G-d is like the Swedish Chef of the Muppets. Don't ask me why He is the way He is. My understanding is that we don't get to judge Gd. G-d Does as He Does, all I can try is to serve Him and hope for Moshiach.
The Torah does not call people to believe in things that they find disagreeable. With Torah, if there is a problem; it can't last. I encountered Judaism by searching because I was looking for a religion I could agree with. In your thinking, should I have searched for a religion I couldn't agree with?
The science of pain is so much easier to believe in than a Gd that uses pain to His liking. I am glad you found Him
The Hasidic Jews virtually rebuilt me into a much better way of life, and it was as if I saw the Light. Good things started happening to me. I was no longer a kid that wished for his own death, plotting how, but always scared that doctors would revive me into an even worse condition. If I did not fear resuscitation, I probably would have committed suicide.
Torah speaks the dark language of a broken mind looking for love. For me, it wasn't, "Light" that attracted me. I was attracted to things in the dark part of the mind, such as throwing stones for the sake of justice.
Gd hates those who deny the wrath of Gd. Gd doesn't answer their prayers with reward.
The worst heresy of this age is that both the Jews, atheists, and the Xtains still provide no answer that I know of to, "The Problem of Pain." It is only the agnostic that has an answer, but it is a flimsy one; it is the easy way out of contemplation of Hashem. I am asking a question to something I feel like is a satisfactory answer (for me that is), and that is that Hashem is everything everywhere, pain, happiness, trees, rocks, depression, excrement, insects, food, men, woman, children, dogs. Everything is made by the design of Gd. However, though we may suffer, the Xtian says, Jesus relieves them from suffering because of the completely absurd and ineffectual claim that, "He (Jesus) died so that we don't have to." Xtians need the news, the death of Jesus and its magic accomplished nothing. A painful senseless death the story seems to tell; but, that means absolutely nothing, except one of millions of cruel, painful, and senseless deaths on this earth. Pain is a problem because chronic pain can be far worse than the pains claimed by the followers of Jesus. Retrospectively the pain of Jesus did not last that long making it a far less problem than chronic pain can be.
We live to be righteous in this world and to repair the world.
I never said the Tanya teaches animals reason, but regardless in my understanding it is not only humans that are capable of reason. Thus, in this thought, perhaps I am in subordination of the understanding of souls, especially from what I can remember in Tanya. I do believe that for at least some animal souls, like humans, animals can share a part in the Gdly soul, and accomplish some feats such as reason.
I don't separate nature from Gd.
Who invented death? Who invented pain? G-d is all powerful. Gd could stop suffering easy as snapping His fingers, but He does not. He, Himself, invented such things for His ways that I don't completely understand. I love Him as a child loves His parents, without fully comprehending anything of His nature.
"so man will not degrade Yehovah's Ways by changing them over time?" ~ That is absolutely correct. We are as G-d's agents to take care of the earth, not ruin it. Hashem calls us to be stewards of earth, as it says in the Genesis creation account, "Let them rule," and the agricultural Laws of Torah are strongly suggestive of maintaining the glory of planet earth.
degradation of the universe is not the rule. You are speaking of entropy. Entropy says things tend to disorder, but that is not the whole story. A greater equation, delta G, includes entropy, and even supercedes it, such that organization, such as cellular evolution can occur even in the presence of our universe’s entropy. Also, you are thinking of the universe as a closed system. I believe the universe is an open system, where Hashem has left Himself, an "In," as a way reign over and organize of the universe as His kingdom.
culture such as a Law is the product of nature, and culture is inclusive of DNA. Like the morphology of species predicted by DNA; culture can also morph, evolving such things as laws for the benefit of the continuation of groups.
Who knows the future? I don't. But, will say this, I think in the future there will be categories upon categories greater than reason, logic, and science. These are but three boxes. Because I believe in Hashem, I believe that there are greater categories than these.
If miracles as mentioned in torah can be explained through science and logic ~ that is the goal. Fundamentally, I believe that if it can be conceived of, then it can almost certain be built, such as through logic and science. "If it works use it," as the utilitarians say.
I see no difference studying nature with the purpose of gain. ~ For example, climate change, or lightning, rain, etc. (This is where science is headed), and it is in Torah, Leviticus 26 and Deuteronomy, first it would appear that religion is far ahead of science. Jews knew about the way the weather works thousands of years, through Torah, before scientists thought of it.
miracles, true or not, may give me insight to how the universe works. I makes me think, "I wonder if I could do that using what I know about religion and science." I have not shut the door on either.
Walking on water: I would call a frozen pond in Israel to be a miracle, especially when folks didn't live that long, such that often the adults were as children. If you are young and you have played on thin ice, I was brought this idea, reading about it in the NIV, it strikes me as children playing on a frozen pond, or even a frozen puddle.
the Electrochemist in me looks for unusual things to help understand and explain the universe.
I have seen a picture of snow in Israel.
Maybe that is why it is mentioned in the literature? It was so rare that someone recorded it.
Question for Christians: When Jesus reportedly walked on water, could that be a frozen pond or lake?
Jesus got angry when people questioned him (What kind of Moshiach would try to stop people from questioning him? - This makes me angry because of the importance of questioning to Judaism) Jesus also demanded his followers follow him extremely, demanding complete loyalty, as if he where a god. For instance, telling a rich man to give up all his money.
I thought Jesus came to bring a sword. Matthew 10:34
New International Version
"Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword.”
