For most of us, the hunt for God never stops. We deny God, curse God and demand proofs of God's existence that we will never get. But the search continues, motivated by a sense -- often just a hunch, or the slimmest instinct -- that there is holiness in our world that only God's presence can account for. We know that what we believe about God may be wrong, but we prefer the possibility of false belief to no belief at all.
I have long struggled with how to best answer the question: "Rabbi, how do I connect with God?" The obvious place for the questioner to begin is with personal or communal prayer, but I have learned that for many such seekers, the experience of prayer is too alien to even contemplate. They are looking for other paths, and for multiple possibilities to consider. And assuming that they are willing to give me a small amount of their time, I do my best to provide them.
Begin, I suggest, with a new openness to the world around you. Reawaken your capacity for wonderment. Make room for the sense of awe that you felt as a child when you considered the beauty and the mystery of the natural world. There are divine sparks there, if you will allow yourself to experience them.
Turn next to the sacred texts of our tradition. They are important because there is an ebb and flow to our religious impulses. A hunger for the holy may overwhelm us one minute and dissipate the next. For most of us, God is not available "on demand." Texts are important because they are a record of how others before us, faced with the precisely the questions and doubts that we face, made their way to God and to faith. When we are lonely or isolated because the immediate experience of God eludes us, we can find reassurance, inspiration,and guidance in carefully studying how others navigated this course, connecting with God in ways that -- at this moment, at least -- we cannot.
Remember, too, that God is not only a noun but a verb, not only a presence but a process.
We may not know precisely what God is, but our tradition clearly tells us what God does: God heals the sick, clothes the naked, houses the homeless and pursues peace. We cannot be God; we are weak and imperfect human beings. But we can, within the limitations of the human condition, emulate God's behavior, and, in this way, bring God into our lives. Consciousness of God, of course, is hardly a requirement for ethical acts. There is, thankfully, much "do-goodism" in our society. But those who pursue justice with the express intent of testifying to God's existence are those who find the greatest satisfaction in their actions and who are least likely to fall victim to exhaustion and despair.
And finally, experiment with religious rituals, including those that you may have earlier discarded. Rituals give structure to the holy. They help us to cultivate a sense of the sacred within ourselves and in our midst. They are particularly valuable as an instrument of sacred reenactment: they are a means for us to relive the momentous encounters with God -- the Exodus from Egypt, the revelation at Sinai, the wondering in the desert -- that our ancestors experienced and that shaped our history and our religious lives. Almost always, a craving for God goes together with a craving for meaningful ritual, which binds us together and affirms our common values, shared joys and deep faith as a religious community.
All of this might be a little overwhelming, I say. But start somewhere. The search for God is frustrating and difficult, and it is never done. But with God, our lives have meaning and purpose; without God, we are reduced to being no more than a tiny speck in a vast universe.
President - Rabbi Eric H. Yoffie - URJ
Find God on Sunday
Man is an insecure animal, even more insecure than what we term as "animals". What we don't know or aren't sure of, we fear, and connect the dots of the unknown in a futile attempt to quell our fears, hedge our beliefs and try to give meaning to this concept of life and afterlife. It's no more than a figment of our imagination.
Because of our ignorance of our existence, and based on religious beliefs, we've gone to war, tortured, enslaved and discriminate against others, mainly, and ironically, because of others' own different beliefs that threaten ours, and trying to impose ours on them.
For anyone to claim they "know" what this concept of "god" is, or its existence, is quite absurd... we hardly know our own planet, much less the universe and what force produced it. We can hardly wrap our brains around the concept of time, much less this concept of "god".
We'd be wiser to consider the implications of "no god", so not to assume we'll be saved from our misbehavior, than assuming there is and mistreat the planet and its inhabitants. If we assume, and believe, that all we have is this planet and each other, then we might have hope to treat each other with dignity and respect.
Uh-huh. Definitely ended on my part. It's less about "why are we here" and more about "what can we do for each other".
Thanks for being so honest about that, Rabbi.
"We may not know precisely what God is, but our tradition clearly tells us what God does: God heals the sick, clothes the naked, houses the homeless and pursues peace. "
He does? So all those government aid programs really ARE boondoggles? Or did you mean that God takes credit when *people* do all those things?
"But with God, our lives have meaning and purpose; without God, we are reduced to being no more than a tiny speck in a vast universe."
So it's all about your ego. You're unhappy with your status in the material universe. so you decide to believe in a god who says he made it all for you. I have some bad news: introducing God into the picture makes you even *less* of a tiny speck, since he's obviously more awesome than the universe that dwarfs you. And at least the universe doesn't require you to grovel.
