Sunday, March 30, 2008
Getting Angry at God
In class, we conducted "faith interviews," and one of the questions was, "If God is good, how can God permit evil in the world?" Lots of views were presented during our discussion. In shul, the rabbi gave a powerful sermon that was directly connected to this discussion. He encouraged us to get angry at God when bad things happen, and not to dismiss bad things as having no connection to God. He suggested that this would ultimately help us develop a closer relationship with God in our lives. When do you get angry at God? Does expressing this anger help you feel close to God, either at that time or later on?
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13 comments:
I don't really get angry at G-d. Sometimes if something I pray for, like someone's health or to go somewhere, doesn't happen, I don't really feel angry. I feel sad. I think that being angry at G-d might help you get closer to him. If your angry at a stranger, you just act all polite and sweet to them like it doesn't matter. If you show your true feelings to G-d though, then it shows that he is more than some figure we just hear stories about and pray to. It makes him seem more real and possible.
Even though I dont believe in G-d its still an intresting question. Can g-d control everything that happens on earth (I'm speaking hypothetically). Can he, or she, watch every single one of us and make sure nothing bad ever happened? I dont think so and even if he could I wouldn't want it that way because without bad there is no good for there is no contrast. It would be the garden of eden where there (excluding the trees) were no wrongs. I think that noone should get angry at g-d because if he prevented every wrong then we wouldn't be the people we are and our experiences would have no depth because again no contrast. Just like in a photo without contrast the world is impossible to TRULY see.
sometimes, if i ever see books on the holocaust or videos, i get angry at G-d. I think, why did our people deserve this? why would G-d do this to us, his people? i'm sure He had SOME reason behind it, such as some people learning a lesson or something, but was it really worth it to lose 6,000,000 of his people? i feel like the holocaust was something the Jewish people REALLY didn't deserve and I feel confused and kind of angry when I think of why G-d put us through it.
I don't know heather... One of my many theories on god (Really it's not a theory but it's something I ponder)is that we were a little science project god made one day and he could control us in the beggining. Then we started evolving and getting more advanced soon he couldn't control us anymore.Now we're completly out fo his hands. It's like some scientist made a virus in a pitri dish and he monitered it but then it evolved and bassically destroyed the world. Thats what the human race is a little virus destroying the world. I don't think god could have done anything to stop us from losing six million people, so if you believe you have every right to get angry at him.
I think sometimes we get angery at God when something we prayed for doesn't happen or if a loved one passes on, I think if some one close to you dies it is okay to get angery at God. This will help get closer to God in a spirutral way.
I think that when we get mad at G-d, we should also get mad at ourselves. I remember earlier in the year we were discussing something about how G-d is in our lives or something like that. I think that G-d has a plan for each and every person, but it's up to us if we go through with that plan. So, for example, I think that if we get in a fight with a best friend and we feel angry toward G-d for making that happen, we should blame ourselves just as much as G-d because WE caused the action to make the friends angry, WE were part of the fight. It was G-d's plan, but we either followed through or against his plan. The choice was REALLY up to us when you get to the roots of it.
Thank you for all these thoughtful comments about a tough question.
I loved what Shifra said about making God more real by showing our true feelings, as well as Yitzchak's comment about anger leading to spiritual closeness; I found Shaul's comments about God not being able to stop tragedies very compelling; and I was gratified to see that Shifra made reference to the Mishnah we learned in Pirkei Avot, that says, "Everything is foreseen, but free will is still granted." Yishar koach.
One thought to add:
There are biblical characters who explicitly address God with anger, such as Job, Moses and Jonah. Does the fact that these people in the Bible got angry at God influence your thinking at all?
I don't think that hearing other people in the Bible get angry at G-d influences me that much. I mean, it's kind of like, yeah, these people got angry at G-d and they didn't really have G-d angry at them. It's just, I probably would've kept my opinion and views the same after hearing that other people in the Bible got angry at G-d.
I agree with Heather. just because someone else got angry doesn't mean you should or have to. Imagine the same veiw in polotics. If one person got angry at lets say bush (i think thats pretty easy to do) should the entire world? I think the old saying still applies if one person jumped off a bridge would you jump too?
It's a question of whether you want to have your own opinion or just be a sheep and follow everyone else's.
I think you guys are right to use your own judgment, and not just be followers.
Let me just rephrase my question about the biblical characters this way:
When the Bible says, "This displeased Jonah greatly...and he said, 'Lord, isn't this just what I said when I was in my own country...I would rather die than live!" (Jonah 4:3) or "Moses was distressed, and said to the Lord, 'Why have you done this to your servant? Why have you put the burden of all these people upon me?" (Numbers 11:11),
these are good models for some people who feel like they are not able or supposed to get mad at God. For some of you, this may be a useful model for how to relate to God in difficult times. Does this model of prayer "ring true" for you?
I don't think that getting mad at G-d is my way to pray and connect to him. Though it is a good way, because like I said earlier it can help you get closer to Him and relate to Him, I think that you have more chances to regularly pray and connect to G-d then getting angry at Him instead. Also, maybe the more that you get mad at G-d or start to make excuses to get mad at Him and if that's a way you like to connect to Him, you might start to REALLY get mad at him and not want to pray anymore.
I believe that being angry at God can even strengthen your relationship with him since it means you believe he has the power to help wrong things become right. However, I don't usually put the blame on God, but myself when something goes wrong. I will on occasion though ask very strongly for something, and if God doesn't do anything I will only assume he is balancing out my life.
HALLIE
I think that you have to get angry at G-d. YOu do this at the loss of someone or something extremely important to you. HOwever I don't completely agree with rabbi shuck about that getting angry makes you feel closer TO G-d. I feel that this though is an important way to understand yourself. Also when something good happens you can thing that g-d is appoligizing.
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