How Good Do We Have to Be?: A New Understanding of Guilt and Forgiveness by Harold S. Kushner

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


This book has done me good. As soon as I finished the last page I wanted to begin it again.
A redefinition of the creation story, and a re-envisioning of the meaning behind the concept of Original Sin, the author's reinterpretation frees one to let go of the unattainable aim for perfection, forgive and accept imperfection in ourselves and each other, and realize that "...God loves us in our aspiring and in our stumbling." Regarding Original Sin, he says, "the Original Sin that affects virtually every one of us and leads to other, worse sins is the belief that there is not enough love to go around..." Knowing that we do not need to try to earn God's love by being perfect allows us to identify with those around us and treat them equally and fairly.
I think that the reason this resonates so well with me is that as a mother I know what unconditional love for my children feels like, and the notion that this is a small example of God's love sounds to me like a fitting definition of the God who is Love.
"To be whole before God means to stand before Him with all of our faults as well as all of our virtues, and to hear the message of our acceptability."



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