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I Feel "ripped Off" In A Way. But Thats My Fault...

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Posted by Robert Garfinkle on August 23, 2001 01:13:00 UTC

I later learned, after a few years of Sunday school, that there were more than ten. I will go as far to say that it was a good possibilty that I also did not pay complete attention when I was younger.

My parents, GOD love them both, presented Judaism to me from two aspects.

1. Our people are part of a very powerful and controversial background. We are the chosen people. "Why were we chosen Dad?", I asked. He said that we were the first to accept the ten commandments. He also went on to tell me that our religion only sees one GOD, there is none else. I am a firm believer in this. As a group/nation of people we have suffered, been persecuted, and on the other hand, truly blessed with respect to keeping our beliefs alive.

2. My father, who had been tough on me when I was younger, also had an unusual amount of respect, blindly I might add, when it came to religious beliefs and my thinking/feelings on GOD/Judaism.
He had no problem letting me know how he felt with respect to his beliefs in GOD and the Jewish faith. He is a firm believer as well, BUT he said that ultimately it was my decision / right to choose what I wanted to believe. I find this unusual because I have known many people to push their kids with respect to religion, and tell their children that it was bad to think any other way.

He let me decide for myself on a very fragile subject. He did say that he would like to see me go to Sunday school to learn about the Jewish faith and our ancestors history through out time, and I did, but that when I grew older I would make my own decisions as to what was right for me. I wouldn't have wanted it any other way. Out of all the "Schmutz" (For lack of better word), that we went through as I grew up, he always held the highest respect for my rights as an individual with respect to religion. I find that very remarkable and love him very much for that.

My current path.

I believe very much in the Jewish faith/ONE GOD and I'm very proud to be Jewish. I don't attend services often, I feel that when I need to, I turn to GOD where ever I am and pray. To some this might be taken as a "Non-Practicing" Jewish person, and construed as a bad thing. I feel very close to GOD, and have no quarrels/qualms with respect to where I pray. I had a bar-mitzvah, went through consecration, and have absolute immovable beliefs with respect to "ONE GOD" and his word(s) according to the old testament.

I am not afraid to venture and study other peoples ideas/concepts. I am curious to see where their beliefs lie with respect to ours. I don't question ours at all.

I do however have a little issue with the "GOD has always BEEN" thing. I cannot conceive, in my mind, that GOD "Just always was". I feel that GOD was "Born", came to be at a certain moment. Not that GOD came from a higher power or something like that, No No No! I believe that GOD is "THE HIGH POWER", not "A HIGHER POWER". I am not afraid of GOD. What is there to be afraid of. GOD is love and life, and I believe OUR simple reason for being here is that GOD wanted to share GOD's creations, (GOOD and BAD) with us. Being in his image, if that's what we are, we can recognize, share, and love life as GOD does us and the universe. Destiny is not written, I believe, it's in our and natures hands over our lifetime(s) existence. GOD, again I believe, created life as we know it, is powerful, but yet we guide ourselves to properly sustain life and continue sharing and loving.

OK, maybe a bit much, but that's where I stand. I do have a faith breakdown with the GOD in respect to the "FOREVER" concept, but I have shared my ideas with this discussion community under the thread "Something from Nothing". I would like to come to a resolve with this issue. Some might say "FAT CHANCE ROB", we'll never find out, so just believe and move on. I am curious, and at the very least (maybe most) I can think about it.

With respect to feeling ripped off, I wish I would have opened my eyes/ears a bit more to pay attention when I was younger, maybe we did discuss the 637 commandments. I just don't remember.

Love to all

Rob

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