Home

Jewish-Catholic consultation on morals to continue | May 11, 2008

The Consultation met in New York, bringing together representatives of the US Catholic Bishops, the Union of Orthodox Rabbis and the Rabbinical Council of America. While remaining true to their distinct interpretations, they sought common patrimony.

The Ten Commandments can provide the basis for secular arguments on contemporary moral issues, members of the Catholic-Jewish Consultation noted at an April 30 meeting in New York City. Bringing together representatives of the United State Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), the Union of Orthodox Rabbis (OU) and the Rabbinical Council of America (RCA), it meets twice a year. The recent meeting focused on religion and public morality in today’s American society.

Speaking from a Jewish perspective, David Berger, Ph.D., head of the Jewish Studies Department at Yeshiva College, New York City, drew a distinction between the religious character of the first four commandments and the “secular” character of the other six. “The Sabbath, for example, is a quintessentially religious commandment, a ritual observance, even though it also has the social values of rest, freedom from work, and bringing people together,” he said.

Dr. Berger spoke also regarding the Sabbath that it has also influenced secular views on human dignity and human rights. However, when it comes to codifying civil law in a country that upholds church-state separation, Berger argued that religious prescriptions carry little weight unless they are also based on secular reason and need.

Read the article here

Posted by admin at May 11, 2008 08:52 PM


 Digg it    del.icio.us  reddit
Email this URL to: . Your email address is:
Optional Message:

Copyright ©2005 IRFWP. All rights reserved.
Home | Top of the Page