 Dr.
Alvin J. Reines was Professor of Philosophy and Theology at the Hebrew
Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion, the rabbinical seminary
of Reform Judaism, in Cincinnati, Ohio. Born in Paterson,
New Jersey, he graduated from Yeshiva College, attended
NYU Law School, and held rabbinic ordination from the Hebrew Union
College. Following his ordination, he received a Doctorate in Philosophy
from Harvard University in l958 and joined the faculty of the Hebrew
Union College that same year. At Harvard, Dr Reines was a student
of Harry A. Wolfson, and specialized in medieval philosophy, particularly
the great medieval Jewish philosophers, Maimonides and Abravanel.
Other major influences on his thinking were contemporary empirical
philosophy and scientific cosmology.
Dr. Reines stated that "during the years of education at both the
Hebrew Union College and Harvard, it became clear to me that Reform Judaism--although
ostensibly taught and practiced--possessed no definition of what, in
fact, it was. Upon analysis, I came to the realization that Reform Judaism
was a polydoxy: a religion that is not based upon an infallible revelation.
A polydoxy has for its essence a Covenant of Freedom; namely, a covenant
in which every person affirms the autonomy of all other persons in return
for their affirmation of his or her own self-authority. (Accordingly,
for example, every person has the moral right to determine what the term
'god' means for him or her)."
In the 1970s, a group of Dr. Reines' students formed the Institute of
Creative Judaism (ICJ), a research organization devoted to developing
educational and liturgical materials specifically for a polydox Jewish
community.
Over time, however, it became increasingly clear that the principle of
polydoxy underlies not just Reform Judaism but, rather, constitutes the
universal essence of all religions that affirm the ultimate autonomy
of their adherents. Also, the emergence of a very real, though admittedly
small, polydox Christian community, as well as the recognition of a sizable
and growing number of Christian and Jewish "disaffiliates" who
affirm polydox principles, necessitated an expansion of focus. Hence
the Polydox Institute was created to address the liturgical and educational
needs of the broad spectrum of polydox adherents, be they Jewish, Christian
or other.
Dr. Reines' seminal work, Polydoxy: Explorations in a Philosophy of
Liberal Religion (Buffalo: Prometheus Books, 1987), lays out the fundamental
rationale for polydoxy, provides much-needed new definitions of "religion" and "theology," and
provides a wealth of insight into the current crisis of liberal religion.
His book is available through Amazon.com.
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