Is There Family Without Religion?

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We have a shul for you this High Holydays  FREE SEATS or FULL MEMBERSHIP see flyers below Limited space book now HERE Question of the Week:    I am an atheist. I dropped my faith a while ago. To be honest, I don't feel I am missing anything with G-d out of my life. If anything I am more free. It has made me wonder, if I lose my religion, have I really lost anything worthwhile?   Answer:   People often make the mistake of thinking that if you take away religion, you just get rid of G-d. This is not true. You lose much more than G-d when you drop religion. Something else you lose when you drop religion is the idea of family.   Family is a concept that cannot be taken for granted. The family is built and sustained on a belief system, a set of values, a worldview that sees marriage as a sacred covenant and parenthood as a moral responsibility. Without these supporting beliefs, the family is a baseless ideal that will erode with time. And these beliefs are religious.   Only religion can provide a meaning to life that is higher than me. I was created with a purpose that is beyond myself. I am here to serve. I was given the gift of life, and I should share it with others. Without these beliefs, there is no ideological base for the concept of family. No secular argument is strong enough to inspire you to give up your own freedom, get married and have children.    Look around at secular societies. The less religious the society, the weaker its families. Marriage is replaced with casual relationships, and having children is optional, as long as it doesn't interfere with career and living my life my way. In a godless world the lonely, unattached individual is idealized. The disintegration of family life in the west is a direct result of its secularization.   Of course there are atheists and secularists who make devoted husbands and  loving wives, dedicated mothers and attentive fathers. But this is in spite of their atheism, not because of it. People often do things that are not consistent with their beliefs. A secular family is one example. Having a family is an act of faith no less religious than attending prayer services.   You may not see the full of impact of secularism in one generation. But fifty years from now, the family unit as we know it will be the exclusive domain of the religious. The children of today's atheists, if they have them at all, are less likely to get married and have children of their own.   We need G-d in our lives, not for His sake, but for the sake of our children. By rejecting religion, secularists are throwing out their babies with the bath water.   Good Shabbos, Rabbi Moss To subscribe CLICK HERE or email rabbimoss@nefesh.com.au  NEW AUDIO CLASSES In-depth studies in chassidic thought Which King in Which Field? - the makings of a metaphor I Won't Miss Your Wedding - a letter from the Rebbe's father Where Do Opinions Come From? - Reb Levik's Torah SHABBOS SERVICES TIMES AND COMMUNITY INFO  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Friday, 25 August, 2017 |3 Elul 5777 Candle Lighting.............. 5:14pm  Mincha...........................5:25pm Friday Evening Service.....6:00pm Kiddush sponsored by Shirley, Jeffrey, Brian and Steven Sher and Rolene Markson in honour of the yortzeit of their late husband and father Hilton Sher (Yona Ben Avraham) on 30 Av- Long Life L'Chaim in honour of Beth & Bronco Lipovic, in appreciation of their amazing contribution of fresh produce for the Shabbaton!   Shabbos, 26 August , 2017 | 4 Elul 5777 In depth Parsha class................ 9:00am Children's program.................. 10:45am Shabbos Morning Service ........ 10:00am- 12:20pm  Followed by Kiddush sponsored by Alethea Gold in honour of the yorztheit of her late father Bernie Lazarus, Berel ben Avraham on 5 Elul, and by Nefesh Shabbaton participants in honour of the yahrzeit of Michoel Ben David (Michael Hyam) the first settler of Jamberoo (Sarah's Valley)   Mincha with Pirkei Ovos Ch 1 followed by Seudah Shlishis ............  ..... 5:10pm Gematria and story by Rev Amzalak......... 5:30pm Shiur with Rabbi Moss.......... ................ .5:50pm Shabbos ends and Maariv.................. .... 6:10pm Followed by Havdalah   WEEKDAY SHACHARIS SERVICES Sunday .......................... 8:00am Mon - Fri......................... 7:00am Latest Shema this week.... 9:08am   HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO Lexi Berkovits........................ 4 Elul/ Saturday 26 August Danny Lessem........................ 6 Elul/ Monday 28 August Yossi Segre....................... 8 Elul/ Wednesday 30 August Paloma Rochat................... 09 Elul/ Thursday 31 August Deborah Graham................ 10 Elul/ Friday 1 September   LONG LIFE TO Michelle Brenner for her late mother Stella Brenner Esther Chaya bas Dovid....... 2 Elul / Thursday 24 August Linda Zilber for her late father Horst Illing Yitzchak ben Kalman............. 4 Elul/ Saturday 26 August Larnce Gold for his late grandfather Bernie Lazarus Berel ben Avraham.................. 5 Elul/ Sunday 27 August David Stern for his late wife Linda Frances Stern Leah bat Yosef....................... 6 Elul / Monday 28 August Mrs Tauba Tanchum for her late father Tevia Kaplan Tevia ben Eliezer.............. 8 Elul/ Wednesday 30 August   To make a donation for a birthday, an Aliyah, a Yahrzeit or anything else,  please click here.  KIDDUSH SPONSORSHIP ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ FRIDAY NIGHT: Herring & L'Chaim-$60 (+ B.Y.O Whisky) | HOT SOUP $75  Basic $120 | Deluxe $200 SHABBOS DAY: Herring & L'Chaim- $90 (+ B.Y.O Whisky) | Standard $350 KIDS KIDDUSH & SHABBOS PROGRAM : $180   CURRENT DATES AVAILABLE: Shabbos Day 2 Sept Friday night 8 Sept Shabbos Day 9 Sept Friday night 15 Sept Just email office@nefesh.com.au to book a kiddush

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