Book Group: The God Who Weeps Chapter 2

Chapter 2 of The God Who Weeps deals with our existence before this life.  While the authors and I agree that we did exist before we were born on this earth, we have apparently come to that conclusion through different processes.  The bulk of the chapter deals consists of the authors explaining that if we feel X, then a pre-mortal existence is the best explanation.

The authors speak of a longing and of feeling lost, not quite at home in this earthy sphere.  They ask,

Who has never felt the utter inadequacy of the world to satisfy the spiritual longings of our nature?
(page 40)

The answer is me.  Maybe I misunderstood the question. I've often found answers in the world that satisfy my longing and make me feel not so lost.  Nevertheless, I can see how a longing for something more might reflect a memory of something we once had.

One idea that I do agree with is the feeling that I am more than just this body.  There is something that is beyond my body and my mind that is the real me.

The discussion of free will and guilt as evidence of a pre-mortal life did not connect with me.  Again, for some people, and obviously for the authors, this makes sense.

The strongest, most powerful parts of this chapter come at the end when they stop trying to convince us of the pre-existence and just state how we benefit from that belief.  On this, we are in full agreement.

...it suggests that birth into this world represents a step forwarding an eternal process of development and growth, not a descent or regression from a primal goodness.  God's work is therefore first and foremost educative and constructive, not reparative.
(page 52)

We are here to learn and progress.  We are not here because Adam and Eve messed up and because of that all mankind must be punished.  Leaving the garden was a chance for them to grow to progress.

If we existed before, if God did not create the essence of who we are, but merely gave us a chance to move forward, it changes everything.

Soberingly, if we are co-eternal with God, then it is not God's creation of the human out of nothing that defines our essential relationship to him.  It is His freely made choice to inaugurate and sustain loving relationships, and our choice to reciprocate, that are at the core of our relationship to the Divine.
(page 53)

God chose to love us, and we choose to love him, setting love at the center of everything.

Questions for discussion and personal reflection

1.  Do you believe you existed before you were born?  What experiences or ideas brought you to this conclusion?

2.  Do you feel like you have lost something?  Do you have a longing for wholeness that is best explained by a belief in a pre-mortal life?

3.  Do you feel that there is more to you than just your body and mind?  

4.  How do you feel about the idea that God's work is primarily instructive rather than reparative?  

5.  How can God be both co-eternal with us and our creator?  

6.  What things did you like about this chapter?  

7.  What things didn't sit well with you about this chapter?