Sunday, September 10, 2006

How Many Denominations Are There?

Growing up, I only ever heard of Judiasm as being made up of three denominations. There were Orthodox, Conservative, and Reform Jews. I had always felt a little out of the loop, not identifying with any of those traditions. In college I realized that my own form of being Jewish is generally spoken of as cultural or secular Judaism, and it is accepted as equally valid by most people. I also learned about Reconstructionist Judiaism. [And by learned about, I mean I knew that it existed, I don't actually know much about the beliefs or practices of Reconstructionists.]

Recently, at a campus bbq put on by one of the groups I'm advising this year, I heard a student say something that got me thinking about this question. He said something along the lines of,
I've never liked public prayer. Individual prayer I'm ok with, but a bunch of people in a room saying the same thing, I've never liked. God must be thinking, 'I just heard the last guy say the same thing, how unoriginal.'
I have no idea what to call someone who has that type of philosophy. They don't seem to fit into any of the other denominational molds. The more important questions are:
1) Does it serve any purpose for that person to do their own personal/private prayer in the Hillel building with other Jews instead of in their room?
2) What type of programming or services can we hold that would make that person feel welcome and that they have something to gain by going to Hillel and being Jewish with other Jews?

At the work training I went to in Pittsburgh, we did a seminar on Jewish spirituality. We discussed what exactly spirituality is, and a number of people who did not identify with any of the other denominations volunteered that they do have some type of spiritual identitity. There are many one-time programs that could attract those people for a speaker or a worskshop, but is there (or should there) by something that occurs every Friday that would attract people who engage in spiritual Judiasm?

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