Judaism is, for Levinas, a religion for adults. What does he mean buy Essay

Judaism is, for Levinas, a religion for adults. What does he mean buy this - Essay Example Theodicy implies a vindication of the divine in spite of the manifestation and existence of wickedness; this concept of suffering has troubled many because they believe that it is a contradiction to be a good God and still let one’s creation suffer. Levinas explains that atheism would be the most obvious reaction to such a phenomenon, but this would be taking a simplistic path in understanding the matter (145). Persons who hold such a view may come to this resolution because they had a perception of God that is also simplistic; that is, of a creator who treats men like children. This God gives prizes to those who have been good and then punishes them for failing to play by the rules; in other words, he regards the human race as one with an infantile state of mind (Katz and Trout 144). However, if one were to conceive of God as a being that is more complex than the above assumption, then it is likely that one will be better able to understand the notion of suffering. Levinas adds that the God who is found in the Torah is one who hides his face in order to allow man to rely on his conscience in order to find him (145). He requires a responsible subject who would not need to depend on certain physical aids or manifestations in order to get to this level; this means, he would have to be mature. Levinas goes on to affirm that theodicy is actually not a fact but is really a product of mythic thinking that has been perpetuated over the years. When understanding such a monstrous act like the Holocaust, where 6 million Jews were killed, this scholar believes that people have to take responsibility for human behaviour. Trying to rely on theodicy to explain away these atrocious acts it to deflect human responsibility to a divine being, and this is what children would do (Katz and Trout 145). The God of the Torah is a God of adults because he requires man to