c. 1996 Religion News Service

(Rabbi Rudin is the national interreligious affairs director of the American Jewish Committee.)

(UNDATED) Preachers of every faith have long employed a special vocabulary to do battle with their adversaries. The S-words, for instance _”sin,””secular,”and”Satan”_ have always been like laser-guided smart bombs in the clergy’s verbal attack arsenal.

But the potency of S-words is being undermined by a new term able to undercut even carefully wrought theological positions. The word has such power that its mere utterance can eradicate the impact of well-reasoned discourses by rabbis, priests, and ministers. Just saying it once can abruptly end any discussion.

In fact, a person need not even speak this new word to achieve the instant demolition of a sermon and the psychological disintegration of the preacher. I have heard reports from churches and synagogues describing how disaffected listeners simply put their thumbs together and extend their index fingers to form a”W,”the first letter in this terrifying new rhetorical weapon.

Some clergy have become so intimidated that they have threatened to seek a Constitutional Amendment banning the word from all public conversations. There are also unconfirmed reports that seminaries are offering courses instructing students on how to counter its awesome power. And psychotherapists tell of increased anxiety among their patients who have been exposed to the dreaded word.

A national crisis of confidence is clearly upon us, and before America’s clergy are reduced to quaking jelly, we must face the dreaded word. Dare I say it? Yes, I must.

Whatever.

It was first used by young people to express their contempt for an elder’s moral position or ethical advice. Millions of parents are left speechless and irate when their children respond to warnings about the risks of alcohol, drugs, AIDS, smoking, unprotected sex, speeding cars, and a myriad of other dangers with a sigh, a shrug and”… whatever.” It basically tells a parent that the younger generation considers itself immune to the problems, and is, of course, too savvy to fall prey to them anyway. And besides, who cares?

Whatever.

Within the Jewish community, the word usually connotes indifference to the problems of continuity and survival. At a recent Sabbath service, the rabbi presented a brilliant analysis of the serious challenges facing the American Jewish community in its efforts to maintain itself amidst religious indifference, low birth rates, assimilation, and intermarriage.

Unlike many such sermons, the rabbi also offered a series of positive steps to help insure Jewish identity. Clearly, the rabbi’s heart, soul, and mind went into the preparation of his excellent talk.

But when I asked two young adults what they thought of the sermon, they offered the three-syllable assessment.

Whatever.

Case closed. Nothing more to say.

I always attend Good Friday services to learn how Jews, Judaism, and the Book of John are presented during Christian Holy Week. This year the minister gave seven brief talks centering upon the last words of Jesus.

The minister was impassioned and articulate in her emphasis on the indispensable centrality of the Easter event for modern Christian life and identity. But to no avail.

At the conclusion of the service, I overheard three young people say that they came only for the beautiful Good Friday music. And what about the sermon? A roll of the eyes, a shrug of the shoulders and once again, the put-down was heard.

Whatever.

This word, so easily uttered, allows for no intelligent discourse and interaction. It means that while you may have your own deeply felt positions and beliefs, I don’t care one way or another. You may ardently believe that Jewish continuity or Christian values are important, but those beliefs mean nothing to me.

The W-word implies that nothing is of any significance, concern, or worth. It describes a world bereft of core values, cut loose from its spiritual mooring.

History has taught us many lessons about what can happen to a society in which nothing is truly valued, where every idea, hope, dream, and problem is blithely dismissed.

In such a moral vacuum, there are always evil leaders who do have strong beliefs, and who are eager to impose them. Doesn’t that make you worried? Doesn’t that make you feel vulnerable? Doesn’t that make you afraid?

Whatever.

MJP END RUDIN