Q&A: A Command to Believe
A Command to Believe
Question
I listened to your podcast on faith, and there you said that it is impossible to command someone to believe. A question about that:
You previously defined faith = knowledge, and ostensibly it is possible to command someone to know something (for example, commanding a student to know the contents of a book before the exam). It could be that I would not punish a person who tried with all his might to know and did not succeed, but still the command would be to know (= to believe).
Answer
The command you are proposing is to make the effort to clarify and find out. That is not a command to know. But beyond that, if there is no belief in the commandment, then it cannot be commanded either. Why would I obey a command if I do not believe in the commandment? Could some Indian idol command me to examine whether standing on one leg cures cancer? Is there any logic in seeing that as a command relevant to me?
The command I am proposing is not to make the effort to clarify, but actually to believe. Practically speaking, this would be expressed (probably, though I am not sufficiently versed in God's conduct of His world) in an effort to clarify, as with many commandments that cannot be fulfilled because of certain constraints (intention is counted as deed, etc.).
The question afterward is the well-known question about Maimonides, but not the question I came to solve.