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Religion - Tradition
by Joseph Wolpert
One of my favorite Broadway musical shows is "Fiddler on The Roof".
It is the story of a Jewish family - like many (including my paternal grandfather) who left Russia because of persecution.
The central character is Tevya - the patriarch of the family who earns his living as a milk man.
The music is wonderful and memorable. There are scenes that evoke profound emotion and others that produce deep belly laughs.
Throughout the play - Tevya often walks to the front of the stage, peers at one of the spotlights and talks to God.
In one particular scene, he moves toward the floodlights, looks up at the spotlight and says (I'm paraphrasing) "In our little village of Anatevka - everyone knows who he is and what God expects. How? I can tell you in one word - TRADITION!"
Then the orchestra and chorus begins the wonderful song "Tradition". Tradition is important for all spiritual or religious groups because as Tevya says - it helps us with our personal identity and we have a developed and coherent view of our relationship with God.
There are very real and practical consequences of all of this.
Question: what happens when a Catholic Priest or a Rabbi retires, leaves, or moves on from his Parish or Synagogue? Does the attendance go down?
No.
What invariably happens when a popular Protestant minister leaves a church?
Is the attendance effected?
Usually.
The attendance and growth at most Protestant churches is tied into the popularity and effectiveness of the minister.
In fact, there is a saying - "As the minister, so goes the church."
These fluctuations in attendance and size of congregations rarely occurs in Synagogues and Catholic churches because they have "tradition" as a bonding, cohering, and supporting factor.
This not only solidifies the church - but it can also be a major and positive factor in the families as well.
Half of my family is Jewish.
Every year, we would go to my aunt and uncle's home for Passover Seder (that's the first night of Passover).
It was wonderful.
Not only was the food always great - the tradition observed through that meal gave you sense of belonging to "something".
During the early life of the Christian church - there were often persecutions.
I am convinced that the early Christians who survived those persecutions did so not only on theological grounds - faith in what they believed - but also because of the strength they garnered through a common tradition.
The same can be said for Jewish people who have survived such insane and inhuman treatment throughout history.
Unfortunately, independent philosophical seekers of truth tend to have little if any interest in history (which includes tradition).
There is an inherent "every person for himself" attitude that ignores or rejects the value of history and tradition.
Tradition and rituals are simply viewed as symbolic forms and practices that are not necessary if you understand the "idea" behind them.
What is overlooked is that all "true" symbols reveal far more than they hide and that participation in "group" ritual, liturgies, and traditions - give meaning and identity to those who participate.
Also, and perhaps of utmost importance is the fact the God of the Judeo-Christian heritage or tradition is present in and reveals Himself through such practices.
Tradition is always an asset.
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Joseph Wolpert is the Founder and Director of Joseph Wolpert Ministries. An ordained minister, he travels extensively across the United States and Mexico teaching on The Holy Spirit and Spiritual Gifts. He also conducts Healing Meetings where he prays for thousands of people a year.
Joseph Wolpert Ministries also offers Consultanting Services to Churchs interested in growth and development. JWM produces a wide range of audio cassette tapes. Reverend Wolpert is the author of The Crux, The Core, and The Cross of Christianity, I Don't Know How To Pray But God Does. You can visit his web site at http://members.aol.com/jwol/index.html
