User:The Thadman/Primitive Yahwism

Primitive Yahwism is a small Yahwistic religious sect deriving its foundation primarily from the J and E sources of the Torahic tradition.

Textual Tradition
The textual tradition of the Primitive Yahwist movement rests heavily upon the theories of modern scholarship, and as such is influenced by the current Documentary Hypothesis; however, as scholarly theories change and evolve, Primitive Yahwists tend to follow them. They seek to understand the texts of the Torah and other ancient references to the deity Yahweh in their most primitive form (hence "Primitive Yahwism"). As a result, source documents are broken down into their individual traditions to create a framework they feel is best suited for understanding the experiences, culture, politics, motivations and biases of the ancient writers. Through this, the Primitive Yahwist believes that they can see, to a degree, how the writers of these documents genuine felt the divine had touched their lives. Because of this position, Primitive Yahwists tend to identify themselves as "scriptural rationalists," strongly disagreeing with scriptural inerrancy movements.

Belief system
While the textual tradition itself acknowledges additional supernatural beings, and some would argue the allowance for multiple gods, Primitive Yahwists are characterized by a traditionally monotheistic emphasis on a deity named Yahweh. Since other supernatural beings from "angels" to spirits may be acknowledged, these are not generally worshipped or otherwise sought out. Primitive Yahwism is therefore, if only technically, a henotheistic religion. This ambivalence is further complicated by questions within the movement regarding the relative importance of the deity's name, considering the late point at which the name was introduced and the plethora of titles attributed to him. Some Primitive Yahwists believe the name itself is unimportant, but most continue to use the name if only for convenience.

Additionally, Primitive Yahwists tend:


 * To follow the theories of modern scholarship in interpreting their religious texts.
 * To keep the Sabbath and the Jewish Holidays, but in non-literalistic forms, pointing to evidence that many rules concerning their observance came about far after their institution as a tradition.
 * Not to keep the Jewish dietary laws (especially modern Rabbinic additions) due to evidence that they were a later convention first intended for the priesthood and then later adapted to the common people during the Exile to Babylon.
 * To practice forms of altar-building and burn incense, libations, and other types of sacrifice.

Covenantal theology
Besides traditional worship methods such as prayer and sacrifice, Primitive Yahwists sometimes form "covenants" either with one another or with Yahweh himself. Covenants are a recurring theme within the E and J sources. In its simplest form, a covenant is a contract agreed to between two or more parties, including God. A covenant is always considered witnessed by Yahweh at the bare minimum, although it is advisable to include a few mortal witnesses for corporeal enforcement as well. Because all covenants are considered witnessed to by God, they are thought to have an eternal quality. Unlike a contract, a covenant cannot be irreparably "broken." Should one party fail to uphold their end of the bargain, the other party is free to lapse. However, so long as either party maintains their end, the other is honor bound to carry on. As a result, these covenants would be kept up until the death of both parties, a matter complicated by the fact that parents may contract on behalf of their future children. It is, of course, possible to design covenants with escape clauses for mutual benefit, so long as all parties agree, the covenant stands.

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