It depends if you are a theist or not. A theist is
one who affirms that God relates to humans in an intimate fashion through knowledge,
love, care, concern etc. A religious naturalist who is a non-theist considers God an impersonal force, an
energy that animates the universe.
In English the expression “belief in God” or “faith in God”,
reflecting mostly a theistic view, has a number of meanings, from simple “trust”
to “total reliance,” almost a “blind acceptance.” In fact, Merriam-Webster, in one
of its definitions states that “faith” is, “a firm belief in
something for which there is no proof.” This definition is not too far from the
one offered by the Church Father St. Augustine (5th cent, Algeria) who
wrote, “Faith is to believe what you do not yet see,” or the satirist H.L.
Mencken (1880-1956, Baltimore) who said, facetiously I assume, “Faith may be
defined briefly as an illogical belief in the occurrence of the improbable,”
and is taken to an extreme by Tertullian, an early Christian author who
lived in the 3rd cent. Carthage, Africa, who allegedly said, credo quia absurdum est, namely, “I
believe because it is absurd.” There are statements in Jewish sources that use
“faith” in this manner too. Thus, for instance, Nahman of Bratzlav, a 19th
cent. Hassidic master, wrote “Where reason ends, faith begins.”
Even though, in popular parlance, “faith” and “belief” are
used almost synonymously, some ethicists prefer to separate the two by saying
that “faith is irrational belief,” whereas “belief” is an idea that can be
verified or tested using a scientific method.
In the Hebrew Bible, the
root aman means “trust” or
“reliance upon another.” Thus, for instance, Jacob did not “believe” (lo he-emin) his children when they told
him that Joseph was a ruler in Egypt (Gen. 45:26). However, its basic sense is
“firmness, steadfastness.” Thus, for example, Moses’ hands were “steady” (yede emunah) when Aaron and Hur
sat, one on each side, supporting his hands up during the battle against the
Amalekites (Ex. 17:12). Similarly, in
Job 39: 24, the horse “cannot stand still” (velo
ya-amin) at the blast of the trumpet. In Rabbinic Hebrew, Amen, means, “I affirm.” A Shtar
amanah is a bill of indebtedness signed on trust that it will be carried
out later on.
A survey of the Hebrew classical literature indicates that
when aman is used regarding human
beings, the meaning is very often “to trust” or “to rely on.” For example,
Moses is neeman, a most trustworthy
human being (Num. 12:7). However, when the verb applies to God, it is extended
from “steadfastness,” that is, “God is always there,” to almost blind faith
(e.g., “Because you did not have faith in Me…” (Num. 20:12; see also Gen. 15:6;
Ps. 78:22). Similarly, in the Talmud amanah
refers to total faith in God, like anshe
amanah (“people of faith” in God, Sot. 48b).
In a non-theistic religious naturalism of Judaism, “to have
faith,” must mean more than “reliance without proof.” It should be understood
in the sense that ethicists argue for “belief.” Namely, it must mean trust
after verification, an assumption based on evidence and rationality, an
assertion founded on prior examination, or, a reasonable and logical position. I
like when Joseph Albo, a Spanish Rabbi (15th cent. Spain) writes,
“The Torah does not oblige us to believe [le-haamin]
in absurdities…or any imaginary notions which the reason cannot conceive,” or when
Benjamin Disraeli, a former British Prime minister, born Jewish in 1804, said,
“I make it a rule to believe only what I understand,” or when the Jewish liberal
thinker, Rabbi Ludwig Philippson (d.1889, Germany) stated, “The Jew believes
only what he has seen with his eyes.”
For me, a religious naturalist, “to believe” means, “to affirm after
careful examination.” Now, I submit, that is something many people are more
likely to accept and use.
Rabbi Rifat Sonsino, Ph.D.
For my other books, see
Modern Judaism: www.cognella.com (search by author and/or title)
Vivir Como Judio: www.bookstore.palibrio.com (search by author and/or title).
(Co-authored with Rabbi Daniel Syme):
For my other books, see
Many Faces of God:
http://www.behrmanhouse.com/
On the Ten Commandments: And God Spoke These Words:
http://www.behrmanhouse.com/
Did Moses Really Have Horns:
http://www.behrmanhouse.com/Modern Judaism: www.cognella.com (search by author and/or title)
Vivir Como Judio: www.bookstore.palibrio.com (search by author and/or title).
(Co-authored with Rabbi Daniel Syme):
Finding God
What happens after I Die
http://www.behrmanhouse.com/