Secular Religiosity: Heretical Imperative, Jewish Imponderables 

זהות יהודית חילוניות מודרנה פילוסופיה יהודית רוחניות תפילה

In this theoretical article, Paul Robert Mendes-Flohr develops the concept of "secular religiosity" to categorize contemporary Jewish affiliation that exists outside traditional halakhic structures. Drawing on Peter Berger’s "heretical imperative," the author explores how modern individuals must make autonomous choices regarding their faith and practices in an age where religious authority is no longer absolute. The article examines the transition from a heteronomous Jewish life to a private, subjective spirituality. It analyzes various theological and hermeneutic strategies used by modern Jewish thinkers to validate spiritual and devotional practices among secular Jews. By contrasting different paradigmatic approaches - such as the relational philosophy of Martin Buber and the existential insights of Franz Rosenzweig - Mendes-Flohr adumbrates how "secular religiosity" allows for a meaningful connection to Jewish tradition, prayer, and ritual, even as these actions are untethered from formal religious dogma.