In the philosophy of religion, the question that is addressed is how to reconcile the existence of evil with that of God who is understood to be:
1) omnipotent (all-powerful)
2) omniscient (all knowing)
3) omnipresent (everywhere).
1) omnipotent (all-powerful)
2) omniscient (all knowing)
3) omnipresent (everywhere).
In some versions also: 4) Omnibenevolent, God who is always good
Martin Buber differentiates between two ways that human beings orient themselves toward others, not just people. The I-You relationship is one of openness and mutuality. I-it, on the other hand, is one of transaction of the impersonal.” The I-It relationship is merely a means to an end: like when you order food from a server in a restaurant, it’s a transactional relationship. The I-Thou relationship, however, strives for openness, availability, and presence, all without limitation. And in doing so, we are able to convey love, respect, and trust toward one another. But on a deeper level, the intimacy of I-thou allows us “to penetrate into the tensions of human lives…yearning for a greater sense of connection. We want to awaken our spirit, but we know for this to truly happen, we need an encounter with something beyond ourselves…It’s more than just getting business done as usual; we are taking care of our souls as well.
"Just as God clothes the naked, so too is it our responsibility to clothe the naked. Just as God visits the sick, so should we. Just as God comforts those in mourning and buries the deceased, so too do we.”
- Babylonian Talmud, Masechet Sotah 14a
"If God is the capacity of everything to relate to everything else, and we, partake of that godliness by our capacity to relate…then God’s power is the inner unfolding of relationships, [giving us the ability] to do the right thing…This is a very different God than the one we have been told we are supposed to believe in…[This] is the God…who cares, who relates, who invites us to make the best decisions and who remains vulnerable to our choices. And most importantly of all…it is the God who already dwells in and through each of us."
- Rabbi Bradley Shavit Artson, I Will Be Who I Will Be: A God of Dynamic Becoming (Jewish Theology in Our Time, pp. 9-10)
Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel explains, “The surest way to suppress our ability to understand the meaning of God and the importance of worship is to take things for granted. Indifference to the sublime wonder of living is the root of sin. Wonder or radical amazement is the chief characteristic of the religious man’s attitude toward history and nature.” Radical amazement, could be as simple as appreciating our getting up every morning; an appreciation for the fact that we can breathe; or it could be watching someone who is sick or aging continue to fight and live a life of dignity even at life’s end. Rabbi Heschel explains that, "mankind will perish not for want of information, but only for want of appreciation. The beginning of our happiness lies in the understanding that life without wonder is not worth living."
“... a person of faith has made the willed choice to seek to understand in relation to the mystery of our existence…Doubt may be the most sincere and incontrovertible religious sentiment we have at our disposal…Our inability to describe God fully is perhaps the only place to begin a theological conversation of integrity....
....Faith is not about beginnings or endings, but about process, forward momentum, and opportunities for discovery.” Judaism gives us the permission and space to embark on “an ever-active quest for God,” allowing us to be spiritual seekers. By being in an ever-evolving relationship with God, faith, Jewish prayer, inquiry, and observance become a series of opportunities for discovery of the self, others, and God.”
- Rabbi Elliot Cosgrove, Jewish Theology in Our Time, pp. 124, 128