Inevitably Comparative, but Not Inevitably Positive: the Study of Jews and Judaism within the Field of Religious Studies

This essay considers the study of Judaism within the framework of Lincoln and Freiberger’s calls for comparative studies. As a minority religion, Judaism usually requires comparative thinking, as scholars consider Judaism within the context of a majority religion. Study of post-WWII American Judaism, in particular, invites comparison, because it marks the high-tide era of “Judeo-Christianity,” in which Judaism was newly considered America’s “third faith,” on a purportedly equal status with Protestantism and Catholicism, thus inviting comparision between the three religions and other traditions outside the small circle of midcentury “American religions.” This postwar, tri-faith status of Judaism reveals some of the costs and benefits of thinking comparatively: when comparison is undertaken with an eye toward creating or maintaining equality among religions, the results may include erasure of distinctions between traditions. The study of Judaism demonstrates some of the politics and ideological motivations of comparative thinking about religion, as well as its potential risks and benefits as explained by Lincoln and Freiberger.