For Those Who Can't Believe : Overcoming the Obstacles to Faith [Paperback]

Harold Schulweis (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 4, 1995

The distinguished rabbi of one of America's largest congregations offers a welcoming view of Judaism that will inspire the believer and the non-believer alike.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In 11 short chapters and a little more than 200 pages, Harold Schulweis poses, and then attempts to resolve, the major faith dilemmas of the modern believer. Is the Bible fact or fiction? How can God speak? What is the role of conscience in religion? What is the meaning of suffering? In asking and answering such questions, Schulweis manages to include almost every basic aspect of Judaism . He shows that either/or questions e.g., Are miracles true or false?) are forced, simplistic options and then proceeds to offer alternatives generated from within religious tradition. Instead of questioning the existence of God, for instance, he suggests that readers ask whether they believe in godliness? In healing the sick? In feeding the hungry, pursuing peace, loving their neighbors? It is in such refocusing of the questions of conventional theology that Schulweis's wisdom lies. Unfortunately, despite his sympathetic style and sermonic skills (he's rabbi of Valley Beth Shalom in Encino, Calif.), the Schulweis wisdom sometimes lies buried in passages that lack energy and verve. Readers who persist to Rabbi Schulweis's inspiring conclusions, however, will find that persistence worthwhile. Recommended for all who are exploring the boundaries of their religious identities, for believer and nonbeliever, Jew and non-Jew alike.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Kirkus Reviews

A sincere but largely unconvincing attempt to answer the questions posed by Jewish skeptics and nonbelievers. As spiritual leader of Congregation Valley Beth Shalom in Encino, Calif., Schulweis (In God's Mirror, not reviewed) is perturbed by the indifference--often bordering on hostility--that characterizes so many Jews' relationship to their faith. To his credit, he does not dismiss their complaints but sees them, in fact, as justifiable and even ``honorable.'' He insists that debating the existence of a supreme benevolent omnipotent being is firmly rooted in Jewish tradition. For those who question God's ability to answer prayers, the rabbi responds that we cannot expect magical answers from God. The purpose of prayer is ``to open a two- way bridge,'' and to ``depend on miracles is to belittle our divinely given intelligence as well as our moral responsibility.'' In grappling with the Jobian-Kushnerian question of why bad things happen to good people, Schulweis suggests that there are two dimensions of divinity representing two complementary faces of the one God, as represented by two of God's Hebrew names: Elohim is the source of nature, while Adonai is the source of morality. Inexplicable tragedies are the work of Elohim. By accepting these events and transforming them, he argues, we express the wholeness of one God. Schulweis is more successful in responding to the universalists' charge that Judaism is parochial. Rather than betraying humanity with loyalty to the Jewish people, he argues, commitment to one's own family allows one to be more generous to others. Schulweis also scores points in defense of ritual, which he credibly presents as providing a ``rooted connection between the ache and emptiness of the present, the reverence for the past, and the promise of the future.'' Though there is some inspiration here, the book is, in the end, too logically sophisticated (as in sophistry) to reach the heart of the nonbeliever. -- Copyright ©1994, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Harper Perennial; First Edition edition (August 4, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060926511
• ISBN-13: 978-0060926519
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.3 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #822,334 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars My questions finally answered!, February 25, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: For Those Who Can't Believe : Overcoming the Obstacles to Faith (Paperback)

This book is incredible! Schulweis does a fantastic job of tackling head on those questions, concerns and issues that we all have about God, Religion and spirituality. I was very moved by this book. I am not Jewish , but feel these are questions and answers for all faiths.As he states in the book, many people turn away from the church and religion altogether because they can't get answers that satisfy their concerns. A quote: " The questions are not impious...They need to be answered." Pg. 70 I recommend this book for all those who are searching and even for those who are not. It's also a great book to help you explain spiritual ideas to children.

5.0 out of 5 stars For Those Who Won't Believe -- mind opening commentary on Jewish theology., November 21, 2010

By 

chaya kaplan - See all my reviews

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This review is from: For Those Who Can't Believe : Overcoming the Obstacles to Faith (Paperback)

I found reading Rabbi Schulweis' book a remarkable experience, in that he answered so many of my questions about how to hold and be in-connection with G-d as conceived and reinterpreted by Jewish sages through the ages.

4.0 out of 5 stars When Your Honest About Doubt, May 3, 2010

By 

Gary Powell "' Author of 'In That Land There ... (Hawaii) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: For Those Who Can't Believe : Overcoming the Obstacles to Faith (Paperback)

An essential element of Harold Schulweis' book is the inseparable nature of God and man. This book allows us to look at the idea of God and how that impacts our existence individually and as society. The cosmic questions of prayer, miracles, biblical revelation and the seeming contradictions of life and faith are examined and laid before us for consideration.

If you are looking for a daily devotional book - this is not for you. If, on the other hand, you are able to open yourself to honest contemplation you will find in these pages a serious study that is neither boring nor cumbersome.

Highly recommended.