ArcaMax

Q: I do not believe in reincarnation. It is not comforting to think I would be back here after I die in a world where there is so much turmoil. Instead, I love the idea of my soul going back to God at the end of my life and then, when time here is over, my body will be reunited with my soul and I will live with God/Jesus for eternity in peace. God bless you! – (From D)

A: A wonderful point, dear D, although reincarnation provides more time immersed in the joys of the world; it also deprives our souls of time spent amidst the joys of God. You also raise an important element of both Jewish and Christian belief which is the end of time in the Messianic age. This is the belief in the resurrection of the dead and it is the belief that our bodies and our souls are eventually reunited and then are part of the battle at the end of time in which the Messiah defeats the forces of evil and ushers in an age of peace and harmony with God here on earth. Actually, the belief in resurrection at the end time conflicts with the belief in reincarnation. If we are reborn many times before the Messianic age, which body is reunited with our soul? It does seem to me that you have to choose between reincarnation and resurrection. The ultimate mysteries present us with ultimate questions.

The Texas floods debate continues

Q: I am an 86-year-old Catholic. I have had questions recently about God. I find your answer weak. You say God does not promise us a world without floods, but God does promise us a world in which every rescuer is the hand of God. I find it sad that you say God is not responsible for any bad things that happen but takes credit for all the good things that happen. Thank you. – (From F in East Rockaway).

Yes, dear F, that is exactly the truth of God according to Isaiah 45:7: "I form light and create darkness, I make peace and create evil, I am the Lord, who does all these things." What I wanted to lift up was the belief in a God who makes everything, not just a God who creates blessings. God is the “bringer of death and the bringer of life.” (Hebrew: meimeet u’mechayeh). Some of the good and some of the evil in the world is the result of our conduct here on planet earth and some good and bad comes from God’s creation of a world with glorious bounty and terrible dangers.

Worshiping a God who is not the sovereign of all things is worshiping a small God. I choose to worship a large God who includes all the joys and sorrows of life. I think that is what Isaiah intended to teach in his bold and challenging verse. However I understand that it is very hard for many people to embrace a God who makes light and darkness and a God who makes peace and evil. Even the ancient rabbis in Judaism had difficulty with the teachings of Isaiah 45:7. When they included that verse in the prayerbook they modified the actual words of God. They wrote “I form light and create darkness, I make peace and I create everything.” (Hebrew: boreah et ha kol). In the Talmud tractate 11b they teach that this is just a euphemism. Even for them God as the author of evil was too much of a challenge.

The key to unlocking the mystery of a God who creates evil along with good is also found in the prophecies of Isaiah. He also writes about a God who is near to us and who accompanies us through the trials of life, as well as being with us in the celebrations of joy in life. That confidence that we do not live a life without dangers, but we also do not live a life alone is found in Isaiah 58:8-9:

“Then shall thy light break forth as the morning, and thine health shall spring forth speedily: and thy righteousness shall go before thee; the glory of the Lord shall be thy reward. Then shalt thou call, and the Lord shall answer; thou shalt cry, and he shall say, Here I am.”

We can doubt God’s benevolence and we can doubt God’s evil, but what we cannot doubt – what we must not doubt – is God’s presence in our lives with every breath we take.

(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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