Editing Conservative Judaism (section)

===Attitude===
Conservative Judaism was marked by ambivalence and ambiguity in all theological matters from its earliest stages. Rabbi [[Zecharias Frankel]], considered its intellectual progenitor, believed the very notion of theology was alien to traditional Judaism. He was often accused of obscurity on the subject by his opponents, both [[Reform Judaism|Reform]] and [[Orthodox Judaism|Orthodox]]. The American movement largely espoused a similar approach, and its leaders mostly avoided the field. Only in 1985 did a course about Conservative theology open in the [[Jewish Theological Seminary of America]] (JTS). The hitherto sole major attempt to define a clear credo was made in 1988, with the Statement of Principles ''Emet ve-Emunah'' (Truth and Belief) formulated and issued by the [[Leadership Council of Conservative Judaism]]. The introduction stated that "lack of definition was useful" in the past, but a need to articulate one now arose. The platform provided many statements citing key concepts such as God, revelation, and [[Jews as the chosen people|election]], but also acknowledged that a variety of positions and convictions existed within its ranks, eschewing strict delineation of principles and often expressing conflicting views.<ref name="Gordis">{{cite book |surname=Gordis |given=Daniel |authorlink=Daniel Gordis |chapter=Conservative Judaism: The Struggle between Ideology and Popularity |editor-surname=Neusner |editor-given=Jacob |editor-link=Jacob Neusner |editor2-surname=Avery-Peck |editor2-given=Alan J. |title=The Blackwell Companion to Judaism |year=2003 |orig-year=2000 |edition=Reprint |pages=334–353 |publisher=Blackwell Publ. |place=Malden, Mass |chapter-url={{Google books|id=bEyD_MaeqP4C|plainurl=y|page=334|keywords=|text=}} |url={{Google books|id=bEyD_MaeqP4C|plainurl=y}} |isbn=1-57718-058-5}}</ref><ref name="AS">[[Alan Silverstein]], ''Modernists vs. Traditionalists: Competition for Legitimacy within American Conservative Judaism'', in: ''Studies in Contemporary Jewry, Volume XVII'', Oxford University Press, 2001. pp. 40–43.</ref><ref name="ElazarGeffen">{{cite book |surname=Elazar |given=Daniel J. |given2=Rela Mintz |surname2=Geffen |authorlink=Daniel J. Elazar |title=The Conservative Movement in Judaism: Dilemmas and Opportunities |publisher=SUNY Press |year=2012 |place=Albany, NY |isbn=9780791492024 |url={{Google books|id=6Lg6BmMTZGIC|plainurl=y|page=|keywords=|text=}}}}</ref> In a 1999 special edition of ''[[Conservative Judaism (journal)|Conservative Judaism]]'' dedicated to the matter, leading rabbis [[Elliot N. Dorff]] and [[Gordon Tucker]] stated that "the great diversity" within the movement "makes the creation of a theological vision shared by all neither possible nor desirable".<ref>''”If you are My witnesses...”: Special Issue on Theology''. Conservative Judaism 51, no. 2 (Winter 1999). p. 13.</ref>