Q&A: Request for Help with Matters of Faith
Request for Help with Matters of Faith
Question
Hello Rabbi, doesn’t the very fact that heresy is possible mean that, truth be told, we have no ability to be certain of the existence of a Creator?
And to put it differently: since the Holy One, blessed be He, does not appear at the end of an equation, and an additional element of intuition is required—if I do not feel that intuition at the most basic level, why should I act to create/expose it in one way or another? Seemingly, that borders on self-delusion…
Am I creating my own experience of certainty in faith?! There is a logical contradiction here!
Unless the Rabbi is claiming that from the standpoint of pure logic one must arrive at the conclusion that God exists—and that seems far-fetched to me for two reasons: (a) the very existence of a secular world, and (b) if that is so, then there is no real test or greatness in faith.
Answer
The problem is with your opening sentence. It is not because heresy is possible that it follows we have no ability to reach certainty; rather the opposite: because we have no ability to reach certainty (about anything, including faith), therefore heresy is possible.
Incidentally, heresy could exist even if there were a certain way to arrive at faith. A person has drives, interests, and various biases. Therefore, the mere existence of a secular world in itself proves nothing.
You are not supposed to act to create the intuition if it is not there within you. Of course that would be an absurd demand, and therefore no such demand exists. What you do need to do is examine your position and formulate it as well as you can (whatever conclusion you reach). If you have not done that, then there is room to hold you accountable—not for not believing, but for not having examined the issue. The demand that a person clarify his path is not contingent on faith. It is a requirement of reason that applies to every person.