yytz: You’re probably right, but honestly, why would this person care so much for a big explanation? If I were asking someone because I was interested, I’m not sure whether I’d want to sit through a whole long shmuz- it would depend on how much sleep I’d had recently, whether I needed to be someplace quickly, etc. My mom says that I’d try to learn things in an isolation chamber, but even I don’t know if I’d want to sit through a detailed explanation.
I personally see nothing wrong with saying that there are different groups of Jews in a similar way to how there are different sects in other religions, and that mine, Orthodoxy, emphasizes strict adhesion to the Torah, while other groups believe in defining practice differently.
Okay, so actually, that’s pretty much the same thing you said, you just added supplementary detail. SO don’t think that this post is meant negatively at you :).