[BRIEF NOTE] A Thought Experiment on Pluralism

[rfmcdonald]

Let's say that I said that, yes, it was entirely natural to be born into a Jewish family and to have a Jewish identity. Moreover, let's say that I argued that Jews should be able to contract into marriages with other Jews and raise children in the context of these relationships, though I'd be careful to make the point that true marriage is a legal concept that only Christians can lay claim to and that one has to make sure that your children would be able to function as Christians if they so wanted. Further, let's say that I felt that although any individual Jew might be a good person, the Jewish presence in society should be limited so as to avoid confusing people who might otherwise be convinced into becoming Jews, such that you couldn't work in the media or in government or for youth groups. Finally, let's say that I refused to engage very heartily if at all anti-Semitic bigots, saying that though their views may be nasty they have a right to these views and that they are otherwise good people.

Would I be advancing a different conception of rights, one that preserved the Jewish right to individuality in a pluralistic society? Or would I be a vile bigot unwilling to stand up for the people I claim to respect?