Show JEWISH REFORMS Abolishing Hcl > rcv Prayers Cir cuiucision und the Saturday Sabbath B Lowenthal president in an address to the Chicago Sinai congregation issued a few days ago falls in with the spirit of the radical reform movement among the Jews and what he has to say will no doubt attract considerable attention He takes strong ground in favor of abolish ing all Hebrew reading and prayers in the following language It has frequently been stated from our pulpit that stereotyped forms of prayer are no indication of true devotion That this statement finds an echo in the hearts of our members can be readily observed on those holidays when long prayers are the rule Few are interested enough to take up the prayerbook Nevertheless in spite of this fact we continue to insist on having read for and to us prayers and chaplers from the Bible in a language un derstood by a few of our members and not at all by the younger generation It certainly speaks well for the latter if out of a feeling of piety they do not ridicule this I will not discuss the question of virtue in prayer but will contlmt m nH by saying what no one will gainsay i that if there is any virtue in it it can not be when offered in a language not understood under-stood Such praying or reading has no more effect than Chinese prayer machines or Latin mass Both of these methods of devotion do seem very ridiculous to us and yet we substantially go through similar exercises Let us then be consistent con-sistent and abolish at the earliest moment mo-ment practicable all Hebrew reading and prayers He also takes a stand against the practice prac-tice of the rite of circumcision which has been denounced as a disgusting relic of barbarism by the pulpit which if true as most of us concede it to be he says why is it not our duty to declare in unmistakable language that the practice prac-tice of the rite of circumcision is sacrilegious sacri-legious and should be discontinued and also make known the fact by resolution what may be inferred from the silence on that point in our constitution In reference to the observance of Saturday Sat-urday as a religious holiday he thinks the custom should be abolished on the principle of the greatest good to the greatest great-est number and recommends that a change be made to the Christian Sabbath by the Sinai congregation To meet in advance the question that recommendations recommenda-tions of this kind should proceed from the minister instead of the I president he says I have fully considered consid-ered the propriety thereof and am fully satisfied that it is not only the privilege of the President to make any recommendations recommen-dations which in his opinion would advance ad-vance the interests of the congregation but also that it is clearly his duty In conclusion he says When prejudice preju-dice and superstition have given way to reason and enlightenment be it in the near or distant future our efforts will be recognized and emulated by those who now oppose us We can bide our time and in the meantime be doing our duty without fear or favor and when darkness gives way to light Sinai congregation will have the proud satisfaction of having served in Proud front ranks among the founders of a religion broad enough for all humanity to stand on |