How Good Do We Have to Be?

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Overview

From the author of When Bad Things Happen to Good People comes an inspiring new bestseller that puts human feelings of guilt and inadequacy in perspective - and teaches us how we can learn to accept ourselves and others even when we and they are less than perfect. How Good Do We Have to Be? is for everyone who experiences that sense of guilt and disappointment. Harold Kushner, writing with his customary generosity and wisdom, shows us how human life is too complex for anyone to live it without making mistakes, and why we need not fear the loss of God's love when we are less than perfect. Harold Kushner begins by offering a radically new interpretation of the story of Adam and Eve, which ...

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More About This Book

Overview

From the author of When Bad Things Happen to Good People comes an inspiring new bestseller that puts human feelings of guilt and inadequacy in perspective - and teaches us how we can learn to accept ourselves and others even when we and they are less than perfect. How Good Do We Have to Be? is for everyone who experiences that sense of guilt and disappointment. Harold Kushner, writing with his customary generosity and wisdom, shows us how human life is too complex for anyone to live it without making mistakes, and why we need not fear the loss of God's love when we are less than perfect. Harold Kushner begins by offering a radically new interpretation of the story of Adam and Eve, which he sees as a tale of Paradise Outgrown rather than Paradise Lost: eating from the Tree of Knowledge was not an act of disobedience, but a brave step forward toward becoming human, complete with the richness of work, sexuality and child-rearing, and a sense of our mortality. Drawing on modern literature, psychology, theology,,and his own thirty years of experience as a congregational rabbi, Harold Kushner reveals how acceptance and forgiveness can change our relationships with the most important people in our lives and help us meet the bold and rewarding challenge of being human.

Editorial Reviews

Library Journal
Jewish and Christian religions reinforce feelings of guilt and inadequacy by using the story of the Fall of Adam and Eve to teach that humankind's spiritual inadequacies are inherent. Rabbi Kushner (When Bad Things Happen to Good People, 1981) here retells the Genesis story of the primeval couple to demonstrate that the imperfections of humankind do not merit the loss of God's love, nor should they foster the guilt and anxiety that they often do in a society driven by a misguided attachment to perfection. Combining psychology and spirituality, Kushner invokes the power of acceptance and forgiveness as a means of overcoming the insidious consequences of a preoccupation with perfection. For most libraries.
Kirkus Reviews
An unconventional reading of the Garden of Eden story, offering the best-selling rabbi's suggestions about its psychological implications for the children of Adam and Eve.

Rabbi Kushner (When Bad Things Happen to Good People, 1981; To Life: A Celebration of Jewish Being and Thinking, 1993; etc.) contends that we demand too much of ourselves and forgive too little. The traditional reading of the Adam and Eve saga as a paradigm of disobedience and divine punishment is responsible, he feels, for much of the unnecessary guilt that we heap on ourselves. We must free ourselves of the notion that God demands perfection of us. "It is the notion that we were supposed to be perfect, and that we could expect others to be perfect . . . that leaves us feeling constantly guilty and perpetually disappointed." The purpose of religion, contends Kushner, is to ease our troubled souls and not to exacerbate our doubts and conflicts. Religion ideally teaches us that not only does God forgive our mistakes, but that our mistakes have a divine purpose, as experiences from which we can grow. "Religion properly understood is the cure for feelings of guilt and shame, not their cause." And just as we must learn to forgive ourselves, we must be more forgiving of others. The alternative is to turn ourselves into victims and others into victimizers. Sin and punishment are not our inheritance from Adam and Eve. Adam and Eve's legacies of work, love, and the awareness of mortality make up the "burden and challenges of being truly human." Nowhere, however, does Kushner consider more complex questions, such as how society should handle those who suffer not from an excess of guilt, but from its absence.

Replete with personal anecdotes and references to contemporary literature, this is an appealing but ultimately shallow piece of feel-good pop theology.

