Phat writes:
If your wife said she loved you, would you immediately question it, doubt it, and test it? What if she knew you were doubting and testing and attempting to falsify her feelings? Your very doubt would get you in trouble. Same with God.
If your wife tried to tell you something unflattering about her past, would you run away in fear of shattering your perfect illusion? What love is built on ignorance?
I ascribe to ignosticism because I find that the concept of God is too poorly defined to make a coherent argument for or against its existence. That being said, I love reading a good Jewish argument and there's two quotes that have stuck with me in particular.
The first one comes from Rabbi Paul Kipnes
quote:
Now consider this: Prior to the Akeidah, each encounter between God and Abraham occurs in direct one-on-one conversations. But from this point on, God never again speaks to Abraham directly. All further communication is passed through an angel. Why? Because Abraham simultaneously passed and failed the test. He showed his love of God, yes, but he employed violent means to pursue that love. The use of an intermediary – the angel – proclaims a message for future generations: Abraham really didn't listen to God’s teachings of compassion, did he?
The second one comes from the Chief Rabbi Emeritus of the United Synagogues of the British Commonwealth, Johnathan Sacks
quote:
"Do you believe,” the disciple asked the rabbi, “that God created everything for a purpose?”
“I do,” replied the rabbi.
“Well,” asked the disciple, “why did God create atheists?”
The rabbi paused before giving an answer, and when he spoke his voice was soft and intense. “Sometimes we who believe, believe too much. We see the cruelty, the suffering, the injustice in the world and we say: ‘This is the will of God.’ We accept what we should not accept. That is when God sends us atheists to remind us that what passes for religion is not always religion. Sometimes what we accept in the name of God is what we should be fighting against in the name of God.”
Appreciation doesn't spring into existence fully formed, but is built and reinforced by exploration and understanding.
How can you understand Jesus if you do not understand the Essenes? How can you understand the Essenes if you do not understand Judaism?
Edited by Mercury, : Capitalization error
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