clung to this precept; the 1885 Pittsburgh Platform described the "One God... The God-Idea as taught in our sacred Scripture" as consecrating the Jewish people to be its priests. It was grounded on a wholly theistic understanding, although the term "God-idea" was excoriated by outside critics. So was the 1937 Columbus Declaration of Principles, which spoke of "One, living God who rules the world". Even the 1976 San Francisco Centenary Perspective, drafted at a time of great discord among Reform theologians, upheld "the affirmation of God... Challenges of modern culture have made a steady belief difficult for some. Nevertheless, we ground our lives, personally and communally, on God's reality." The 1999 Pittsburgh Statement of Principles declared the "reality and oneness of God". British Liberal Judaism affirms the "Jewish conception of God: One and indivisible, transcendent and immanent, Creator and Sustainer".

'''In Judaism, there is never an exact representation of god. In fact there is an ongoing battle of the "right or wrong concepts" because there are so many interpretations. A reason is because Judaism "...has never sought to go in the same way..." for there are many. A reason why, is due to the fact that the main concentration is the message of god rather than the visual.'''

'''An accurate emphasis of visualization is of humanity itself. With god being a creator of life, in the eyes of Reform Judaism, there is an emphasis towards the creation of humankind, for it is man that " ...is created in the Divine image".'''

Soul and afterlife[edit][edit]
As part of its philosophy, Reform anchored reason in divine influence, accepted scientific criticism of hallowed texts and sought to adapt Judaism to modern notions of rationalism. In addition to the other traditional precepts its founders rejected, they also denied the belief in the future bodily resurrection of the dead. It was viewed both as irrational and an import from ancient middle-eastern pagans. Notions of afterlife were reduced merely to the immortality of the soul. While the founding thinkers, like Montefiore, all shared this belief, the existence of a soul became harder to cling to with the passing of time. In the 1980s, Borowitz could state that the movement had nothing coherent to declare in the matter. The various streams of Reform still largely, though not always or strictly, uphold the idea. The 1999 Pittsburgh Statement of Principles, for example, used the somewhat ambiguous formula "the spirit within us is eternal". For there are synagogues, there still continues to be a debate among satisfying one's "spirituality' in a level that adjusts to Reform Judaism. A common perception in terms of spirituality is addressing the 'void' "that could fulfill the searcher of religious truth".

Along these lines, the concept of reward and punishment in the world to come was abolished as well. The only perceived form of retribution for the wicked, if any, was the anguish of their soul after death, and vice versa, bliss was the single accolade for the spirits of the righteous. Angels and heavenly hosts were also deemed a foreign superstitious influence, especially from early Zoroastrian sources, and denied.

Jewish identity[edit]
While opposed to interfaith marriage in principle, officials of the major Reform rabbinical organisation organization, the Central Conference of American Rabbis (CCAR), estimated in 2012 that about half of their rabbis partake in such ceremonies. The need to cope with this phenomenon – 80% of all Reform-raised Jews in the United States wed between 2000 and 2013 were intermarried – led to the recognition of patrilineal descent: all children born to a couple in which a single member was Jewish, whether mother or father, was accepted as a Jew on condition that they received corresponding education and committed themselves as such. Conversely, offspring of a Jewish mother only are not accepted if they do not demonstrate affinity to the faith. A Jewish status is conferred unconditionally only on the children of two Jewish parents.

This decision was taken by the British Liberal Judaism in the 1950s. The North American Union for Reform Judaism (URJ) accepted it in 1983, and the British Movement for Reform Judaism affirmed it in 2015. The various strands also adopted a policy of embracing the intermarried and their spouses. British Liberals offer "blessing ceremonies" if the child is to be raised Jewish, and the MRJ allows its clergy to participate in celebration of civil marriage, though none allow a full Jewish ceremony with chupah and the like. In American Reform, 17% of synagogue-member households have a converted spouse, and 26% an unconverted one. Its policy on conversion and Jewish status led the WUPJ into conflict with more traditional circles, and a growing number of its adherents are not accepted as Jewish by either the Conservative or the Orthodox. Outside North America and Britain, patrilineal descent was not accepted by most. As in other fields, small WUPJ affiliates are less independent and often have to deal with more conservative Jewish denominations in their countries, such as vis-à-vis the Orthodox rabbinate in Israel or continental Europe. '''In terms of Europe, in the past there had been little no expectations of the relationship between Eastern Europeans and Judaism, but ironically there had been reciprocal influences. Due to the fact that Judaism has expand, many critics were quick to point out the identity aspect of Judaism. A manner of how Judaism is described was adopted through a central conference in 1937. In precise words, it described Judaism as the "historical religious experience of the Jewish people," but with the basis of ethnicity there is a generalization that "Judaism is the soul of which Israel is the body."''' Reform Judaism

5 sources :

Kaplan, Dana, and Scott Langston. "American Reform Judaism and the Southern Baptist Convention: responses to social trends." Shofar, vol. 24, no. 3, 2006, p. 1+. Gale Literature Resource Center, https://ezproxy.rcc.edu:2092/apps/doc/A147065775/GLS?u=cclc_riverside&sid=GLS&xid=c5a04c5e. Accessed 20 Sept. 2020.

Romain, Jonathan. "God, doubt and Dawkins." European Judaism, vol. 41, no. 2, 2008, p. 71+. Gale Literature Resource Center, https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A264094444/GLS?u=cclc_riverside&sid=GLS&xid=34c8d573. Accessed 10 Oct. 2020.

Temkin, Sefton D. “How Reform Judaism Developed.” Judaism, vol. 40, no. 3, Summer 1991, p. 369. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=9709292058&site=ehost-live.

"The Guiding Principles of Reform Judaism." American Decades Primary Sources, edited by Cynthia Rose, vol. 4: 1930-1939, Gale, 2004, pp. 609-613. Gale eBooks, https://ezproxy.rcc.edu:2092/apps/doc/CX3490200786/GVRL?u=cclc_riverside&sid=GVRL&xid=46f8c389. Accessed 24 Sept. 2020.

Wildman, Sarah. “Reforming Attitudes.” Advocate, no. 811, May 2000, p. 32. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=3076455&site=ehost-live.

In terms of the Wiki article, I plan to incorporate some of these sources in efforts to point out areas that were not thoroughly discussed. A repetitive topic that I saw within these articles is that there has been an association between what is being reformed in terms of American society. Based on deeper research, I could also edit the article if there appears to be any source of misinformation.