A recent damning television exposé of a purportedly religious (Kabbalah)
group has forced me to re-examine my own religious beliefs.
Many of my beliefs have been influenced not just by intellectual arguments
but in a large part also by exceptional teachers. Indeed, beliefs, by definition, cannot
be verified with certainty by empirical evidence. So perhaps, like members of the
aforementioned religious group, I, too, have been inveigled and ultimately
deceived by charismatic teachers? Maybe the beliefs that have been inculcated in
me since my youth are fantastical?
The question is a frightening one, because it turns the very things that most
convince us into a reason for doubt. When we find a teacher inspiring and
compelling, when we are enthused by people who seem spiritual and
pious, how can we be sure that they are not just megalomaniac, demagogic
charlatans who are playing on our vulnerability for their own selfish gain? Is
there a way of ensuring that we do not become conned into accepting religious
beliefs that are in fact false?
A fascinating insight by Judaism’s great codifier and philosopher,
Maimonides (Rabbi Moses ben Maimon, 1138-1204), sheds light on this dilemma.
After Adam, the primordial man, sinned, the Torah tells us that he was now able
to differentiate between good and evil (Genesis 3:5). Maimonides asks a
fundamental question: is it not absurd that after having sinned, Adam was
rewarded with the power of differentiation? In answer, Maimonides makes a
profound distinction: he explains that before the sin, by virtue of his
intellect alone, without any experimental evidence, Adam was able to distinguish
between eminently true facts and those that were false. After the
sin, Adam lost this ability and was now capable of differentiating only between
the morally good and the morally corrupt. This is why Adam and Eve now felt
naked -- the innate immorality of being naked in public was now apparent to
them, something to which they had been given immunity by their previous higher
intellectual perception (Guide for the Perplexed 1:2).
This is now human nature: without empirical evidence it is impossible to discern
truth from fiction. We can, however, differentiate between the morally good and the morally corrupt. This is a powerful barometer. We can easily detect moral corruption and be sure that it brings falsehood in its wake. Interestingly, in the Bible there is no
prohibition against lying. Instead it says, “Keep away from falsehood” (Exodus
23:7). The reason for this seems clear: without empirical knowledge we cannot
completely avoid falsehood, but by avoiding morally corrupt people we can "keep
away" from it.
Unfortunately, history is littered with people who have hijacked holy teachings
for their own mendacious gain. Since their teachings are based on the books of
sublimity, the teachings themselves can be inspiring. However, one can be sure
that eventually their inner sordidness will lead them to corrupt the teachings
as well.
The teachers that made the most powerful impression on me, the teachers who
earned my trust and devotion, were those who not only were sincere but also
lived in accordance with the teachings they preached and fled from any type
of moral corruption as from the plague. In matters of faith, this is the best
indicator of truth I am ever going to get in this lifetime. For now, this is good
enough for me.
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