Q&A: Grounding Faith
Grounding Faith
Question
Hello Rabbi!
I recently started listening on YouTube to your lectures on proofs for the existence of God from a scientific and philosophical perspective. Fascinating, although I don’t always understand 100%.
My question is this: it sounds to me like the discussion today—that is, in science and philosophy—is a discussion that works backward from the present in order to prove the existence of a Creator of the world.
But for a believing Jew, there is the revelation at Mount Sinai, which took place before the entire nation, the Exodus from Egypt, and so on and so on, as the basis for knowing God. That is the starting point, and from there on the discussion—for example about evolution—should proceed from that premise, meaning from the beginning / the past toward the present.
I would be glad to receive an answer.
Answer
I don’t actually see a clear question here. I also don’t understand what you mean by “from the beginning” or “from the present,” so it’s hard for me to respond. Are you asking whether faith should be grounded in the revelation in Egypt and at Sinai, or in philosophical-scientific arguments?
Discussion on Answer
Each person has his own path to faith. There are no rules about this. See more in my Five Notebooks on the site.
Can someone post a link here to the lectures?
Maybe these are the ones?
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/0BwJAdMjYRm7IejJiYURjN0RseGc
And also: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/0BwJAdMjYRm7INVEzYVM2X1VWMXc
Hello!
Your wording captures correctly what I was asking.
Thanks for the link to the questions.
Thanks