Product Details

  • ISBN-13: 9780316519335
  • Publisher: Little, Brown & Company
  • Publication date: 9/1/1997
  • Edition number: 1
  • Pages: 192
  • Sales rank: 186,445
  • Product dimensions: 7.38 (w) x 4.96 (h) x 0.51 (d)

Meet the Author

Harold Kushner

Harold S. Kushner is Rabbi Laureate of Temple Israel in Natick, Massachusetts, where he lives. His books include The Lord Is My Shepherd, Living a Life That Matters, and How Good Do We Have to Be?

Customer Reviews

Average Rating 4.5
( 9 )

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Sort by: Showing all of 10 Customer Reviews

  • Posted December 9, 2010

    Good for those who have lost their faith

    I'm not a believer in any god, but I found this book compelling. I think any person would benefit from Kushner's insights into what it means to be human and to want to do good. He must be an amazing man.

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

  • Posted May 6, 2010

    I Also Recommend:

    9780310250562 9781400072422 9780310228646 9781578569052

    Excellent book, Definitely will read again.

    Thorough and compelling book that I found most interesting, especially the part about relationships. I read a borrowed copy which contained
    many underlined important thoughts and phrases. Felt compelled to buy my own copy which I did. Plan to reread once my wife is through reading, and highlighting the material I find most interesting and relevent to me. The most important theme being that we were created by a loving God not an vengeful one.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted March 12, 2006

    the challenge of being human

    I was amazed by Rabbi Kushner's re-telling of the story of Adam and Eve - so simple and so sensible - reasonable, you might say. I was overwhelmed by his gentle reminder that we can choose joy in our lives, instead of righteousness and be happy once again. A great teacher, a great healer. A great book.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted April 29, 2005

    not by works which we have done...

    I'm not sure I would agree with this book but I would recommend it to anyone who desires to test their faith. The thing is, Kushner feels like the bible points toward man winning favor before a perfect God. However, the truth according to the Bible is that it's not about us. We are all sinful people--so it is impossible to gain entrance into heaven by our own works. The message of the bible is that Jesus Christ was provided as a substitution for us. We were supposed to face God's wrath as the punishment for our sins..but Jesus Christ took our punishment by dying on the cross. He overcame death by rising from the dead on the third day. The way of salvation as made clear by the Bible is that we stop relying on our own good works to get us into heaven. We cannot stand before a righteous God and expect to be 'good enough' to get in. Also, according to the bible, all we have to do to get this salvation is to trust in Jesus Christs' redemptive work on the cross. Heaven is a free gift..something we do not have to work for. It is being offered to us because the punishment that we deserve has been taken care of. God is offering us this amazing gift..it's our responsibility to accept this gift. The entire bible, both Old Testament and New Testament point to the need for a savior and God's provision of one. The truth is staring you in the face, are you going to just sit there? Your eternal destiny is the more important matter of your life; think carefully about what you want for yourself. No one is going to force a belief down your throat. It is you duty to search for the truth. I believe I found the truth and I just wanted to share it with all of you. Everything I said about the way to heaven is in the Bible. Here are just a few verses that you can refer to. I encourage you all to read these through and make your own judgements. 'For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. ' -Romans 3:23 'For the wages of sin is death but the GIFT of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. ' -Romans 6:23 'Yet to all who receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.'- John 1:12 'Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household.' -Acts 16:31 '...that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.' -Rom 10:9

    0 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted November 20, 2001

    Good Book

    This book is a good book for those who have been asking the question about how good we need to be in order to goto heaven. what the expectation of others have said in order to goto heaven and the actual truth of not being as good as most would assume but letting go of past pain that has been afflicted on us. Harold Kushner not only indicates that it is not good to hold a grudge but how important it is to forgive. That to forgive and forget are not options in life but are necessary to have a full and happier life. I would recommend this book of all faiths. .

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  • Anonymous

    Posted May 7, 2000

    A Gift to Ease the Worried Mind

    Need I say more? He says it all. This book educates and soothes the 'guilty' soul.

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    Posted June 24, 2009

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    Posted September 13, 2009

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    Posted February 21, 2010

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    Posted July 4, 2010

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