Faith
"God
is Truth"
-- Talmud
In both metaphysics and science, faith is an
important element. Most people do not
associate faith with science. Einstein
did make the connection when he said, “The
mind can proceed only so far upon what it knows and can prove. There comes a
point where the mind takes a higher plane of knowledge, but can never prove how
it got there. All great discoveries have involved such a leap." This
is transcendent reality in the view of a scientist. The essential question is, how far can that
"leap" go before it is no longer connected to demonstrable reality?
Maimonides sought to answer that
question in metaphysical terms. He said,
"…
for there is nothing else in existence but God and His works, the latter
including all existing things besides Him: we can only obtain a knowledge of
Him through His works; His works give evidence of His existence, and show what
must be assumed concerning Him, that is to say, what must be attributed to Him
either affirmatively or negatively."
The Talmud states that God is Truth. Maimonides asserts that the only way to
acquire knowledge of God is through God's works, i.e. God's Creation. Then, does this imply that our faith should be
anchored in that Creation? This takes us
to the nexus of science and secular kabbalism.
Thus, God, Truth and Reality are inextricably
connected. In the Bible, the Hebrew word
for faith, trust and truth are the
same (emun). If you believe that God is
the Creator, then God created reality.
This applies no matter what your personal view of the nature of God may
be. Therefore, it follows that reality
must reflect the nature of God, just as a painting or symphony reflects the
nature of its creator. From the
perspective of the secular kabbalist, faith is constrained by reality. It challenges us to ask, how far can we "leap"
into transcendent reality?
When we look into an ephemeris (astronomical
almanac) to determine sunrise for a future date, we have considerable faith in
its prediction. Barring an unexpected
cosmic catastrophe, it will happen. In a
medical emergency, when the physician says that the patient has a good chance
of surviving we have faith in his prognosis.
However, we prepare ourselves for an adverse outcome. When the local weather report says storms in
a month, we do not take it too seriously.
Our faith in these events depends on experience and repeatability. Should these also be our criteria for that
leap of faith into transcendent reality?
Of the words in the vocabulary of theology, faith has been the subject of
considerable debate. For example, in the
New Testament, James, the brother of Jesus, and Paul have distinct views. James asserts, "So faith by itself, if it has no works, is dead." (James
2.17). Whereas, Paul declares, "For by grace you have been saved
through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God"
(Ephesians 2.8). The various texts on
this subject have had a variety of interpretations. Nonetheless, there are clear distinctions
between the two points of view.
In this instance, the Torah (Pentateuch) is closer
to the view of James. It repeatedly
insists that faith is demonstrated by works and, conversely, positive works are
the products of faith. From this point
of view, you might ask, if God is known to us through God's works, then are we
"known to God" by our works?
The Bible is the root of much of Western theology
and metaphysics. As we in the West have
become more aware of other sacred texts, they have contributed greatly to contemporary
theology and metaphysics. Over time, the
word faith has taken on a number of meanings.
Then the relation of faith and truth must be reexamined in the context
of evolving metaphysical thought. In
particular, how do we find the meaning of faith in the context of the education
of a Secular Kabbalist?
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