“What we believe does make a difference.”

The title of Rabbi Olan’s November 10, 1963 radio sermon suggested that his listeners would hear an address about the trustworthiness of God. Whether intentionally or unintentionally, the sermon actually focused more on humans than on the Divine. What are we to believe about God in these modern (or post-modern) times? Why look to God at all when scientific advances promise to fulfill our every need?

Obviously, people need science, but we also need something more. We need to connect with That which gives purpose, meaning, and hope to life.

It is “a tale told by an idiot.” This is the view of life which is at the base of those who outwardly reject the belief in God. The believer, on the other hand, interprets the world as animated by mind and spirit. In it man has a place and his hopes are integral and important. There is order, unity, and creativity in the very nature of existence both of the universe and man. This is what he affirms when he believes that there is God.

(Rabbi Olan quotes Friedrich Nietzsche, Lewis Carroll, Genersis 9, and William Shakespeare.)