Ethical Monotheism

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Ethical Monotheism

The word ‘ethical’ as defined by the Chambers Pocket Dictionary means

“1. Of or concerning morals, justice or duty. 2. Morally right”. The

word monotheism is defined as “the belief that there is only one

God”. So, what is meant by the phrase ‘ethical monotheism’?

The majority of Jewish people believe that there is some sort of God

out there, a higher being than themselves. Rabbi Dr Louie Jacobs says

this is “because they have been taught by their ancestors”; perhaps

suggesting that it is down to tradition. However, despite this when

their belief is challenged, “They are able to show that it is not

blind and unthinking”.

Atheists don’t believe that any form of a God exists; they believe

that everything (the world and its inhabitants etc) just appeared. The

atheistic view says: “there is no explanation”. But this means that

atoms and molecules just happened to collide by chance and that the

particular combinations and chemical reactions that followed resulted

in not only the “material universe” but furthermore the “human mind…

all beauty, and art, all music and goodness, all science, all

philosophy, all the kindness and generosity of which people are

capable, all the protests against evil and the struggle for justice,

righteousness, and compassion”.

Surely all of humanity could not have been a scientific accident? Dr

Rabbi Louie Jacobs answers this question with another question, “but

how can the universe be reasonable unless there is a mind in the

universe”.

Belief in one God is at times testing. The existence of a God is

always questioned, but it is questioned even more so at times of

suffering. As Rabbi Dr Louie Jacobs comments “If God exists… how and

why could such a Being tolerate all the pain, misery, and anguish that

is often the lot of humanity”.

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