Does Faith Make Me A Better Person?

Do I need to believe in G-d to be a good person? 

“Rabbi, I pay my taxes, am friendly to people around me and charitable to those less fortunate. Doesn’t that make me a good person?  Does it matter whether or not I believe in G-d?”

Good question.  Especially if you consider the fact that so much murder has been committed, today and throughout history, in the name of religion. So why bother with G-d? Let’s just be good.

So here’s my take on the subject:

True goodness isn’t possible without faith. If I’m good just because I decide it’s the right thing to do, or I just feel like being good, what happens when I change my mind? If I’m “in charge” of deciding what’s right and wrong, what happens when I decide it’s good to be bad, or if I come to the conclusion certain people deserve to be treated with respect while others don’t deserve to live – where do I go from there?

That’s not just a hypothetical. Germany in the 1940s was not some third world country, a throwback to the dark ages. It was an ultra modern society. It was at the cutting edge, not only of technology and the sciences, but also (believe it or not…) of human, animal rights and protecting the environment…  Mistreat your dog and you can be imprisoned. Yet, high level scientists and ethicists came to the horrible conclusion that Jews, Gypsies and homosexuals don’t deserve to live.

When I read about the Eichmann trials, what horrified me most were the “thoughtful,” calculated arguments. These monsters really believed they were doing a good thing, a service for humanity, by butchering tens of millions of innocent men, women and children.

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” Why did the American Founding Fathers need to include the words “created” and “Creator” in the Declaration of Independence? Why not simply state that all men are equal endowed as such by the people?  It’s because they understood that rights endowed by humans can also be taken away by humans.  The only path to a truly just society where goodness prevails is one based on faith in the Creator of every life, and as such, each has absolute and equal value. Period.

“But rabbi, there’s so much murder in the name of G-d?”

We’re seeing it in our own time, suicide missions in the name of Allah, in the belief that some great reward (72 slices of pizza…) awaits them on the other side. To be sure, this is not a new phenomenon. Religious persecution has been around as long as religion has. So if I must embrace faith to be good, how can I be sure my faith is not of the dangerous variety? How can I ensure my relationship with G-d makes me a better person rather than the opposite? Another good question.

The answer lies in a simple teaching of the Talmud.  The Talmud states that service of G-d cannot be for the sake of reward, in this world or the next. Rather, it must be for its own sake, not expecting anything in return.  That’s absolutely brilliant. Here’s why:

If I’m being good because I believe it’ll get me something in return, I’m not really being good at all. It’s just another form of selfishness, only it’s coupled with religious absoluteness. A lethal combination.  (“I want what I want for the sake of my own reward or redemption… there’s no way you’re getting in my way if it’s the last thing either one of us does”…) However, if I choose to be good for no reward or payback, but simply because the Creator told me this is what it means to be good, and that it’s good to be good, that’s real goodness.

*****

So, I offer a bold thought: Teaching our children about the existence of the Creator is not all bad… It’s actually an excellent idea. It’s the only way to impress upon their minds and hearts the intrinsic value of each human being. Knowing there is an absolute right and wrong, not one decided upon by their current opinion or daily mood swings, will actually make them better people. Be sure to include in the message that we’re to be good, not in the hopes of reward, now or in the hereafter, but because it’s good to be good.