Across families

Anglicanism and Conservative (Masorti) Judaism

Different families with 11 axes in close agreement — the sort of pairing a quiz weighting only the divine axes would never surface. Mean distance across all seventeen axes: 0.14 (0 would be identical).

AnglicanismChristianity

Deliberately broad: scripture, tradition and reason weighted together, with liturgical form holding together people who disagree doctrinally. Has the widest dispersions of any Christian body here, and that width is the tradition rather than a defect in the data.

Conservative (Masorti) JudaismJudaism

Halakhah is binding and also historically developed, so the law changes deliberately and slowly through a scholarly process. Sits between Orthodox and Reform on almost every axis, and does so on purpose.

Where they agree

  • A4 Locus

    Both sit at between wholly beyond the world and fully present within it — a gap of 0.00.

  • D3 The body

    Both sit at between to be disciplined and to be celebrated — a gap of 0.00.

  • C2 Shape of time

    Both sit at one life, then judgment — a gap of 0.02.

  • B1 Source of truth

    Both sit at leaning revealed and fixed — a gap of 0.02.

  • E4 Standing of nature

    Both sit at between creation, given for use and animate and itself sacred — a gap of 0.03.

  • E2 Origin of the cosmos

    Both sit at an intentional act — a gap of 0.03.

  • A1 Divine reality

    Both sit at a divine reality certainly exists — a gap of 0.03.

  • B2 Reading of sacred text

    Both sit at between literal and binding and metaphorical, or no text at all — a gap of 0.08.

  • D2 Centrality of ritual

    Both sit at leaning essential and prescribed and essential and prescribed respectively — a gap of 0.08.

  • A3 Plurality

    Both sit at strictly one — a gap of 0.10.

  • A2 Personhood

    Both sit at a personal being one can address and leaning a personal being one can address respectively — a gap of 0.10.

Where they part company

  • C3 The human condition

    Anglicanism: leaning fallen and in need of rescue. Conservative (Masorti) Judaism: leaning ignorant but fundamentally sound. A gap of 0.42 on an axis running from “fallen and in need of rescue” to “ignorant but fundamentally sound”.

  • E3 Locus of belonging

    Anglicanism: between a people, inherited and an individual choice. Conservative (Masorti) Judaism: a people, inherited. A gap of 0.40 on an axis running from “a people, inherited” to “an individual choice”.

All seventeen axes

AxisAnglicanismConservative (Masorti) JudaismGap
A1 Divine realitya divine reality certainly existsa divine reality certainly exists0.03
A2 Personhooda personal being one can addressleaning a personal being one can address0.10
A3 Pluralitystrictly onestrictly one0.10
A4 Locusbetween wholly beyond the world and fully present within itbetween wholly beyond the world and fully present within it0.00
B1 Source of truthleaning revealed and fixedleaning revealed and fixed0.02
B2 Reading of sacred textbetween literal and binding and metaphorical, or no text at allbetween literal and binding and metaphorical, or no text at all0.08
B3 Institutional authoritybetween clergy and tradition decide and individual conscience decidesleaning clergy and tradition decide0.14
C1 Survival of the selfcontinues in some formbetween ends at death and continues in some form0.32
C2 Shape of timeone life, then judgmentone life, then judgment0.02
C3 The human conditionleaning fallen and in need of rescueleaning ignorant but fundamentally sound0.42
D1 Mechanism of the ultimate goodleaning given as gracebetween given as grace and achieved by effort or insight0.34
D2 Centrality of ritualleaning essential and prescribedessential and prescribed0.08
D3 The bodybetween to be disciplined and to be celebratedbetween to be disciplined and to be celebrated0.00
E1 Exclusivitybetween one true path and many valid pathsleaning many valid paths0.20
E2 Origin of the cosmosan intentional actan intentional act0.03
E3 Locus of belongingbetween a people, inherited and an individual choicea people, inherited0.40
E4 Standing of naturebetween creation, given for use and animate and itself sacredbetween creation, given for use and animate and itself sacred0.03

Positions for Anglicanism rest principally on Thirty-Nine Articles (1571) and the Book of Common Prayer; for Conservative (Masorti) Judaism, on Emet Ve-Emunah (1988) and Committee on Jewish Law and Standards responsa. Per-cell sources are listed on each tradition’s own page.

Which of the two is closer to you?

The questionnaire places your answers on these same axes and ranks all 65 traditions by how closely they match. Take it.