Struggle from within: The complexity of Modern Orthodoxy, the relationship between religious actions and beliefs and the religious development of Modern Orthodox adolescents

Abstract

This study explores the ideological complexity in Modern Orthodoxy and the factors involved in healthy religious development of Modern Orthodox adolescents. The purpose of this study is to look at the relationship between religious action and belief amongst Modern Orthodox adolescents.;Participants in this study were Jewish Modern Orthodox adolescents ranging from grades 9-12. There were two data sets which were merged together with a total sample size of 579. The total number of participants with completed data was 484.;Participants were administered the JewBALE survey which is a 175 item questionnaire containing 66 belief items and 109 items concerning religious actions. This survey has two distinct categories of questions: beliefs related to Modern Orthodox Jewish practice; and actions related to Modern Orthodox Jewish practice.;The findings supported hypothesis 1 which stated that Modern Orthodox adolescents who show a general commitment to Shabbat Observance will also show a commitment to Kashrut. The findings also supported hypothesis 2 which stated that Modern Orthodox adolescents who show a general commitment to Shabbat Observance and Kashrut will show a commitment to Relationship to Israel. And the findings did not support the 3rd and last hypothesis which stated that Modern Orthodox adolescents who show a general commitment to Shabbat Observance and Kashrut will show Openness to Secular Knowledge. Cluster Analyses showed that the group referred to as "strong" containing 81% of the participants yielded high scores on all four actions and beliefs. However, average action scores were slightly higher than average belief scores. The group referred to as "moderate" containing 18% of the participants had relatively high levels of belief but appeared to be more ambivalent about observance of Jewish law.