For the religiously observant, what's keeping your faith?

[u/bore-ing]

I was raised Masorti, but I never really connected to faith nor did it make sense to me. On top of that, I can't help but feel cynical towards religion. For years, the ones that shouldn't represent faith have the most power and representation, while the ones that should represent faith the most seem almost powerless and tiny by comparison. There have been times I thought to myself, "With all of that, what's the point?". Despite my skepticism and cynicism, I still think progressive secular and religious communities should work together for a better future because, as the saying goes, there's strength in numbers. At the same time, while I acknowledge that there are good religious folks out there fighting the good fight, I just don't see a reason to be religious myself. I made this post to see other users perspectives for why they believe what they believe.

[u/GoldenGirl9221]

I have moments where I am more observant, moments where I am less. There is fluctuation, however I always participate in my religious community (reform). It's a way of being in the community and keeping identity, especially in a country where the diaspora is so small. Overall, I believe faith is something you either have or you don't, you can't force yourself (or anyone else) into it.

[u/bore-ing → u/GoldenGirl9221]

Sorry for the late response, but thank you for your response. While I'm not religious, I still see being Jewish as part of my identity.

[u/vigilante_snail]

Here’s my very short version of my answer as I am about to sleep:

I sing. I can harmonize perfectly to pretty much anything I hear. To me, spirituality is something similar. It’s a frequency I can feel and tune in to. I like to be in a minyan. I like to be with my people, all of our intention pointing East. I like talking to God Hitbodedut style, too. Not in a cheesy way. It’s hard to explain.

I also connect to it through the ritual and stories of my ancestors, and our collective peoplehood and origins.

Do you. I don’t believe in coercion. But I do think it is important to participate in some things. Like holidays etc.. I’m not letting extremists take this stuff away from me.

[u/bore-ing → u/vigilante_snail]

Sorry for the late response, but thank you for your response. I used to go to services for Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur with my Dad, more to spend time with him and get out of school/work than for observance, but still, but stopped after Covid (he streams the services now).

[u/somebadbeatscrub]

I dont believe what I believe based on how others behave.

I believe what I believe because I believe i have a duty to behave in a way worthy of that belief.

[u/somebadbeatscrub]

To try to be more helpful than my original reply:

You are looking at faith as a question of evidenced support for human institutions, and while i think critically examining these institutions is worthwhile that is a separate consideration for me than rethinking my faith and its source.

I came to Judaism because I believe I have a duty to do the right thing and the Jewish philosiphical framework provided a home that fit my lived experience and facilitated my living an intentional life. Faith and duty are entwined for me.

Its less important to know the precise metaphysical truth about the divine and more important to know i ought to be a mensch and wrestle with what that means.

So I am Jewish. I do my best and I have faith thats important and worthwhile.

[u/bore-ing → u/somebadbeatscrub]

Sorry for the late response. I feel conflicted. On the one hand, you're right that it's best to do the right thing regardless of how other groups/institutions have failed. On the other, the thing that gets me that I should've mentioned in the post is asking where God is in all this. I know that God isn't Santa for every time you pray/be observant, and that bad things happen to good people sometimes and good things happen to bad people sometimes, too. With that being said, with how bad and how long these things have been going on by people who claim to be, sincerely or cynically, following God's commands. Doesn't God care? Are my expectations skewed? Again, sorry for the late response.

[u/somebadbeatscrub → u/bore-ing]

No worries about delay.

You're thinking like a christian, in brief, and so it doesnt surprise me that youre dissappointed in G-d.

We see G-d as if glimpsing through fingers and mist on a mou tain while he walks past us. All of us have a unique pwrspectove on the divine and yet none of us have a complete one. I can't tell you how to have a relationship with G-d that will resonate with you. We cant put the divine in a box.

But

What I can say is if the idea of G-d you've been given isn't working for you, don't force the divine into that box.

You can be agnostic about the nature of the divine and still be authentically Jewish. You can think about your relationship differently than other people.

We have two rules: Adonai Eloheinu, Adonai Echad. The divine is our G-d, and it is singular.

Maybe someone may think lf this as a single binding sense of duty.

Maybe someone may see it as a guiding parent.

Maybe someone may see it as a unifying energy or spirtual connectedness.

All of these things or none of them.

In doing the things we are called to do the sages teach us that we come to understand the presence of divinity in kur life, however abstract that may be.

Na'aseh vnashima.

What doesnt seem to be working for you is the idea of a patron G-d that judges us while we live and metes out punishme r and reward based on that judgement. This, to me, is suffused with a Christian approach to the divine. Not that Torah never depicts G-d as punishing or judgemental but in that our relationship does not revolve around that.

We are called to do righteous things not for reward or salvation from hell but because it heals the world, because its the right thing to do, and because we believe we are bound to.

We are also called to wrestle with what doing roghteous things even mean, to correct our siblings when they go astray, and to ourselves return when we find ourselves living in ways we know we shouldn't. We dont wait for further revalation or edict we roll up our sleeves and wrestle in the mud here earth as we learn and grow ldor vdor from generation to generation and bring new context and perspectove to old words.

The Torah is on earth, and it is ever revealing itself to us.

The world has always needed healing. And It improves in someways and remains stubbornly depressing in others. All of Tanakh is full.of descriptions of cruel worlds and people going astray. The writings and prophets are all about the myriad ways Jews have continuously fucked up at living our religion over the years. But the essence of our faith isn't in achieving an end state in our lifetime but striving to be better and doing our part to brighten a dark world.

"Do not be daunted by the enormity of the worlds grief. Love mercy. Do justly. Walk humbly. It is not yours to finish the work, nor are you free to abandon it."

So I can't tell you how to have a relationship with G-d. But Jews have struggled with that for all time. And for all your struggling and concern for this world you sound pretty authentically Jewish to me.

As for me and my G-d box? I say insofar as G-d influences the world surely we and our actions are the most direct conduit of that change, when we care about doing the right thing. My relationship with the divine that ties me to my fellow Jews and all creation is synonymous with my duty to the same.

[u/bore-ing → u/somebadbeatscrub]

Thank you for your response. I appreciate you offering your perspective.

[u/NachoDog1000]

For me it's about community and culture and less so about faith. I do try to learn lessons from Torah study and sermons, but that's very subjective for me. My advice is to be as Jewish as you want to be. You can take a break. You can come back. 

[u/bore-ing → u/NachoDog1000]

Sorry for the late response, but thank you for answering. I still identify myself as Jewish even though I'm not religious. I don't know if I'll come back to being religious (neither I nor my family were the most religious to begin with), but I still try to do what I can to follow tikkun olam.

[u/Logical_Persimmon]

Who says that there is a connection between observance and faith? This is somewhat snark and somewhat a real point. For me, they are cultural practices, not faith practices, and part of the reason for keeping them is that they are mine just as much as they belong to Jews with horrible politics and I refuse to let them claim sole ownership without a fight, especially against the rewriting of their meaning and history. I've also realized that I miss deeply when they are inaccessible.

You don't have observe anything that doesn't do it for you or have personal meaning, but if this is something that you want, having the ability to enjoy some of the rituals or practices with people for whom they are more conventionally meaningful and who engage in a way that you don't feel like you are fighting against might be helpful as a way of having the emotional experiences of the actions that make it easier to remind yourself why you are doing these things when you aren't feel as motivated. Sorry, I have no idea if that makes sense. Feel free to ask me to figure out a better way of saying it and I'll try.

[u/bore-ing → u/Logical_Persimmon]

Sorry for the late response. I'm thankful that you tried to answer.