Thank you for the application question of passing on one’s faith, “The stories in the Torah about the Patriarchs emphasize the eternal implications of posterity, of children, of extended multigenerational family. What have we lost by shifting the emphasis to the individual?”
The question that you posed is a very relevant one. Here are some thoughts on what we have lost by emphasizing individualism:
A. There is the loss of supporting the community.
The emphasis on individualism will more than likely lead a person away from one’s physical community. The community becomes a dying one.
B. There is the loss of family support.
As one moves away from the community, one is without family and friends. Although facetime, texting is available, it is not the same as being physically present with our loved ones. It is very lonely.
C. There is the loss of accountability.
As one moves away to a new location, no one knows you and one can do whatever one wants. Your “new” neighbor may not care about you or what you do nor you may care about his/her activities. It’s live and let live. It’s everyone doing what is right in their own eyes.
D. There is the loss of faith.
As one moves away to a new location, there is the drifting away from one’s faith, to be more pluralistic in one’s approach to faith. One may not find a community of faith so one stops worshiping God or going to the place of worship. No one notices if I am there or not there at the place of worship or even my expression of my faith.
E. There is the loss of spiritual values.
As one moves away to a new location, the sights and sounds of a new place is attractive and one wants to fit into the new community. New friends and new places will likely cause one to compromise one’s spiritual or moral values. One can’t be a conservative in a liberal city.
F. There is the loss of one’s children upholding our faith.
Our children may find that the friends or marriageable companion may be limited. In order for them to fit into their schools, the influence of others will affect their attitude and actions. They will become one of them.
If one has to move away, it is better to do a pre-move not for housing but finding a community of the same faith that one upholds. It is God’s purpose that one’s faith is passed onto their children and grandchildren. God desires a Godly legacy from his people.
The sad truth is that most of us want a rich and famous legacy for ourselves and for our children. Faith is secondary, if that at all.
SUMMARY: Individualism leads not to a loss of one’s faith but of oneself. One doesn’t know who or what they are anymore. Their profession defines them, not their God.
-Kingston