The God Squad: How did God get to us, and how did we get to God?

Rabbi Marc Gellman, Tribune Content Agency on May 25, 2023

6 Thou madest him to have dominion over the works of thy hands; thou hast put all things under his feet:

7 All sheep and oxen, yea, and the beasts of the field;

8 The fowl of the air, and the fish of the sea, and whatsoever passeth through the paths of the seas.

9 O Lord our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth!

So, even children who, like you, dear B, are also very concrete in their perceptions -- even children can understand that we are not alone in the universe, and they learn this by looking at the world. It is just like looking at a watch and knowing that there exists a watchmaker. Things of order, function and beauty do not just poof into existence. They are carefully and lovingly made.

The second question does not have a universal answer that is accessible to all in the same way, “What does this Creator want from us?”

The different answers to that question define the content of the different religions of our world. And are recorded in our Sacred Scriptures. However, with all the obvious differences between the faiths, I believe that there is still a common core of ethical teachings that unites them all. It is fascinating to me that the Golden Rule is in every faith in both the East and the West. The belief that human flourishing depends upon each of us loving our neighbors as we love ourselves.

How far you move from that core belief is up to you and your faith traditions, but know this, the search for God in the world is at the root of human consciousness. After the search for fire, the next great human quest is the search for hope.

(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. Also, the new God Squad podcast is now available.)