The difference religious faith can make

books:


	• Who Needs God Harold Kushner Fireside, 2002 - 224 pages average customer review:based on 10 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

A big help

This is a book that is very helpful in understanding the relationship between God and humankind. Kushner is among the best at bringing faith down to Earth.

Resurrecting Faith in God

Harold Kushner is one of my favorite spiritual authors because his books are filled with insights delivered in an accessible, warm and personal manner. He is really quite profound, yet immensely accessible.

I chose this book because I thought it might help me regain some kind of faith in some kind of God. It may not have done the trick completely, but I found it very helpful.

A faith in God can be seen as something very practical, a perspective that enables us to see the world and others in a way that makes sense, inspires some trust, and enables a vision of the whole rather than confusing parts.

Science and technology seem to scoff at mystery, -- at anything non-material, at anything that cannot be adequately dealt with by reason and experimentation. Yet in our heart of hearts we know that, as Kushner puts it, there is a "sacred fire" which we know is there. Latent, yes, but still available to us.

The entire book was very worthwhile, but the final chapter for me was very special. As Kushner says,
"...it is hard to grow a soul when you have lost the knack...." "...it is hard to regain a sense of religion, of sacred community , of being in God's resence once we have lost it."

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The difference religious faith can make

In this book, Rabbi Harold Kushner, answers the question of those who ask what difference religion can make in our lives, why do we need religion.

He explains the importance of faith through community.
How faith can enrich our lives and give us strength when all the strength within in us dried up.
That there are absolute standards of good and evil built into the human soul which the author describes as 'G-D given'.
"The affirmation of monotheism- that there is only one G-D and He demands moral behaviour. then there can be such a thing as good and evil."
The author stresses that religion is about community, the family through which it means to be human and by which we are reinforced in our efforts to do what is right.
He terms the essential difference between religion and so-called secular 'humanism' as thus: I have the advantage of believing in a G-D who is beyond myself, a G-D who renews my strength when I turn to Him, who replenishes my capacity to love, to work who gives me strength so that I can go forth again and share my strength with others."
In this book, Rabbi Harold Kushner, answers the question of those who ask what difference religion can make in our lives, why do we need religion.
Another difference, not touched on by the author, between religious and secular morality is that secular morality is subjective.
Unlike religious morality it is subject to fads and fashions- to political correctness- although today much 'religion' has also been infected with this disease.

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Thought provoking...not "pushy"

Regardless of your religious affiliation, or not, Rabbi Kushner provides thought provoking ideas for everyone. Not pushing the reader to believe, but offering reasons and options to believe. I would suggest to anyone, of any religious conviction, or lack of, looking to explore a few of the "why" reasons to believe. He leaves the final decision to the reader.

innocuous but not for everyone

A nice, innocuous, not-too-deep book- designed not for scholars but for the sort of person who might believe in God but feels no particular Divine command to do anything and is turned off by organized religion. Thus, this is not a book for Christian fundamentalists or observant Jews, but for people who are trying to decide between some sort of liberal religion and no religion at all.

Kushner's goal is to defend religion to such people. He asserts that religion "helps us not by changing the facts, but by teaching us new ways of looking at those facts"- for example, to see food as "a bounty which calls for admiration and gratitude", rather than taking reality for granted. Similarly, religion enables us to deal with crises more effectively. A religious life makes tragedy easier to handle, because a religious community can console us more effectively than the odd friend here and there. And feeling forgiven by God enables people to think about their sins without feeling paralyzed by them. (By contrast, human feedback can make people feel crushed and hopeless if we are criticized too aggressively or patronized if their errors are treated as too minor).

He also suggests that religion caters to other psychological needs as well, including our needs for (a) a feeling that life is significant, (b) reverence and awe, to be aware of the things we can't control (the very reasons mighty animals like tigers tend to attract more interest in zoos than smaller animals), and c) our need to acknowledge our limitations.

Most of this book struck me as pretty obvious, elementary stuff. But one or two things grabbed me. Kushner tries to explain why Jews now prefer smaller synagogues than they once did. He speculate that because of the size of the baby boom generation, they spent their school and work lives "being anonymous members of somebody's army" and as a result wanted a more intimate religious experience instead of wanting "that sense of awe and confidence that came from being a member of God's mighty army." (I wonder what Kushner would think of the recent rise of megachurches - and of that trend's failure to spread into Judaism).

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reviews: page 1, 2

If you have lost faith or have never known it, or if you have ever wondered "What can religion offer?" here are wise and thoughtful answers. With the warmth, insight, and understanding that distinguished his phenomenal bestsellers When Bad Things Happen to Good People and How Good Do We Have to Be?, Harold Kushner addresses a critical issue in the lives of many: a spiritual hunger that no personal success can feed. Rabbi Kushner shows how religious commitment does have a place in our daily lives, filling a need for connection, joy, and community.

For anyone who has ever wanted a more fulfilling life or wished to make a difference in the lives of others...for anyone who has ever felt guilty, afraid, or alone...Rabbi Kushner shares a path to faith that offers new sources of comfort and strength for all of us. Powerful, provocative, and persuasive, Who Needs God is a message of universal appeal.

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