Extremism as a Religious Norm

Abstract

Contrary to prevailing paradigms of modernization and secularization, I contend that extremism is the norm, and that it is not extremism but moderation that requires explanation. Relying on impressions from contemporary Judaism, extremism is defined here as the desire to expand the scope, detail and strictness of law; social isolation; and the rejection of the surrounding culture. Religious extremism is an impulse or an orientation which, when objectified in persons and institutions, is invariably moderated. Religious moderation can be accounted for by the mixed motivations of adherents, either individuals or groups, who temper their religious impulses in order to achieve non-religious goals at the individual or communal level. Religious moderation may be a strategy to persuade or convert others, or to protect the community itself against a hostile environment. In all instances, moderation is associated with prestige and strong communal commitments. The decline of the community permits the breakthrough of extremist tendencies. This is facilitated by the decline of the secular culture with which the moderates were associated. This theory is applied to two types of Jewish extremism in Israel, one anti-nationalist and the other ultra-nationalist in orientation.