Reform Jews are by no stretch of the imagination fundamental Jews. They incorporate many modern ideas into their religion. They are also very lenient about their views. They accept other reform Jews who believe in differing ideals, one of the most popular differences being belief in a Deity. The majority of reform Jews believe that the book of Genesis should be read symbolically as opposed to literally. They adhere to their religion while still incorporating modern sciences, technologies, and discoveries. As they are a very relaxed group, there is no official position concerning the afterlife. Reform Jews may choose to believe what they wish. In their religion, there is no satin, solely selfish desires as a side effect of free will. Salvation comes from occasional worship of God and from conducting ones self in a fashion that does no harm to others and is healthy for the individual, society, and the earth. There is no hell for those who do not lead a good life as God is always forgiving. The extent to which followers adhere to the Jewish laws is their choice.
My reaction:
When I first saw that my closest Eastern religion was reform judaism, I was slightly taken aback. Once again, I had always had a stereotype of the Jewish religion, and knew little to nothing about it. I never thought that Judaism would conform to my beliefs the way it does. I suspected that I would match a religion that is very lenient about their laws/beliefs. Reform Judaism does seem to fit my views for the most part. I do not adhere to strict laws, nor do I want to be forced to believe one specific thing. I have always found faults in religion where it meets science, however, reform Judaism seems to accept science and even incorporate it very well. I also never liked to take religious texts literally. I always found them interesting and helpful, even guiding at times, but never did I think it right to take them literally. I have always preferred to learn lessons that I can apply to my everyday life, without having to change my way of life for a religion. I revere the earth, and believe that it is important to have moral standards in ones life, sometimes set by religion. For those reasons, I find reform Judaism a good match.
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