Thank God for the Quakers, I say. "What’s Your Worldview" asks Dave Francis Interview with Lynda Gilbert What is your personal experience of religion?
I was born into and grew up in an Orthodox, but not ultra-Orthodox, Jewish family, initially within the very small Jewish community in Portsmouth, and later within the much larger community in Brighton and Hove. I was taught to keep the Sabbath and festivals, and regularly attended synagogue with my mother, sitting in the designated women's areas separate from the men and apart from my father. I went to religion school in Portsmouth and learnt to read Hebrew as well as to study the stories and lessons contained in the Torah. As a university student I became disillusioned with Orthodox Judaism, feeling that it didn't have a place for me as a modern woman, and for many years drifted away from Judaism. I nonetheless married a Jewish man in an Orthodox synagogue, the latter (not the former!) being the choice of my parents. Many years later, when my 8 year old daughter started showing an interest in Judaism, I discovered the Reform Synagogue in Milton Keynes, which was close to where we were living in Bedfordshire at the time. I was delighted at how welcoming they were and how easy it was to have a role to play as a woman in services, and became an active member of the congregation. Following that I became very involved in the Milton Keynes Interfaith movement and have become interested in other faiths and their perspectives.
Does the idea of ‘God’ mean anything to you?
The idea of God means a great deal to me. I became disillusioned with, and questioned, the inconsistencies of the Old Testament God (as brilliantly illustrated by Tom Hall in his poem in the June issue of Sofia!) at quite a young age- around 17. In place of the beliefs I was taught and grew up with has grown a more spiritual sense of God as the Source of all life, the Light at the core of the universe which is manifest in all living beings.
This of course includes me, and the way out of any darkness I experience has ultimately been to turn back to that Light to re-centre and re-focus.
Though I've only read about his work indirectly through other people's writings, I believe the 17th Century Jewish philosopher Baruch Spinoza held beliefs similar to mine; I am also drawn to the symbolic thinking of psychoanalyst Carl Jung. I think that in the Abrahamic tradition we have perhaps made the mistake of taking the ancient stories too literally rather than seeing them as a mix of history and moral allegorical or mythical tales which hint at the true nature of God rather than describing it.
How do you respond to the SOF assertion that religion is a human creation (rather than a revelation from God)?
It depends what is meant by “religion”. I make a distinction between “religion” and “faith” or “spirituality”. If “religion” means the stories and the institutions that faith has become embedded in, I would see those as human creations. As to whether the laws of the Torah were “revealed” to Moses by God as described, or whether he and possibly others “created” them, that's difficult to answer because I believe in divine inspiration, and it's possible that our ancient forefathers and teachers were inspired, which you could say is a form of revelation. The assertion that God Himself (Herself?/Itself?) is a human creation deeply troubles and confuses me. It sounds like an atheist assertion, yet most of the members of SOF don't appear to be atheists, so I'm not sure if that's what they're saying! That assertion places us in a position that I believe atheists inevitably hold, of being the most powerful beings in the universe, or at least on Earth. I see an arrogance in that, and I find it dangerous. For me God is revealed everywhere, and therefore all life is miraculous. I see it as vital that we don't lose that sense of the miraculous, or our humility, in the belief that there is something greater than ourselves gifting life to us.
Do you think or believe that life has meaning?
I believe that the meaning of life is that we are all interconnected, and that each of us has come into this world to take our place in the grand scheme of things. Quantum physics, and the ecosystems which enable our planet to survive, reflect this interconnection. It is our profound spiritual and moral duty to honour this interconnection and the Source of Life at the core of it, which I and others call God. We are witnessing today what happens when we start to ignore that and simply follow our egos and our individualistic paths.
What role do you think religion can and/or should play in society?
Following on from what I've said above, I think it's imperative that religious institutions or faith leaders find ways to guide us back to interconnection with each other and with Nature, with the planet and the universe. They need to speak out Religion in my life Lynda Gilbert is a therapist and a Milton Keynes campaigner for social, environmental and international justice. She is one of the founders of the city's Climate Cafe, which brings people together several times a year in order to share information with as many communities as possible, as well as providing a forum in which to share thoughts and feelings about the climate crisis. Lynda has always supported interfaith dialogue, promotes Milton Keynes Friends of Standing Together and is a member of Trubys Abrahamic Women's Choir. Trubys was set up by Kurshida Mirza who was interviewed for the 'Religion in my Life' feature in the last issue of Sofia (no. 156, June 2025). Two poems by Lynda are on the back cover of this issue of Sofia C L R James, author of The Black Jacobins compares how a European visitor would first see the island of what became Haiti to Satan’s first glimpse of Paradise. Leon Trotsky and Fidel Castro add to the line-up.
Can you identify the source of the motivation for you to do the work that you do?
I think many things came together to motivate me to do the work that I do as a psychodynamic counsellor (therapist). Some of the motivation is undoubtedly linked to my early life experiences (a very psychodynamic thing to say!). However, I have definitely had moments of feeling “called” to do what I do. There's a sense in those moments of my soul being uplifted, of knowing in every part of me that it's the right decision. I think this is what we mean by “inspiration”- experiencing within us the wisdom that comes from the Source of Life. We then know that we are following our true purpose; in my case that's about alleviating human suffering.
And finally, anything else at all that you would like to say to us?
I've really enjoyed reflecting on these questions and having the opportunity to share beliefs which are not easy to bring into everyday conversations! Even though I don't align with what the Sea of Faith appears to stand for, I appreciate that I and others are offered this platform. Openness and dialogue can only serve to bring us together and move us away from the divisiveness that threatens our society and ultimately our survival.