Welcome to the Polydox Institute

This website is dedicated to the memory of Rabbi Alvin J. Reines, philosopher of religion and one of Reform Judaism's most creative thinkers. It contains his life work on "Polydoxy," a term he coined to describe the nature and function of liberal religion.

A polydox religion is one in which the individual has the right to self-authority and freedom within religion. The varied beliefs and practices allowed and affirmed are the sources of its Greek name: poly (many) and doxa (opinion).

The Polydox Institute encourages personal autonomy and diversity in religious discourse. Polydox religions, whether Jewish, Christian, or other origin, embrace creative questions and responses to existence.

We offer this website as an educational resource with hope for the future.

Hera Reines, Chairperson of the Board
Rabbi Michael Perelmuter, Co-director
Rev. Jarmo Tarkki, Ph.D., Co-director

Frequently asked questions about Polydoxy

What is a "Polydoxy"?
Reines: A polydoxy is a religion whose fundamental principle is that every person is her or his own ultimate religious authority with the right, therefore, to accept and follow whichever religious beliefs and observances she or he thinks true and meaningful... All beliefs regarding the great subjects of religion such as the meaning of the word God or the existence and nature of an afterlife are equally acceptable. The fundamental principle of a polydoxy may be stated in terms of a covenant, the Covenant of Freedom: Every member of a polydox community pledges to affirm the freedom of all other members in return for their pledges to affirm her or his own. Equally binding in a polydoxy is the corollary of the Covenant of Freedom: Every member's freedom ends where the other members' freedom begins.

What is the polydox definition of religion?
Reines: Religion is the human person's response to the conflict of finitude. Stated more fully: (it) is the human person's response to the psychic conflict produced by the clash between the awareness of finity and...the passionate desire not to be finite...The ideal purpose of a religion is to provide a response...to resolve the conflict and....attain a state of ultimate meaningful existence...(or) soteria.

Where is God in Polydoxy?
Reines: ...In the course of Jewish history, Jews have subscribed to...different and conflicting views regarding the word God...ranging from monotheism to pantheism to agnosticism. It is only in a polydoxy, where theological freedom prevails, that the polydox community as a whole grants to its individual members the freedom to determine for themselves (any) meaning and use regarding the word God.