Lightbrite: “1) If Chareidi Jews are characterized as being anti-Zionist, then wouldn’t that be a movement
Being against the legal and secular State of Israel is holding a political, social, and economic affiliation.”
Lightbrite, I didn’t define Chareidiism as being anti-Zionist. I even allowed for the fact that it could be possible to be Chareidi and be Zionist. My point was that being Chareidi includes all Frum Jews who do not define themselves as Dati-Leumi/Mizrachi. Dati-Leumi/Mizrachi is a new movement. Not being part of it does not make you part of a new movement.
Part of the definition of Chareidi is being Frum. Being Frum includes following Daas Torah. Following Daas Torah means listening to the Gedolim of your generation. The reason why we have to follow the Gedolim in our generation and it’s not enough to follow the Gedolim in past generations is that there are new issues in each generation. The fact that there are new issues in each generation that need resolved does not mean that being Frum is a new movement because being Frum might involve doing some things differently than it did in the last generation. If that were the case, then we are creating new movements every day because there are new issues every day.
So if you are going to say that Chareidiism is a new movement just because there are new issues today, then being Frum is also a new movement and so is being Shomer Torah U’Mitzvos.