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From: abeles@mhuxm.UUCP (abeles)
Newsgroups: net.religion.jewish
Subject: Re: Questions about conversion to Judaism
Message-ID: <317@mhuxm.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 15-Feb-85 12:07:42 EST
Article-I.D.: mhuxm.317
Posted: Fri Feb 15 12:07:42 1985
Date-Received: Sat, 16-Feb-85 06:31:30 EST
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Organization: Bell Communications Research, Murray Hill, NJ
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> The 7 Noachide laws correspond to over a hundred of our mitzvoth.
> 
> If a conservative rabbi is shomer tora and mitzvoth then he is
> orthodox by definition. Otherwise we can't accept his converts.
No, he is not Orthodox.  Orthodoxy is an organized movement and it
is the hypothetical "conservative rabbi"'s decision whether or not
to associate with it.
> Thus the issue is halachic not political.
No, the issue is political and the fact that it has "halachic" aspects
is irrelevant because the parties do not agree on what constitutes
"halacha."  It is most certainly political because policies which affect
most directly the lives of other people through government (Who is a
Jew legal issues) enforcement are the very heart of the issue.
>               
>                                Asher Schechter

Remember that I am not arguing that Orthodox Judaism is not the
best way of life.  I am also not arguing that Orthodox Jews 
should be restricted from certain activities which do not infringe
on the rights of others.  What I am arguing is that Orthodox Jews
should not be permitted to impose their beliefs upon other people.

I honestly don't believe that a single one of the contributors to
the net (from the right-wing) would really disagree with me.  I suspect
that they are caught up in a problem which they feel forces them to
publicly take a view which is distasteful even to themselves (Samet,
Teitz, Meth, Saal, etc.)  That view is that they should coerce others
against their will with the help of government.  These participants
in the discussion do not wish to admit that the intolerance towards
others has gone too far or that "halacha" as they perceive it has
been incorrect.

as ever,

a Good Shabbos to all,

--J. Abeles