Presence

Gil over at Hirhurim comments on the deeper meaning of the Slifkin Ban:

...Whether intended by the signers of the ban or not, their actions did not just place R. Nosson Slifkin's books outside of the community. They caused a reaction against the Rambam and anything that is not standard yeshivish theology.

I say, it's about time! Yeshivish theology has be co-opting the Rambam for decades, misrepresenting his positions on just about every topic you can think of. Be it Resurrection of the Dead, Rabbinic Infallibility or Creation Ex Nihilo (and the list goes on and on), not one of Maimonides actual positions on any of these major subjects directly aligns with the currently-popular dogma.

It's high time the Rambam was recognized for what he was: a Jewish neo-Aristotillean rationalist (heavily influced by Arabic interpretations, of course) who questioned almost every religious and cultural norm of his generation. Throw in the fact that he openly admitted to attempting to replace the Talmud with his own, often seriously altered, halachic treatise, and you get a clear picture of the kind of man he really was: a brilliant, indepedent thinker who refused to accept that which made no sense.

Just the type of person we need that needs to be marginalized, don't you think?