In 1768, Antoine Lavoisier, father of modern chemistry, declared, “Stones don’t fall from the sky, because there are no stones in the sky!” Many museums in Europe actually threw out their meteorite specimens, considering them nothing more than superstition.

In 1865, a man named Joshua Coppersmith was arrested in New York for attempting to raise funds from the “ignorant and superstitious” for a device he claimed would convey the human voice at any distance over metallic wires. He called it a telephone. Journalists supported his incarceration.

In 1903, just weeks prior to the first flight at Kitty Hawk, Simon Newcomb, professor of mathematics and astronomy at Johns Hopkins University, published an article proving that powered human flight was “utterly impossible.” When the Wright brothers claimed to have built a flying machine, it was dismissed as a hoax by the scientific journals, newspapers, the US military, and most American scientists.

In 1957, Britain’s Astronomer Royal, Sir Harold Spencer Jones, famously said “space travel is bunk” only two weeks before Sputnik 1 was launched into space by the Russians.

These statements, which are just the tip of the iceberg, reflected a broad mindset of the times they lived—and we live in. A culture of extreme criticism and skepticism rejects belief in anything beyond the narrow parameters of conventional thinking, even when the matter in question is eminently logical and believable—once carefully considered.

Pillars of Faith offers reasonable, logical approaches to some key foundations of Judaism. This remarkable and easy-reading work includes impressive explanations to those who find themselves at the beginning of their spiritual journey, and serves as a tremendous source of strength to the seasoned Torah student.

Faith is something that is embedded in the human condition. Belief in a higher power is something that humanity as a whole has always sought after. Faith can be cultivated if it seems to have been lost.

The religious impulse seems to be rooted in the biology of the brain. Evidence suggests that faith is not a delusion or a manifestation of wishful thinking but rather a chain of neurological events that can be objectively observed, recorded, and actually photographed. For lack of a better term, God is hard-wired into the human brain.

This mini-book, an abridged adaptation of Pillars of Faith, attempts to clearly explain reasonable approaches to belief in God, as well as addressing some of the hang-ups and hesitations which are common in our society, such as bad things happening to good people. I believe that the spiritual seeker and skeptic alike will be able open their minds to the existence of God. In addition to being a starting point for those who find themselves at the potential beginning of their spiritual journey, this book also offers the faithful person a resource to solidify his own beliefs and outlooks.

Reviews

I purchased the book and read portions of it. I am highly impressed. I have also watched some of his work on torah cafe. Again, I was highly impressed. I can say with certainty that his book will give you good material for those thorny discussions about difficult issues of faith.
I bought this book a few months ago. I haven't gone through it completely, but what I've read so far is impressive. The author marshals current research to the cause of explaining the yesodos of Yiddishkeit uncompromisingly and with great clarity. There is a good deal of shtoltz and geon yaakov delivered to the keilim of the modern Jew. This book is not apologetic, BH. Points are made with seichel, not sentiment. This book would appeal to any shliach looking for good osiyos to explain the depth of the basics, or for any mildly intellectual person in your community who is looking for answers. The Rebbe's approach to all these issues permeates the entire book, and I can recommend it without hesitation.
Perhaps the greatest book of its kind on the market.
Impressive… clear and logical explanations of many difficult and complicated subjects.
… an invaluable aid to introduce one to the foundations of Jewish belief and also to inspire and strengthen the faith of those already on the Torah path.
Your book, Pillars of Faith, will enlighten the understanding of all who follow the laws of the Torah, and serve as a source of knowledge and inspiration for those who are seeking a life of truth.

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