Wednesday, March 21, 2007
Why have doubt?
In my last post I mentioned 3 elements of a healthy practice which are faith, doubt, and determination. I wanted to follow up with a little more on that subject becaue it may have been unclear how to incorporate doubt in that mix. It is a misconception that the opposite of doubt is faith. Actually I would argue that the opposite of doubt is certainty. Faith is acting in the face of uncertainty so faith needs doubt and certainty eliminates faith. This is the problem with fundamentalism. It is certain of the answers. When belief in theological theories and doctrines become certainty it can destroy lives (the cursades, slavery, countless wars).
- We should have faith in our goals. I would see these goals as the message presented by Jesus which is the kingdom of God. We should have faith that these goals are worth following and not waver in our support.
- We should have determination in our actions so that we follow through to make these goals a reality.
- We should also incorporate a healthy dose of doubt (uncertainty) in our understanding of God (theology). Not doubt in God but doubt in our understanding. This yields a humble accepting "generous orthodoxy" that never becomes boastful or exclusive and always welcomes questions and different perspectives. Doubting your theology means realizing that you may not have all the answers and someone else may have something to offer to the conversation.
It is very telling when fundamentalist balk at the idea of doubt. It proves that they have misplaced their faith in thier own ability to be certain instead of having faith in God which is undefinable and naturally creates a great deal of uncertainty. Certainty is not a good measure of faith and I think you can find that grain of truth in several of Jesus' parables.
4 comments:
Mike,
I whole heartedly agree with what you've written here. Faith takes us beyond what we know for certain. It takes faith to believe in God, because God lies beyond our senses.
This is my problem with Sam Harris, he seems too bent on certainty of another sort. It is why he seems unable to allow for religious moderation or liberalism. It seems all or nothing, which is exactly the Fundamentalist position!
I am comfortable in the gray areas of Christian faith. The Bible does teach some areas of clear dark and light while some areas are gray. I'm cool with it. Like you, I do have issue with those who attempt to make the gray issues either black or white (extreme fundamentalism). However, be careful of doing the other extreme of making the clear teaching "gray."
"It is very telling when fundamentalist balk at the idea of doubt. It proves that they have misplaced their faith in their own ability to be certain instead of having faith in God which is undefinable and naturally creates a great deal of uncertainty."
This puts to words perfectly so much of the discomfort I've had identifying with the bulk of the church in America. There's this logical/rational apologetic undercurrent that suggests that if you can't prove what you profess, then you're substandard. But I've always felt that if I could provide a logical argument to prove all that I believe, it would be stripped of its mystery and majesty, becoming instead a simple observation of cause and effect... and I don't think I could bring myself to view that with any degree of awe.
I'm really appreciating your thoughts lately, Mike. Thank you for voicing a different way that still honors God.
Its always good to hear from you Will. I'm glad you stopped by.
Post a Comment