This is a summary of the book Man Is Not Alone by Abraham Heschel. I've listed the points in bullet point format as it was easier to do so for this book as it was pretty straight-forward.
Right and wrong is subjective and has changed throughout history but "we know of no tribe, of no code that would insist that it is good to hate or that it is right to injure each other."
Catastrophes take us out of our illusions of control. One of those illusions is what the role of God is. "[Man] postulated the existence of a Power that would serve as a guarantee for his self-fulfillment, as if God were a henchman to cater to man's aspirations and help him draw the utmost out of life." It's an illusion to believe that God is around to serve us as we deem suitable.
The point of life is to remember. "Remembrance is the touchstone of all actions." "What is decisive is not the existential moment of despair, the acceptance of our own bankruptcy, but, on the contrary, the realization of our great spiritual power, the power to heal what is broken in the world."
"We never know the ultimate meaning of things, and so a sharp distinction between what we deem good or bad in experience is unfair. It is a greater thing to love than to grieve, and, with love's awareness of the far-reachingness of all that affects our lives, the pious man will never overestimate the seeming weight of momentary happenings."
Faith is action in accordance with reason. "The expression of faith is an affirmation of truth, a definite judgment, a conviction, while faith itself is an act... it is a moment in which the soul of man communes with the glory of God." Faith based actions should also incorporate reason. "An essential disagreement between reason and revelation would presuppose the existence of two divine beings, each of whom would represent a different source of knowledge. Faith, therefore, can never compel the reason to accept that which is absurd." "Faith without reason is mute; reason without faith is deaf."
The other aspect of faith is divine concern. "Divine concern means His taking interest in the fate of man; it means that the moral and spiritual state of man engages his attention." It means that God is not just concerned for the big things, but the small things as well, and we should be as well. If God is concerned for the small things, then those that follow him "in the small things [sense] the significant, in the common and the simple... [sense] the ultimate." Awareness is gained by noticing the subtle.
God is unity. "The unity of God is a concern for the unity of the world." Religion's purpose, therefore, is to encourage unity. "Those who cannot free themselves from the idea that morality and religion are man's own response to a selfish need, the result of a craving for security and immortality, or the attempt to conquer fear, are not unlike people who presume that rivers, like canals, were constructed by man for the purpose of navigation. It is true that economic needs and political factors have taught man to exploit the waterways. But are the rivers themselves the products of human genius?" In other words, religion may be a crutch to some, but that's not its inherent purpose. That would actually be a misuse of religion. True religion leads to unity, not division.
Most would opt towards selfishness than selflessness. "The will is naturally inclined to submit to selfish ends, regardless of the mind's insights. There is nothing which is less reliable than man's power for self-denial." In fact, most of us prefer to live in cages of our own creation rather "than look for an exit to the maze in order to search for freedom in the darkness of the undisclosed."
Needs are not holy, they are chains. "Needs are our Gods, and we toil and spare no effort to gratify them." Freeing yourself from needs allows you to find your destiny. "The deepest wisdom man can attain is to know that his destiny is to aid, to serve."
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