Synopses & Reviews
The biggest stumbling block when it comes to religion
is God, even for an ordained rabbi who admits her
rational mind just can't buy into a God in the sky who
writes down our deeds and rewards and punishes us
accordingly. But not being sold on an intervening God
shouldn't bar you from living a vibrant and fulfilling
Jewish life. The God concept has seen many upgrades
over the centuries and it is these reinterpretations that
have kept Judaism relevant.
In this provocative look at the many faces of God,
Adventure Rabbi Jamie Korngold examines how our
concept of God has changed over the centuries, and how
these changes have shaped every aspect of Judaism. She
shows that by upgrading our God concept to one that is
aligned with our modern sensibilities, the result is a
Judaism that is both meaningful and accessible.
In an exploration energized with enthusiasm and
humor, Rabbi Korngold looks at God concepts ranging
from the earliest perspectives to some of the most
influential modern theologies. Ultimately she introduces
a concept of God that speaks to the issues of the
twenty-first century:
God 1.0 When the World Was Flat, God Had It Easy
God 1.1 Therapist with Super Powers
God 1.2 God Goes into Farming
God 1.3 Discovery of the Afterlife
God 1.4 The Tradition of Questioning God: Job
God 1.5 Maimonides' Moderation between
Reason and Intuition
God 1. 6 Spinoza's Spin on God
God 1.7 1.9 Rabbis Buber, Heschel, Kushner
and Schulweis
God 2.0 The Upgrade
Synopsis
For people who don't believe that God can intervene in our lives, and why Judaism is still important.
"Judaism has so much to teach us about how we treat ourselves, each other, and our planet.... Of course, you can learn these values elsewhere. But as a people, Jews have thousands of years of experience turning this kind of stuff over and over. We've] had millions of users working to debug the system. Rather than look to other sources for guidance, let us turn to our own people's past to discover what it has to say about our present and our future."
--from the Introduction
For some people, the biggest stumbling block in religion is God--even for an ordained rabbi who admits her rational mind "can't buy into a God in the sky who writes down our deeds and rewards and punishes us accordingly." But not being sold on an intervening God shouldn't bar you from living a vibrant and fulfilling Jewish life. The God concept has seen many upgrades over the centuries and it is these reinterpretations that have kept Judaism relevant.
In this provocative look at the ways in which God concepts have evolved and been upgraded through the centuries, Adventure Rabbi Jamie Korngold examines how our changing ideas of God have shaped every aspect of Judaism. With enthusiasm and humor, she shows that by aligning our understanding of God with modern sensibilities, Judaism can be made more meaningful, accessible and fully compatible with twenty-first-century life.