Beliefs, Values & Practices: The core of religion

Religions are generally about 3 things:

1. Beliefs
   
2. Values
   
3. Practices
   

These three things are not the same, although obviously there can be a lot of interdependance - your beliefs could drive your practices and values for example. But beliefs are not values - beliefs are cognitive and epistemilogical, values are emotional at their core. And practices are physical actions. (Interesting question - if two people do the exact same practice, but for entirely different reasons, are they doing the same practice or not?)

There's also a cultural component in religion, though I guess you could argue that culture is basically a composite of beliefs, values and practices.

In Orthodox Judaism, it's a package deal: you are expected to have a certain set of beliefs, a certain set of values and certain practices. Orthopraxers are obviously missing the beliefs, but may retain the practices and values.

Personally, I would say I have LWMO practices, Chareidi values and Reconstructionist beliefs. A bit of a crazy combination but that's life.

My Rabbi often talks about the 'values of the Modern Orthodox community', and I asked him if he meant that deliberately, as opposed to beliefs and practices. He said to me ' Aren't values like beliefs?' so I guess that answered that question. 

But I think there's a few interesting points here. Firstly, 'values' isn't really a word you hear in the Chareidi world. In fact, I can't think of a Torah True word for values: Middot? Not really. Emunot ve'deot? Not really. Hashkafah? Kinda, but not exactly. I'm thinking that 'values' is a somewhat modern concept. I'm thinking if you asked a Chareidi about values he would say 'Values? What do you mean? Hashem gave us Torah and Mitzvot! Those are my values!

Now OF COURSE Chareidim have values, they value learning, big families, ritual etc etc. Everyone has values whether they articulate them or not. And many non Chareidi people might criticize Chareidi values as being too ritual-oriented or whatever. But I think it's interesting that 'values' isn't a word they talk about much, whereas my MO Rabbi is always talking about vaues, but doesn't often mention beliefs. One Orthopraxer in my shul thinks its because talking about 'beliefs' is dangerous territory in a LWMO shul, whereas values is something everyone can talk about.

I'm not sure but I think we do have to split the Orthopraxers into 2 groups, those that have OJ Values & Practices, and those that have OJ practices, but 'foreign' values. I am mostly in the former camp, though I guess even I have to differ with OJ on some values.