The Economy and Religion: CBS Interview

Rabbi Jill appeared on CBS’s The Early Show on April 11th. These are CBS’s questions and her answers.

CBS: Unemployment numbers are out of control, people are losing their houses, their savings... Is religion more relevant in troubled times like these?

Rabbi Jill: Religion is vital in difficult times. Just as there are corrections in the market, so there are spiritual corrections. In Deuteronomy, Moses told the people that in good times they will forget about God and claim that they were the sole cause of their wealth. It is in tough times that people return to their relationship with the Divine Presence to renew it, which brings the flow of blessings back into their lives.

CBS: What are you telling people that have lost their jobs or homes to try and inspire them?

RJ: I tell them to do as many deeds of lovingkindness as they possibly can. I tell them that my teacher, Rabbi Gelberman, who is 97, teaches that rain and clouds are a sister to the sun. The clouds will disperse. The sun will shine again. The flow of Divine blessings is in their hands; if they spread light, light will come back into their lives. If they take this spiritual opportunity to deepen their connection to God, their lives will be enriched.

CBS: Do you find that people sometime lose faith in organized religion in times of despair?

RJ: Of course they do. But it is in times like these that they may also seek out a priest, minister, or rabbi to talk to and find that religion has answers that are unavailable elsewhere.

CBS: What's it like out there for all of you -- has attendance for your services risen or dwindled since the start of the recession?

RJ: It’s hard to tell, but I think attendance is about the same. What I notice is that more people are calling me to talk to them one on one.

CBS: What are some of the biggest concerns you're hearing from people at your Temple?

RJ: There are some who have lost jobs and are worried about being unable to pay their rent. They send out resumes but the jobs don’t seem to be out there right now. It’s a very difficult environment.

CBS: Newsweek magazine ran a poll about religion -- One of the results was that 68% of Americans say religion is losing it's influence in our society -- What do you think is the underlying cause of this statistic?

RJ: I think there is a very interesting phenomenon occurring. Religion was historically authoritative: people had to believe and do what the denomination of their religion prescribed. But now there is a movement to individualize religion, which actually results in a universalizing of religion. People are seeing that there is great truth and beauty in all religions and want the freedom to pick and choose from each religion that which speaks to them. So there is more respect for each of the religions and more people saying that they are spiritual but not religious. I can see in the far future that perhaps, eventually, the prophet Zechariah’s vision will come to pass: that God will be one and God’s name will be one.

CBS: The magazine also reported a rise in Americans who claim no religious at all affiliation up from 8% in 1990 to 15% today -- Are you all alarmed by these numbers?

RJ: What I say is that God calls in the exiles. The Divine Presence sends us experiences that contact our souls. God has it covered. It may be that one person will leave religion entirely, but their children will return. It’s in God’s hands.

CBS: Are you worried that these numbers will only get worse as time goes on?

RJ: Religion is the last taboo in our society. You can talk about sex. You can talk about violence. But if you talk about religion, people may think that you are a religious fanatic. Our scientific, acquisitive society does not support dialogue about religion as readily as it does other topics, but people will find a way to speak about what is important to them, hence the statement, “I’m spiritual but not religious.”

CBS: What do you see as the biggest threat to religion in today's world?

RJ: The worship of what the Torah or Bible calls false gods: money, sex, and power. That’s the way it has always been.