well, to answer some of the questions….
To will Hill, you misquoted me. i did NOT say that I will decide whether to accept R’ Avigdor Miller’s words…I said that “we can decide”. This is rather logical,don’t you think? Must we accept every word from every Rov as “halocho lemoshe misinai”? Just because R’Avigdor Miller said it, does it make it right or the law of the land?
And your question about the Chofetz Chaim is irrelevant. First, because plenty of Poskim don’t always pasken like him (would they also be put into the same group of kofrim?)and secondly, this is not a halacha question but a polemical debate. As I said ad nauseum in another posting, I do not believe that, “in milei de’alma’ I am obliged to follow every Godol’s words. You can call me an apikorus and whatever else you want, but I will stick to my beliefs.
All that said, can we have some written sources for all these declarations from R’Avigdor Miller? Abything along the line “he once said” cannot be accepted at face value.
To Joseph, there is a mishna in chelek that you undoubtedly know, about who has a chelek l’olam habo or not. I think I will rely on that mishna before I rely on your words.
to feivel, If you think that I “belittle’ you (or other people) ,I ask you (and others) mechillah. By writing “wax lyrical’, I was not belittling you, just using a pretty common phrase.On another posting some time ago, I undertook to try to be civil to everyone and ,usually, it works (Others seem to ignore this…)
Concerning the mian point. I sadi that it is pretty clear that, juts because someone is reform does NOT make him a non-Jew or a “technical” Jew, but he remains a full jew. If he does anything like marrying a jewish woman, she will need a get. This is incontrovertible. The other problesm you write about have more to do with the process (Kiddsushin,witnesses) that with the fact that he/she is jewish.
I maintained that I do not believe that R”avigdor Miller said anything like this and certainly not lehalocho. I think that the “posters” who espouse this view are guilty of being merachek Jews who should be “mekurov”. This is what Elijahu Hanovi does and what we should try to emulate.
Lastly, intellegent, I havd heard worse things said about the modern orthodox and just because R”Avigdor Miller z’l said it or did not say it, I don’t think that the modern orthodox crowd are quaking in thier boots. The Golus is long for the gemoro’s reason : sinas chinom. Take note, posters!