For the “clowns” abroad

About two weeks ago, I watched an article about the greenhouse effect. This article made me wonder again how come the rabbis and Christian pastors don’t talk about the hearts of their flocks to change their consumption patterns?!
This question gave rise to many other questions, which resulted in the following:
I wonder, and at the same time I understand that I shouldn’t expect too much from these religious leaders – because despite their understanding that current consumption patterns are destructive for the future of their descendants, they cannot preach a reduction in consumption, because the modern economy is built on increased consumption, the opposite of which is an economic depression that no one wants. Therefore, the way to achieve change is probably through education to change consumption patterns – a process that is starting to happen, although at a much slower pace than necessary.

Nearly 30 years ago, I developed the following idea regarding wages in the world: Every person in society [a nation] is like a cell in living tissue. The strength and durability of the tissue depend on the well-being of the individual cells, and sometimes the tissue must sacrifice some of its cells in order to preserve the remaining cells of the tissue!
Regarding the reward in the world to come: The well-being of our descendants is our reward in the world to come.
If we succeed in marketing this idea to the general public – Jews and non-Jews alike, then it will be easier for us to deal with global warming and other environmental problems resulting from wasteful consumerism.
Our need to ensure the future of our descendants should not prevent us from trying to deal with the problems of the present.
But since my tendency is to combine my need to define Judaism as a faith whose main focus is on preserving creation, then we must also try to find a solution to the current hardships of human groups everywhere on earth.
Our duty not to stand idly by in the face of the suffering of other peoples stems not only from our bloody history, but from our belief that this is the proper way to worship God.
Although in most cases our hands will be short of a savior, it is our duty to stand guard and raise the alarm in every possible international forum, and to seek ways that will shake the hearts of the nations of the world and their leaders that they must not sit idly by in the face of massacres between peoples – no matter how far away and isolated they may be!
First of all, we must admit that ultimately the world today is safer than it was in the past – even though in absolute numbers it doesn’t seem that way – but this is for two reasons: One reason is that the population of the Earth has grown from 1.5 billion at the beginning of the 20th century to 7 billion today, so wherever there are wars, the numbers also grow, and besides, the media brings us an up-to-date picture of the situation, which was not the case until now.

Today, apart from slurring our words at the sight of the victims of massacres around the world, we are not prepared to act. But slowly, slowly, the realization is dawning that violence in distant countries causes citizens to flee and, as a result, undermines the demographic order in the safe countries to which they flee. This situation, in addition to the anguish we feel in the face of the horrors presented to us on the screens, is sufficient reason to try to understand the causes of this violence.
Since radical Islam is the hottest topic today, many Easterners are trying to understand its manifestations of violence.
But let us not forget that Islamic terrorism was preceded by Marxist terrorist organizations in Europe and Japan, and on the other hand, nationalist terrorist organizations developed in Northern Ireland and the Basque Country. The founders of the terrorist organizations were young people who tried to influence policy through political means, and because the establishment thwarted them, their struggle escalated to terrorism.
Although I do not have relevant intelligence sources, I assume that there are several reasons that motivate people to volunteer for the ranks of the Islamic State, and I am not referring at this time to Muslims living in countries controlled by ISIS, but to Muslims living in the West – it is known that many Muslims living in the West have not assimilated into the ruling society, which is why they feel alienated, with all the negative consequences of this. To find social and psychological relief, they start by regularly visiting the mosque,
If the imam in that mosque is a fanatical Muslim, he will brainwash young Muslims in his sermons, convincing them that joining the ranks of ISIS will elevate their stature, and they will be the foundation of the Islamic state and no longer on the fringes of the Christian state.

I assume that many young people, some of whom were not Muslims, joined the ranks of ISIS mainly because they were restless young people looking for “action.” This need was certainly identified by the preachers of radical Islam, and thus they exploited the desires of these young people to realize the vision of the caliphate.
And I am convinced that more humane alternatives will be developed that may also excite these young people with ideas that oppose radical Islam. And those young people will feel a lot of satisfaction if they provide a real, positive response to influence what is happening in the world.
I believe that if young Muslims around the world are given positive, challenging tasks in which they can exercise their responsibility, leadership skills, intelligence, and resourcefulness, they will respond to them with no less enthusiasm than to fighting in the ranks of ISIS.

I am aware that we will never be able to completely prevent acts of terrorism by individuals, and there will always be small terrorist organizations. But I think it is possible to prevent the mass volunteerism that characterized ISIS in its early days.
But here the place to raise a completely different issue is the urgent need to set a new example:
Anyone who believes in the one God must not cause irreparable harm to something that God created.
Irreversible harm is permitted only for basic subsistence needs in a proportionate and non-wasteful manner.
And another proposal that could in principle be accepted by Jews, Muslims, and Christians of all denominations except Catholics:
Humans – by virtue of being born of woman – are prone to error, and because of this, even the learned and knowledgeable in their religion may not properly understand the words of God as conveyed to the founder of their religion.
Therefore, when religious leaders preach violence, it is imperative to remind them that they are only flesh and blood, and they may err in understanding the word of God! As a result, the legal rulings that those religious leaders issue may, without prior intention, ignite a fire that will have many victims and which will be very difficult to extinguish.
Here I allow myself to offer another example:
We should not ask God for anything for us.
Our role on earth is to do everything we can to preserve creation.
Hope is essential to our survival, but we must lower our personal expectations.
Let us not think that we are more deserving than the victims of the Holocaust that God will grant our requests!
Reform Judaism has carved on its banner the idea of ​​repairing the world, and sees this idea as its central tenet. I allow myself to offer a slightly different version of this idea.
The repair of the world should be a central value in the consciousness of all mankind. The role of the Jewish people is to be the “pioneer” on this issue. To constantly encourage members of other religions and nations to adopt this idea.
It seems to me that this idea – our commitment to leading the entire human race to embrace the repair of the world – can be the anchor for preserving the identity of Reform Jews as a legitimate movement in Judaism.
Of course, this is not the place to enter into the delicate and complex issue of mixed marriages.
Now I leave it to your fertile imagination – yours – to imagine what would happen if these ideas of Reform Judaism were to find favor and be adopted by a large percentage of the Jews of the State of Israel.
So all the best to you and see you sometime [as long as we stay healthy!]