I was a kid when my Sunday School teacher said, “If you doubt, this shows that you never believed.” I had a lot of doubts and questions. Over the years, many other religious leaders fortified this belief, and I began to fear that my questioning meant I might not be saved.
Thank you! My other favorite author, Frederick Buechner, wrote, “Whether your faith is that there is a God or that there is not a God, if you don't have any doubts, you are either kidding yourself or asleep. Doubts are the ants in the pants of faith. They keep it awake and moving.”
I can totally see this from both sides. I think doubt is absolutely healthy and that for sure, one reason Thomas is scapegoated is because, as the Church became corrupt, it became necessary to promote blind faith for the sake of obedience and conformity.
On the other hand, I have personal struggles with doubt in the extreme, doubt which carries on far beyond the evidence I've seen time and again. It can become an obstacle after a certain point.
Nonetheless, I found this article heartening, so thank you.
Thank you! My other favorite author, Frederick Buechner, wrote, “Whether your faith is that there is a God or that there is not a God, if you don't have any doubts, you are either kidding yourself or asleep. Doubts are the ants in the pants of faith. They keep it awake and moving.”
I can totally see this from both sides. I think doubt is absolutely healthy and that for sure, one reason Thomas is scapegoated is because, as the Church became corrupt, it became necessary to promote blind faith for the sake of obedience and conformity.
On the other hand, I have personal struggles with doubt in the extreme, doubt which carries on far beyond the evidence I've seen time and again. It can become an obstacle after a certain point.
Nonetheless, I found this article heartening, so thank you.
Thank you for your take! (And tone.) That inspired me: https://open.substack.com/pub/radkat/p/doubting-thomas-buddhism-version
Excellent. Thought provoking.
Absolutely wonderful.