"I prepared to be a rabbi for a different generation," said Rabbi Harold Kushner, the bestselling author who became a nationally known spiritual leader when he defended religion in the 1978 classic When Bad Things Happen to Good People (Random House). The nation's attitude toward faith had changed from when he entered seminary in 1955 to when he took his first congregation in 1966, but like his celebrated work over 30 years ago, Kushner is sharing his wisdom of how religion can still add depth and meaning to life in his new book Nine Essential Things I've Learned About Life (Knopf, Sept. 1), which is listed among PW’s Fall 2015 Top Ten religion and spirituality titles.
Kushner, whose notable work also includes When All You've Ever Wanted Isn't Enough (Random House, 1986), grew up with what he likes to call a "command-and-obey" theology where Scripture provided a record of what God said and how God wants us to live. During the '70's, the author noticed that his congregation was no longer interested in what God expected of them, but rather in how much control they could have over their own religious lives. Such a change led to a "yawning gap between the sophisticated view of life that most people walk around with and the immature view of God they hold onto," said Kushner.
Yet, religion is often presented in such unappealing ways that Kushner is not surprised when people give up on it; he is disappointed, though, that people feel as if they do not have an alternative and that they separate spirituality and religion. "Spirituality is what you feel, theology is what you believe, and religion is what you do," said Kushner, drawing on the words of his friend Rabbi David Wolpe.
In an attempt to bring people back to religion, Kushner, 80, shares lessons he has learned about faith in his 12th book, Nine Essential Things I've Learned About Life, including his take on justice. “People think that getting even for a wrong is justice, but that’s really about power,” he told PW. “The only power you really have is to banish that person from your thoughts, and forgiving them allows you to liberate yourself from them.”
One of the most powerful bits of wisdom he shares in his book is how to feel better about yourself by finding another in need of help. “Look,” he said, “times will be cruel sooner or later to all of us; the way out of that is to stop thinking about yourself and find someone else’s hand to hold.” Such an act, he points out, takes us back to the true meaning of religion, which is to bind together.
Although people's view of religion has changed, Kushner hopes that his book will convince readers that “they will like their life better if they will make room for the religious domain—prayer, forgiveness—in it.”
