From the ArcaMax Publishing, God Squad Newsletter:
http://www.arcamax.com/news/godsquad/s-642193-705096
Q: Years ago, I attended an interfaith dinner hosted by the church I
belonged to at the time. One of my dinner partners, whom I knew well,
was of the Jewish faith. Many questions came up concerning each of our
religions. During our conversation, I made the statement, "Aren't we
all pretty much of the faith with which we were raised?"
Most people at our table agreed that as Christians, we may well switch
between denominations, but the majority of people will remain with the
same faith - Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Buddhism, etc.
My Jewish dinner partner strongly disagreed, saying, "If I'd been born
a Christian, I'm certain that as an adult I would have converted to
the Jewish faith." No arguments took place, though there was obvious
disagreement around the table. What are your views on this subject? --
C., Ocala , FL via godsquadquestion@aol.com)
A: As a matter of sociology, I agree with you. Most folks I know
remain within the religious parameters of their childhood. This makes
sense, since only a part of our faith is intellectual; the rest is
emotional. The smells and tastes and sounds of holiday observances and
worship services comfort us and root us in both our family and our
past.
Religious continuity is also reinforced by the fact that all faiths
have profound and resonant answers to the mysteries of life and death
and God's providence. However, one of the most powerful facts of our
open society is that boundaries that were once barriers to the
exploration of other religions have broken down. In general, I favor
this new openness to other ways up the same mountain. Today, we're all
free to learn from the faith of our neighbors. In this way, we can
enrich our own faith lives even if we don't convert.
I've learned much about meditation and serenity from Buddhists. I've
learned to appreciate God's grace from Christians, and I've learned
about total submission to God's will from Muslim friends. All this has
not made me want to convert. My exposure has reminded me that each
faith has a particularly deep and moving understanding of some aspect
of God's work in the world, which either echoes some underdeveloped
element of my own faith, or causes me to think and pray about what my
friends have learned that I still need to learn.
The main point is that there's a difference between inheriting faith
and having faith. There must come a time in our spiritual growth when
we're confirmed personally in some religion (or no religion). This is
our personal choice and it shapes our adult life. The choice is deeply
influenced by our childhood but not totally determined by it.
We're given a religion at birth without our consent. We decide on our
faith when we're finally comfortable in our own spiritual skin. This
decision is one of the most exciting and decisive moments of our time
here on earth as we prepare for our eternal life after death, where
the final choice is made by our unclouded souls.
NOTE: I received many comments on my recent column about miracles and
my preference to view them in a naturalistic way. Here's one such
letter from S. in Durham, N.C.:
"Another quote by Einstein is, 'The miraculous thing about the
universe is that there are no miracles,' by which he meant he didn't
believe in an interventionist God who would meddle with the laws of
nature. As a scientist, I liked your comment that, if it were
otherwise, 'we would have no confidence in anything.'
"Science rests on the assumption that the world is governed by natural
law and if we were to allow miracles the whole enterprise would become
meaningless. By the way, Einstein's quote that 'God does not play
dice' was really a reference to his dissatisfaction with quantum
theory, but he would have agreed with your interpretation -- about
having trust in the 'regularity of nature.' I use the word 'trust' and
not 'faith,' since this belief is well supported by evidence.
"Also I sympathize with your letter writer who finds it hard to
understand why God would choose to save some sufferers and not others.
My own wife, who belonged to an extended Catholic family, died of
cancer at a young age and had many friends, family members and a whole
congregation praying for her, but to no avail."
A: As I wrote, I do believe that miracles, true miracles, are possible
because I believe in the Bible and in God's omnipotence. However, I
don't believe that miracles which violate the laws of nature actually
occurred as described in scripture. I believe they are metaphorical.
The miracle of the Exodus, for example, has less to do with the
plagues and the splitting of the Red Sea than in the miracle of God's
help in freeing the slaves. Freedom was the miracle. Some biblical
miracles, however, may have happened exactly as described but I can't
find a way of understanding this and also affirming God's decision to
establish the regularity of scientific laws. Those laws are not
secular to me; they're God's way of governing the universe and giving
us confidence in its order.
If being religious involves believing in a talking snake in the Garden
of Eden or Balam's talking donkey, then I (along with Maimonides and
Spinoza) am out of the religion biz. I do respect those who believe in
biblical inerrancy, but I ask them to respect my religious
rationalism, as well.
I am, of course, aided by the fact that Judaism doesn't have creeds or
a canon, which requires me to believe that violations of natural law
are a prerequisite for my Jewish faith.
(Send QUESTIONS ONLY to The God Squad, c/o Tribune Media Services,
2225 Kenmore Ave., Suite 114, Buffalo, NY 14207, or email them to godsquadquestion@aol.com.