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Q: Your exploration of the question “Is God Too Big For Us?” was of much interest. I appreciate your honesty in noting that we do not have knowledge about God. Thus your words about God are declarations of faith, but not matters of knowledge. My question has to do with your faith confession that trust in God is like the words of a child’s lullaby that says “Do not worry, my little one. Everything is going to be OK.” That may be a consoling faith judgment in the hard times of life. However, it reflects the charge of some skeptics that this kind of faith is an expression of “infantilism.” Buddhists, on the other hand, seem to cope well without that consolation. There are legitimate responses to this question. I would like to get yours. – (From W)

A: The Rev. William Sloane Coffin, former chaplain of Yale said, “I’ve often been asked if religious faith isn’t just a crutch. Yes it is, I would answer. But what makes you think you aren’t limping?”

Faith is the antidote to fear.

As Ingrid Betancourt, the writer and peace advocate, wrote, “Obviously, fear is contagious. But faith is, too. Faith isn’t rational or emotional. Faith is an exercise of the will. It is the discipline of the will. It’s what allows us to transform everything that we are — our weaknesses and our frailties — into strength and power."

So, I believe that science is an act of the intellect and faith is an act of the will. Faith is our refusal to submit to despair. There is a line in “The Little Prince,”“It is only with the heart that one sees rightly. What is essential is invisible to the eye.”

My friend Rabbi David Wolpe has given me courage to embrace the invisible,“A tragedy of humanity in our time is the certainty that what we see is what alone exists, what we create is alone worthy; that by virtue of an existence whose origins we do not understand and whose beauty we did nothing to merit, we are all that is worthwhile. We suffer the peculiar blindness of those who see only the visible.”

The natural language of science is the experiment. The natural language of faith is the story. As the great Madeline L’Engle wrote,“Why does anybody tell a story? It does indeed have something to do with faith, faith that the universe has meaning, that our little human lives are not irrelevant, that what we choose or say or do matters, matters cosmically.”

All is why I chose the lullaby as the proof of faith and the proof of God.

Faith is not just a story or a song. Faith is a set of stories and songs that change how we view the world. My favorite theologian and storyteller C.S. Lewis said it perfectly, “I believe in Christianity as I believe that the Sun has risen: not only because I see it, but because by it I see everything else.”

Faith is a transformative story. But do not believe that faith is just a fiction. St. Peter Julian Eymard reminded us that“Faith is to believe what you do not see; the reward of this faith is to see what you believe.”

You spoke about Buddhism and even though it does not believe in a creator God, it does believe in the story of faith. Its first noble truth is that suffering (dukkah) exists but its next three noble truths are that there is path (marga), right beliefs and right actions that lead us to enlightenment (bodhi). So, even in a wisdom tradition that is utterly non-Western there is commonality. I see Buddhist influences in the words of 2 Peter 1:5-7,“For this reason, make every effort to add to your faith, goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love.”

Keep asking your questions, dear W. They will lead you to the truth of faith.

The Hasidic rebbe, Simcha Bunim, once went on a walk with his disciples. Along the way, he and his entourage encountered a group of Jews who were engaged in casual conversation. The Rebbe said to his disciples: "Do you see those Jews over there? They're dead." The disciples were confused. Finally, one of them spoke up: "What do you mean, dead? They look perfectly alive to me." "They are dead," the Rebbe said, "because they have stopped asking questions and searching for the right answers." The Hasidim walked on, pondering his statement. Finally, one of the bolder disciples approached the Rebbe and asked: "Then how do I know that I am not dead?" The Rebbe turned to him and answered: "Because you asked."

I find faith everywhere in every sacred story that sings us the song of hope.

(Send ALL QUESTIONS AND COMMENTS to The God Squad via email at godsquadquestion@aol.com. Rabbi Gellman is the author of several books, including “Religion for Dummies,” co-written with Fr. Tom Hartman. Also, the new God Squad podcast is now available.)

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