Some answers for inquiring minds

Welcome to the Mercy High School kidnapped God Squad column ...

I recently received a wonderful question from a student in the junior year theology class at Mercy High School in Middletown, Conn. I was so moved by her innocence, kindness and spiritual curiosity that I invited other members of the class and other students at the school to write to me and share their questions. Wow, did they take me up on my offer. If you or your child is in any other school where asking questions about God is not a criminal offence, my offer to answer teenagers' questions is open to you and your school as well. Anyway, I received so many questions from the young theologians-in-training at Mercy that I will be plowing through them for a while. I may even visit these remarkable teenagers who have reminded me that our children believe in God naturally until somebody takes that belief away from them. If you are not a student at Mercy and you or your classmates have a question for the God Squad, you are also invited to get in line, but you may just have to wait a while. The students at Mercy are now official deputies of the God Squad.

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Q: Hello Rabbi Gellman, I am a junior at Mercy High School and enjoy reading your articles. I have a couple of unrelated questions after reading your latest article. Do you believe that a person's soul mate can be different from the person that God wants us to be with, or that they are the same person? Another question that I often think about is how do we find the strength to keep working to end social injustices when we know that they will never be fully eliminated? Thank you for taking the time to thoughtfully answer the questions people send you; as a reader, I really appreciate it! -- From M

A: Dear M, It sounds like your Valentine's Day might have been a bit conflicted. Your love for someone might not be the love you think God wants for you. Perhaps the one you think might be your soul mate is not Catholic. I am just guessing here, but this is what I know about love from the Bible that still works today. If a potential soul mate is kind to others (and animals) there is a very good chance that he or she will be kind to you. If they are not kind to others but are kind to you, they are probably just putting on an act with you. This was the test that Abraham devised to try to find a wife for his son Isaac. He sent his servant Eliezer to his homeland with a caravan of camels. When Eliezer came to the community, Rebekah offered water to him and also to all his camels, which if you have ever seen a camel drink is a very big deal. Rebekah was kind to a stranger and also kind to strange camels and that was the proof that she was a good person, and only a good person can make a good soul mate. Someday you will discover that your real soul mate and the person God wants you to marry are the very same person. In the meantime, be patient, observant and ...get yourself a camel.

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Q: Dear Rabbi Gellman, I have been a Christian because my whole family has been Christians for generations. However, I keep questioning myself if God really exists. I believe I heard that there are some historical evidences. What would be some reasonable reasons to prove that God exists? In case you might wonder why I have this question, I am a transferred student in Mercy High School from South Korea. We were really excited to see you respond! I hope you have a good day. -- From Y

A: Thank you, Y. Because of your letter I am having a very fine day. I will be including other proofs for God in my answers to some of your other classmates, but let's start with Albert Einstein's proof for God. He was the world's greatest scientist and he also played the violin. When he looked out at the universe and saw how the laws of physics and chemistry that worked here on earth also worked the same way in the farthest reaches of the universe he said, "Could such a great symphony as the universe have no conductor?" His answer was that God is indeed the conductor of the universe and ... I'm with Einstein. If Einstein is not enough for you, try Isaiah 40:26, "Lift up your eyes on high, and behold who hath created these things, that bringeth out their host by number."

(Send ALL QUESTIONS AND COMMENTS to The God Squad via email at godsquadquestion@aol.com. Rabbi Gellman is the author of several books, including "Religion for Dummies," co-written with Fr. Tom Hartman.)