It was only when I was very young, perhaps a year on either side of five years old, that I prayed to god expecting to be heard. During that period, at bedtime every night, under the influence of my governess Maria, I’d say the Christian prayer “Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray the Lord my soul to keep. And if I die before I wake, I pray the Lord my soul to take.”
Jul 3, 2022·edited Jul 3, 2022Liked by david roberts
An atheist is a person that needs proof to believe in anything. Fact not faith. I'm not going to believe in a unicorn till you prove it's existence. My default is that it doesn't exist. An atheist will not say God does not exist because you can't prove a negative.
Why God? Instead, why not that-of-which-we-cannot-conceive? Granted, it’s not easy to change perspective. Thousands of years of traditions, rituals, and prayers derived from the belief that there exists an all-powerful anthropomorphic being is a hard obstacle to overcome. And yet, within those traditions, rituals, and prayers, are whispers and hints that there is something more – something beyond the idea of an all-powerful being. There is also an invitation – an invitation both to seek that of which we cannot conceive and to accept that it cannot be found. It is within the space of this paradox that all things are possible, and the possibilities are infinite.
Jul 4, 2022·edited Jul 4, 2022Liked by david roberts
Thanks for this essay, David. I have thought of many ways to respond, including writing out my own early spiritual development in parallel with yours. I could share that with you, but not in this forum. I My own journey toward faith has had many twists and turns through adulthood. I have come to recognize it as a process, a relationship. Faith in God is not the same as fixed belief in God, of course. I will leave "faith" undefined for the moment. Rational proofs are rarely the road to faith, in my experience. It became clear to me that my path would be to learn as much as I could from as many sources as I could and to be guided in my seeking by those of any given time period whose lives I could see had born fruit in relationships to real human beings. God becomes real in relationships between human beings. Isn't that what Martin Buber taught us? I recommend Miguel de Unamuno's short story "Saint Emmanuel the Good, Martyr" (1930). This story changed my rational questions, into living out faith in caring for others. It made it possible for me to spend my working life as a faith journey. My relationship with God is continually fraught, but that is the story the Torah tells, isn't it?
don’t give up…
I wore that astronaut outfit some Halloweens. Pic to follow.
I'm surprised it was saved!
What are your thoughts about the saying "there are no atheists in a foxhole"?
I am not an atheist, but, rather, someone unsure.
To prove non-existence is to me intellectually impossible.
I think that makes you an atheist!
I think an atheist is usually defined as being certain god does not exist.
I'm neither a "no" nor a "yes" but somewhere muddled in between.
An atheist is a person that needs proof to believe in anything. Fact not faith. I'm not going to believe in a unicorn till you prove it's existence. My default is that it doesn't exist. An atheist will not say God does not exist because you can't prove a negative.
It would not shock me to learn about a supreme being. Not sure if that's a get-out-of-atheism-jail-for-free card or not.
You left out the prayer you repeated every Friday night! I like that one more than your one from 5 years old.
The Priestly blessing.
I'm really happy you remember it!
Why God? Instead, why not that-of-which-we-cannot-conceive? Granted, it’s not easy to change perspective. Thousands of years of traditions, rituals, and prayers derived from the belief that there exists an all-powerful anthropomorphic being is a hard obstacle to overcome. And yet, within those traditions, rituals, and prayers, are whispers and hints that there is something more – something beyond the idea of an all-powerful being. There is also an invitation – an invitation both to seek that of which we cannot conceive and to accept that it cannot be found. It is within the space of this paradox that all things are possible, and the possibilities are infinite.
Wonder if you ever murmured to yourself “Thank G-d” ( or however you wish to spell it).
Might not proof existence but some significant presence.
Thanks for this essay, David. I have thought of many ways to respond, including writing out my own early spiritual development in parallel with yours. I could share that with you, but not in this forum. I My own journey toward faith has had many twists and turns through adulthood. I have come to recognize it as a process, a relationship. Faith in God is not the same as fixed belief in God, of course. I will leave "faith" undefined for the moment. Rational proofs are rarely the road to faith, in my experience. It became clear to me that my path would be to learn as much as I could from as many sources as I could and to be guided in my seeking by those of any given time period whose lives I could see had born fruit in relationships to real human beings. God becomes real in relationships between human beings. Isn't that what Martin Buber taught us? I recommend Miguel de Unamuno's short story "Saint Emmanuel the Good, Martyr" (1930). This story changed my rational questions, into living out faith in caring for others. It made it possible for me to spend my working life as a faith journey. My relationship with God is continually fraught, but that is the story the Torah tells, isn't it?
Thanks Lowell for your comment. Fraught is a great word to describe the Torah. And I'll definitely check out the short story!
I’m with you on this, I’m so many ways.
Thank you for sharing. Always.
I hear through your voice here the voice of multitudes.