WHERE DOES GOD DWELL?

 

                            SONSINO’S BLOG, rsonsino.blogspot.com

 Rabbi Rifat Sonsino, Ph.D

 In ancient times, biblical authors assumed that the earth was flat, with Sheol, below the earth where the dead live, and a dome on top of the earth, which was the abode of God (Deut. 26:15; Isa.40:22). Later on, the Rabbis spoke of God as “our Father who is in heaven.” In fact, early Christians referred to three different levels of heaven (II Cor. 12:2): The first was set aside for us humans and animals; the second, above it, for the moon, stars and other planets- some even claimed that this was the living quarters of Satan-, and finally, on top of everything, it is where God resides. 

It was the early Greeks who first convincingly argued that the earth was in fact round. Some claimed it was Pythagoras in the 500 BCE who did this; others attribute this invention to Eratosthenes, a Greek mathematician of the 3^rd cent. BCE. Today, it is normative to assume that the earth is round. 

So, where does God live in our universe? 

Some biblical authors maintained that God lives not only in the heavens above but everywhere, both heaven and earth (See, for example, Ps.139:7-8; Jer. 23: 24; Isa. 66:1). 

As a religious naturalist, I do not conceive of God as a “Persona” ( “Theism”) who “lives” in a particular place. I do not search for God or expect to encounter God only in the heavens or the earth below. I do not even understand when people talk about “God’s abode.” For me, God represents the energy, the force, which keeps the universe going, and, as such, God is omni-present in the universe.  The more we know about nature and nature’s mysteries, the more we discover how God operates.

 In my view, God does not verbally communicate with human beings; God does not respond to our pleas or prayers. God does not choose one people over another. God does not reward or punish. God does not change the course of nature by a miracle. As the ancient Rabbis taught, “the universe follows its own path” (Avodah Zarah 54b). Spinoza taught us that God acts by necessity in line with the laws of nature. We humans create a culture in response to the mystery of nature and formulate prayers that represent our inner most feelings and expectations. 

This is religious naturalism that is based on reason, natural law and human efforts. We are Jews because we chose to be Jews and are proud of the culture that we have created over the centuries.