Our Immoral Soul A Manifesto of Spiritual Disobedience

by Bonder, Nilton

• ISBN13: 9781570629242
• ISBN10: 1570629242
• Edition: Reprint
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2014-02-11
• Publisher: Shambhala

Summary

Rabbi Bonder turns a few conventional religious ideas on their heads as he examines the Bible and other Jewish teachings to identify the forces at play in individual, social, and spiritual transformation. Religious conformists believe that obeying the established moral order will lead to the salvation of our souls. On the contrary, says Bonder, the human spirit is nourished by what society labels immoral. Even the Bible legitimizes the notion that we have a God-given urge to rebel against the status quo in order to evolve, grow, and ascend. It is this "immoral" soul of ours that impels us to do battle with God -- and out of this clash, Bonder predicts, a new humanity will emerge. The discussion includes questions of evolutionary psychology; the relation of body and soul; infidelity in marriage; anti-Semitism and the Jew as traitor; transgression, sacrifice, and redemption in Judaism and Christianity; and the Messiah as archetypal transgressor.

Author Biography

RABBI NILTON BONDER was born in Brazil and ordained at the Jewish Theological Seminary in New York. He leads one of Brazil's most influential Jewish congregations and is also active in civil rights and ecological causes. He has led workshops on spirituality in management for such corporations as IBM and the Brazilian Oil Company and has delivered lectures worldwide, including at Boston University, New York Central Library, the Omega Institute, the Jewish Museum in Prague, and a United Nations peace conference. He is the author of eighteen books, several of them best sellers in Brazil.

Table of Contents

The Immorality of the Soul	p. 1
A Naked Animal	p. 1
Tradition and Treason	p. 8
Unfaithfulness and Betrayal	p. 20
The Soul's Logic	p. 45
Peace to Those Who Come from Afar	p. 46
The Short Long Path or the Long Short Path?	p. 47
Why Sacrifice?	p. 48
Better Betrayal Than Hypocrisy	p. 49
Transgression and Growth	p. 53
Compatriots of the Soul	p. 54
The Missing Self	p. 55
Satisfaction and Honesty	p. 64
The Need to Transgress	p. 66
Betrayal in the Judeo-Christian Tradition	p. 69
The First Betrayals	p. 72
Salvation through Betrayal: The Messianic Lineage	p. 73
Product of the Soul: A Mutant	p. 92
The Messiah: Savior or Criminal?	p. 95
The Future of Betrayal	p. 101
The Individual and The Soul	p. 107
Afterword: The Ultimate Scientific Discovery	p. 113
Notes	p. 117
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