Judaism · branch
Reconstructionist Judaism
Judaism as an evolving civilisation rather than a revealed religion: God is reconceived as the process that makes for salvation, while practice is retained because it is how a civilisation lives. Non-supernatural and strongly peoplehood-centred at once.
What makes it unusual
The axes on which this tradition sits furthest from the middle of the matrix — which is to say, the positions that actually distinguish it.
- A2 Personhoodleaning impersonal principle or orderFurther toward "impersonal principle or order" than most traditions in the matrix.
- A1 Divine realitybetween nothing beyond the natural and a divine reality certainly existsFurther toward "nothing beyond the natural" than most traditions in the matrix.
- C1 Survival of the selfleaning ends at deathFurther toward "ends at death" than most traditions in the matrix.
- E3 Locus of belongingleaning a people, inheritedFurther toward "a people, inherited" than most traditions in the matrix.
All seventeen positions
Each cell carries a centre, a dispersion — how much internal variation the tradition genuinely tolerates — and the source the position rests on. Disagree with one? Say so; corrections are public and recorded.
The same seventeen values as a single shape, read clockwise from A1 at the top. The outline is where the tradition sits; the wider band around it is the variation it genuinely tolerates, so a tight outline is a tight tradition.
- position
- tolerated variation
A · The divine
| Axis | Position | Value | ±σ |
|---|---|---|---|
| A1 Divine realitynothing beyond the natural → a divine reality certainly exists | between nothing beyond the natural and a divine reality certainly existsKaplan, Judaism as a Civilization (1934) | 0.42 | 0.24 |
| A2 Personhoodimpersonal principle or order → a personal being one can address | leaning impersonal principle or orderKaplan, Judaism as a Civilization (1934) | 0.22 | 0.18 |
| A3 Pluralitystrictly one → many powers and spirits | strictly oneKaplan, Judaism as a Civilization (1934) | 0.05 | 0.06 |
| A4 Locuswholly beyond the world → fully present within it | fully present within itKaplan, Judaism as a Civilization (1934) | 0.85 | 0.12 |
B · Knowledge and authority
| Axis | Position | Value | ±σ |
|---|---|---|---|
| B1 Source of truthrevealed and fixed → reason and direct experience | leaning reason and direct experienceKaplan, Judaism as a Civilization (1934) | 0.80 | 0.11 |
| B2 Reading of sacred textliteral and binding → metaphorical, or no text at all | metaphorical, or no text at allKaplan, Judaism as a Civilization (1934) | 0.88 | 0.10 |
| B3 Institutional authorityclergy and tradition decide → individual conscience decides | leaning individual conscience decidesKaplan, Judaism as a Civilization (1934) | 0.70 | 0.13 |
C · Self and destiny
| Axis | Position | Value | ±σ |
|---|---|---|---|
| C1 Survival of the selfends at death → continues in some form | leaning ends at deathKaplan, Judaism as a Civilization (1934) | 0.35 | 0.24 |
| C2 Shape of timeone life, then judgment → cyclical return | one life, then judgmentKaplan, Judaism as a Civilization (1934) | 0.10 | 0.10 |
| C3 The human conditionfallen and in need of rescue → ignorant but fundamentally sound | leaning ignorant but fundamentally soundKaplan, Judaism as a Civilization (1934) | 0.82 | 0.11 |
D · Practice
| Axis | Position | Value | ±σ |
|---|---|---|---|
| D1 Mechanism of the ultimate goodgiven as grace → achieved by effort or insight | leaning achieved by effort or insightKaplan, Judaism as a Civilization (1934) | 0.78 | 0.13 |
| D2 Centrality of ritualessential and prescribed → optional or absent | leaning essential and prescribedKaplan, Judaism as a Civilization (1934) | 0.30 | 0.14 |
| D3 The bodyto be disciplined → to be celebrated | leaning to be celebratedKaplan, Judaism as a Civilization (1934) | 0.68 | 0.14 |
E · World and others
| Axis | Position | Value | ±σ |
|---|---|---|---|
| E1 Exclusivityone true path → many valid paths | many valid pathsKaplan, Judaism as a Civilization (1934) | 0.88 | 0.10 |
| E2 Origin of the cosmosan intentional act → beginningless or natural | between an intentional act and beginningless or naturalKaplan, Judaism as a Civilization (1934) | 0.58 | 0.20 |
| E3 Locus of belonginga people, inherited → an individual choice | leaning a people, inheritedKaplan, Judaism as a Civilization (1934) | 0.22 | 0.13 |
| E4 Standing of naturecreation, given for use → animate and itself sacred | leaning animate and itself sacredKaplan, Judaism as a Civilization (1934) | 0.68 | 0.13 |
Further reading
- Kaplan, Judaism as a Civilization (1934) — The founding argument; the A1 value of 0.42 comes straight from it.
- Alpert & Staub, Exploring Judaism: A Reconstructionist Approach — How practice survives the loss of the supernatural warrant.
Compared with
- Reconstructionist Judaism and Progressive Christianity
- Reconstructionist Judaism and Reform Judaism
- Reconstructionist Judaism and Unitarian Universalism
- Reconstructionist Judaism and Jehovah’s Witnesses
- Reconstructionist Judaism and Reformed Christianity (Calvinism)
- Reconstructionist Judaism and Evangelical and Baptist Christianity
The questionnaire places your own answers on these same seventeen axes and reports how close you are to this tradition and to 64 others. Take it — eight to fourteen questions, nothing transmitted.