popa -bar -abba: can you tell me what “objective” response you have to the recent controversy about the draft? The irony here is that the only halachic sources are PRO- draft! (See gemoro sotah and rambam). Halacha has nuances-clearly- but you have a foundation(shulchan aruch) upon which to base your assumptions!
to mdd: Within your words, you answered yourself the question: these are HASHKOFOS, not HALOCHOS. Do you believe that “torah im derech Eretz’ (RSR Hirsch way) was against halocho? certainly not! Yet, the hungarian rabbonim (and today, the Israeli chareidim) are dead set against such a derech. It is a HASHKOFO, not a halocho.
As far as questioning the Poskim, I, for one, will not question a psak halocho of the great Poskim unless I have some solid other sources. It would be outrageous for me to dispute, for example, R”moshe piskei halocho- although other Poskim may disagree.
However, I feel quite comfortable in taking a different view about Zionisnm for example. This is not a halachic question (as much as Satmar would like it to be)and I free to follow my own inclinations, especially as I can find support in other Gedolim!
As far as the Chief Rabbi, if his piskei halocho make sense, then what is the problem? You may disagree and you can follow whomever you want to ,but in halacha ,there are solid parameters to follow.