|
| |||||||||||||||||
|
Farhad Aframian Nowadays, Iran Jewish Community is experiencing the replacement of the religious authority. Notwithstanding all pros and cons and the side news of this change, the most important concern of the Jews Social Authorities is to focus on the behavior of the new religious authority and the future of this position. More important issue would be the type of the approach of the men of religion to this issue, which could provide the basis for destruction of social functions of religion. The main base of the philosophy of the contemporary modern society is the intellectualized modern society, and this fundamental feature has placed it in a serious opposition as to interpretations from religion and religion-orientation. What is now covered by religious ethics including the moral principles as well as such general and directing values like seeking justice, freedom, honesty, ethics and hating injustice, lying, insincerity and discord, have always been sacrificed for apparently religious behaviors, but inwardly inconsistent and in contradiction to the real principles of religion, the behaviors which are recognized as radical anomies in the new generation, and as religiosities resulted from reactionary dogmatisms in former generations. From another look, the discussion is the failure of application of appropriate methods and a consistent literature which is effective in motivating different classes of the society to religious practices and rites. The behaviors which have in this atmosphere antiquated, or eliminated, the social functions of religion, like the spirit of monism, unity and cohesion under the shadow of compliance with and respect to human principles. The increase of such mono-dimensional and symbolic behaviors which is indicative of weakness of religious foundations, is a severe warning for religious leaders of the society. Because this imbalance causes the imprudence and development of gests and emergence of religious superstitions, and it can impose irretrievable damages to social life of the society. A historical look at this issue reveals that the depression and abasement of the status of religion began from the time when power-want replaced the religious expediency for human being. The pious of the new generation, as one who criticizes power and tradition, tries to describe spatial power according to religious principles, but appropriate to the time and place dimensions of one society, through defining tradition within the framework of geography and breaking the dominion. Taking into account the mental taste and internal power of individuals, without any excess and negligence shall definitely identify a live and desirable religion which is accompanied by a deeper and more inveterate influence. Now, through drawing attributes of religion in today’s world, though short and brief, and taking into account the religious dialogue now governing the country, and being aware of the attributes of Judaism in this ground, we have to find appropriate solutions for keeping and surviving “the religious, Iranian, Jewish Identity”. Like the other men of faith of Ebrahim’s religions, the followers of prophetic Judaism, seek a clear and transparent function from religion under belief in God, belief in the world’s meaningfulness and belief in ethical system in the current conditions and contemporary situation. Today’s intellectual try to find a way to reform from within from all formulas offered by religion and the solutions prescribed, and they expect the dynamic and desirable religious achievement from their religious leaders. A religion which transforms, gives meaning to their lives and bestows benevolence to human beings. The men of religion are expected to guide the society towards peace and security, to avoid whatever emasculates and weakens their society through a reasonable, precise and deep look at the Jewish minority in the country, and to prevent some sanctimonious people to become subterfuge of the self-seekers outside the community, in the framework of conscientiously defense from the religion which is typically accompanied with personal maliciousness and/or deployment against specific people or individuals. Religion is the basis of heart awareness and the those members of the society with aware hearts should always pay attention to this fact that the meanness and irrational dogmatic behaviors provide the best grounds for the Iranian Jewish Community to be immolated. This is while the foreign opportunists place the simple-minded friends inside the country as their sordid political targets to destroy the Islamic Republic of Iran System, through the use of their own mass media and provoking these sightless emotions. The men of religion are expected to avoid superstition and oversimplification through a religious consideration and try to protect the unification and historical and religious life of the Iranian Jews. In this line, the men of religion of the new generation must aim at co-assistance and consistency among different generations of the society so that they can establish a link between all stratums of the society who have different views. On the other hand, the intellectual people of the Jewish community must have this in their mind that each of such entities like religious authority of the Jewish community, Jewish Committeeand the Representative of the Iran’s Jewish Community in Islamic Consultative Assembly, are acting in a larger society, i.e Iran, and they represent the identity of the Jewish Community, and any of their expressions, which directly or indirectly, creates doubts in validity of the official entities, can be accompanied with the enormous danger of the confidence on existing entities to be lost and with feeling instability and insecurity along with dissension and scattering in the Jewish community. Through a historical look at the change of religious authority among the Jewish Community, we can realize the principle of religious authority, which is indicative of religious dynamism, because unlike other religious communities in which the religious authority is given to their successors upon their death. In this community, there has been a shift in the life of the religious authorities and this could be regarded as a forte. Of course, this shift will lead to some challenges, but through the use of past experiences and educating the pious and knowledgeable people who are able to acquire the requirements, we can overcome the said challenges. It is hoped with the wisdom of the new religious authority and their committed behavior and with the support of the right-minded and religious society of Jewish Iranians, we will see the protection and dynamism of the religious identity and the pure causes of Judaism, far from any tension and conflict.
|
|
|
|
