Q&A: Why Do They Believe? A Rare Conversation About Faith – Alex Tries to Understand What Professor Avi Sagi and Dr. Roni Bar-Lev Believe In
Why Do They Believe? A Rare Conversation About Faith – Alex Tries to Understand What Professor Avi Sagi and Dr. Roni Bar-Lev Believe In
Question
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AWdgU30VCWk
What can you say about this conversation?
I came away completely confused.
I really don’t understand what Roni and Avi Sagi believe in, or why they believe.
And I keep seeing these kinds of answers repeated from those circles — the Hartman Institute, and the “Faithful to God” people at Tel Aviv University.
Is there something hidden in what they’re saying that I’m not getting?
Alex asks Roni whether he believes in the story of Elisha splitting the Jordan.
Roni answers that he would examine where it meets him.
Alex asks whether he would say the same thing about Pinocchio.
Roni squirms and talks about a basic human experience, a thirst for the experience of faith.
Avi chimes in and agrees that a thirst for faith does not show that God exists (correct), but he also doesn’t explain why he does believe.
In short, please save me.
Answer
I’ve already been asked about Sagi’s faith, perhaps about this very video. From what I saw in the summary presented there, in my opinion Sagi is an atheist with religious feelings (?). There is really no need to get tangled up in this.
Discussion on Answer
I learned long ago not to judge people, only positions. Rabbi Shagar’s positions are atheistic, to the best of my judgment. But I’m fairly sure that he himself was not an atheist. I assume this is a mistake in thinking and/or in the presentation of things. That is true of many people. A person’s thought does not always reflect what they really think and believe. There are mistakes along the way from faith to formulated thought.
A question for the Rabbi:
In your opinion, is Rabbi Shagar’s faith also atheistic with religious feelings? And from a halakhic standpoint, can they count toward a minyan, in your opinion?