Conversely, since I don't believe in gods, I know that humans may be the most intelligent and creative form of life in the universe. It's highly unlikely -- but possible -- that we are the "crown jewel" of existence, and so far we know of none better.
And if it's meaning you want, how about this: you're free to pick your own meaning.
People often feel that atheists must be depressed sort of individuals who have no meaning in their lives. I would suggest that the above paragraph, minus the "divine" aspect, beautifully expresses why an atheist can live such a happy, inspired life. We're talking about the awesomeness of the natural world, why is there a need to insert divinity into it? I stand completely in wonder of the universe and it's complexity. I can say, as an atheist, that the lack of a supreme being does not diminish the ability to enjoy it. Forget the made up stories, enjoy nature for what it is...exquisitely natural.
Theists seem to react differently to these experiences and ascribe the feelings to something outside them. Some congregations actively train people to react this way, but I think it comes naturally to some people. When they make a 4 the hard way (rolling double 2s) playing craps it's not just a favorable random outcome, it's an event of cosmic significance. If they get a raise at work, God did that for them, personally.
So I think they honestly don't realize that atheists are just as excited and pleased by these events, because we don't go over the top when we talk about them. "My father is recovering nicely from his surgery" sounds bored compared to, "God has blessed my father with a miraculous recovery."
I have never heard it summed up so succinctly as the last sentence of the article. Religion is Man's refusal to accept reality. Every single social ill, all suffering stems from the human delusional need to feel special, to refuse to accept one's place in the Universe. It's beyond sad. It's pathetic, especially when one realizes that the Universe contains far more mysteries then the human mind can possibly imagine. We are nothing. We are not special in any way. We are no different then any other form of life on this rock that revolves around an average star in an average galaxy.The Christian religion even enforces this idea with commands for humility, something that seems to run counter to the current Cult of Child Worship. All suffering is in fact self inflicted from this delusion of human specialness. To accept, truly accept one's place in the Universe is liberating. If you seriously want to know why your life sucks all you need do is look in a mirror. Acceptance of one's place in the Universe is the only cure.
Those terms are revealed through each page of GODs revelation of Himself, in the book known as the BIBLE.
Argue this in ignorance, and you will never come to know creations GOD. Truly search the pages of Scripture, and GOD will make real to you what is so hard to believe with your natural understanding.
"Reason is the greatest enemy that faith has; it never comes to the aid of
spiritual things, but -- more frequently than not -- struggles against the
divine Word, treating with contempt all that emanates from God."
father of modern Protestant christianity, Martin Luther
Legendary scientist Max Planck
Consider this: many philosophers and numerous spiritual traditions speak of a difference between the World as it is and the World that we perceive. The concepts of Tao, Brahman, and Buddha attest to this fact. This notion was formalized in contemporary thought when Kant wrote of the noumenal and phenomenal Worlds.
For thousands of years the institution of science laughed at these ideas.
Until the age of Quantum Mechanics when they were proven true.
Science has proven, irrefutably, that our perception of reality is not objectively true. Even seemingly fundamental aspects of existence like matter, time, and space, are projections of the conscious mind, and consist of nothing more than an infinite wave collapsed into countless billions of what we perceive as atoms and particles. Everything that is is a perturbation of the Quantum Field.
Science is largely the study of the material World. But there is compelling evidence for the existence of truths that transcend material classification. If you accept this as true, and I believe that it is increasingly silly not to, then you have to concede the possibility that Mind existed before matter.
Whether or not you want to call that 'God' is up to you.
nonsense
The subjectivity of reality has withstood every single mathematical and experimental hurdle thrown at it. This subjectivity is described by concepts like the measurement problem, superposition, supersymmetry, duality, non locality, etc...
Science has proven that our perception of reality is not objectively true. The fact that you refuse to accept it means nothing.
semantics, and a subjective comment.
"concede the possibility that Mind existed before matter."
or that matter doesn't exist (yet?) and your current conscious thoughts are pre-dating matter.
“All matter originates and exists only by virtue of a force...we must assume behind this force the existence of a conscious and intelligent Mind. This Mind is the matrix of all matter.”
Max Planck
I also hear hear real answers are very so STOP LOOKING for answers.
the point not being whether it exists, but whether it "works" or is true, as is the reason everything/anything exists, indisputably, as in the case of any of the gods believers purport.
God was angry with him for his sin for even trying to curse Israel for hire but he did admit his sin and his blindness.
Cain killed his brother but he talked to God as well.
It is not even a question of, "If there is a God...". It is, "What does God require of us?"
God requires us to speak His true word at all times.
What do you hope to achieve with that kind of monologue? Its like we are overhearing you talking to yourself as you walk down the sidewalk - utterly pointless.