I read Baraita because she always makes me think.
Have I ever mentioned why I prefer the term "tzedakah" to "charity" or "philanthropy"? It's not just the Dickensian dystopias and class warfares evoked by the latter two; it's because I know my etymology and I am trying to focus on doing something for reasons of justice, not love. Giving because you are filled with love (however spiritual) for an individual person is halfway to worship; giving because you are filled with love (however familial) for humankind is probably a sub-category of mercy. But giving because you are trying to make things right in a world that isn't -- that's justice, or at least a vision of it.
Here I am, two days into Lent, and I am struggling to articulate my own personal spiritual space. I cannot say in good faith that I am a Christian--I cannot bring myself to say that I believe that Christ died for the redemption of my sins. And I can't quite bring myself to say that I believe in the Old Testament God either. (But there is a peace that passes all understanding. And the Episcopal liturgy is....uplifting.)
So how do you go about being a good person without religion? Naomi helps me figure it out:
We are praying our vision of a just world and affirming our responsibility for working to fulfil that vision.
It is my duty to behave at all times in the manner I would like the world to become.
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