Faith and Doubt

[Psalm23]

What are your views on faith and doubt and how they relate to each other? Have you experienced times of doubt in your faith?

 

[Rival]

I am still too new to my faith really to have what I'd call doubts, but I tend to take a critical approach and intellectually hash it out with myself (more study, thought etc. ) until I come to a reasonable conclusion. My old faith withstood all such challenges, in my view. I think some questions are too big for humans and this is half the point of religion, to give us those spiritual insights regular question and answer can't provide.

 

[Epic Beard Man]

What are your views on faith and doubt and how they relate to each other? Have you experienced times of doubt in your faith?

Doubt is a part of life and because humans have limited cognition, it is something that we deal with but a far as myself dealing with doubt, of course. My issues are bizarre because while I may occasionally deal with doubt I have impregnable faith. What solidifies me is the story of the prophet Job which happens to ground me in God's light.

 

[Unveiled Artist]

What are your views on faith and doubt and how they relate to each other? Have you experienced times of doubt in your faith?

I haven't followed a religion to experience doubt. Though, I do believe it is healthy to doubt and be skeptical. I would say its easier to more comfortable with what you believe while being able to question it, even play devil's advocate to know other ways people view life outside of one's own lens. What I see goes wrong is when someone is doubting their faith, many believers pick that up and instead of helping him or her find his or her truth, they feel that person strayed from their (the believers) own. It's a form of protestylizing that I feel causes more doubt. If one has a healthy space and support network, I find it quite normal.

 

[Psalm23]

Doubt is a part of life and because humans have limited cognition, it is something that we deal with but a far as myself dealing with doubt, of course. My issues are bizarre because while I may occasionally deal with doubt I have impregnable faith. What solidifies me is the story of the prophet Job which happens to ground me in God's light.

In what way does Job’s story ground you?

 

[Rival]

I would also ask what kind of doubts?

Doubt about one's religion?

Doubt about God's existence?

Doubt about certain things within one's religion?

Etc.

 

[Epic Beard Man]

In what way does Job’s story ground you?

God has taken everything that mattered to me. My mother, father, uncle, cousins, my money, even the people who called me "friend/brother" everything. So I find the story of Job peculiar because despite Job's losses he still maintained his faith. When my mother's cancer came back, she maintained her faith until the very end knowing she wasn't going to get better and so I don't have the luxury of doubt. Trust me it is hard but I've seen some stuff man where I knew something was looking out for me which verified my faith. So despite all of that, the story of Job has kept me grounded because despite losing it all he never lost his faith in the Creator.

 

[Windwalker]

What are your views on faith and doubt and how they relate to each other? Have you experienced times of doubt in your faith?

I see doubt as the servant of faith. Doubt breaks down assumptions and beliefs we hold when they no longer serve us, in order for us to grow. Faith sends doubt when it knows what you believe is holding it back.

 

[Brickjectivity]

What are your views on faith and doubt and how they relate to each other? Have you experienced times of doubt in your faith?

The feeling of faith is deceitful, because its easy to mistake feeling good about yourself and feeling safe for faith. The feeling of having faith is a good feeling. It is feeling certain and aware, almost as good as feeling proud. Its easy to also think yourself the center of the world, special, favored. When those feelings go away, that is when you discover faith and doubt. That happens when you make big decisions, when things go wrong, when you've done everything you know to do and still end up in terrible trouble etc.

 

[Psalm23]

I would also ask what kind of doubts?

Doubt about one's religion?

Doubt about God's existence?

Doubt about certain things within one's religion?

Etc.

I would say all of the above as well as other doubts. I have had moments of feeling distant from God and a feeling of being alone. I have had questioning of core doctrines of Christianity. It would make me really feel uncomfortable and question the authenticity of my own faith. Though I do see how faith is showing in my own life. I have been told I have OCD and have struggled with obsessions in regard to faith with also doesn’t help. More than about anything in regards to faith, I really have trouble with knowing God’s love. Oftentimes I struggle with the fear of God’s rejection.

 

[Trailblazer]

What are your views on faith and doubt and how they relate to each other? Have you experienced times of doubt in your faith?

I never have any doubts that my religion is true, but I do have doubts as to whether God is loving.
That puts me in a kind of a bind because my religion teaches that God is loving.

If God is loving how can there be so much suffering in the world? I cannot make that work in my rational mind.
One could argue that humans are responsible for a lot of their suffering because they have free will to make bad moral choices, but that does not explain all suffering and it does not explain the suffering of animals.

 

[Trailblazer]

God has taken everything that mattered to me. My mother, father, uncle, cousins, my money, even the people who called me "friend/brother" everything. So I find the story of Job peculiar because despite Job's losses he still maintained his faith. When my mother's cancer came back, she maintained her faith until the very end knowing she wasn't going to get better and so I don't have the luxury of doubt. Trust me it is hard but I've seen some stuff man where I knew something was looking out for me which verified my faith. So despite all of that, the story of Job has kept me grounded because despite losing it all he never lost his faith in the Creator.

Thanks for sharing all of that. I have not lost as many people as you, but I have lost what mattered most to me.
The Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away. I cannot accept that as anything but cruel, but I never lost my belief in God.
The story of Job is just a story. How many people do you think got everything back as Job did?
I cannot help but believe that God is just going to keep taking away what I love most because that has been my experience. I don't mean money. My money has increased tenfold but money does not buy happiness.

 

[Psalm23]

I never have any doubts that my religion is true, but I do have doubts as to whether God is loving.
That puts me in a kind of a bind because my religion teaches that God is loving.

If God is loving how can there be so much suffering in the world? I cannot make that work in my rational mind.
One could argue that humans are responsible for a lot of their suffering because they have free will to make bad moral choices, but that does not explain all suffering and it does not explain the suffering of animals.

I don’t think we can give an answer for the whole suffering of the world as to why it happens in every case. I think to do so would be wrong.

 

[Epic Beard Man]

Thanks for sharing all of that. I have not lost as many people as you, but I have lost what mattered most to me.
The Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away. I cannot accept that as anything but cruel, but I never lost my belief in God.
The story of Job is just a story. How many people do you think got everything back as Job did?
I cannot help but believe that God is just going to keep taking away what I love most because that has been my experience. I don't mean money. My money has increased tenfold but money does not buy happiness.

True. I'll never get my mother, father, and uncle, cousins back. However, the story of Job is about maintaining faith because how many people you know lost faith when they lose a loved one? There are many people who lose faith just by falling on hard times. But I don't know for some odd reason lately I've been feeling like I have purpose despite the little I have and that matters most.

 

[Epic Beard Man]

Thanks for sharing all of that. I have not lost as many people as you, but I have lost what mattered most to me.
The Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away. I cannot accept that as anything but cruel, but I never lost my belief in God.
The story of Job is just a story. How many people do you think got everything back as Job did?
I cannot help but believe that God is just going to keep taking away what I love most because that has been my experience. I don't mean money. My money has increased tenfold but money does not buy happiness.

"Sometimes Allah takes things away from us to remind us that this dunya is temporary and everything in the heavens and the earth belongs to Him."

 

[Trailblazer]

But I don't know for some odd reason lately I've been feeling like I have purpose despite the little I have and that matters most.

And part of your purpose might just be sharing with others and setting an example.

I still have a lot by most standards but I have also lost a lot. I also have PTSD and anxiety so it is difficult not to think about all that I have lost and I not worry that more loss is just around the corner.

 

[Trailblazer]

"Sometimes Allah takes things away from us to remind us that this dunya is temporary and everything in the heavens and the earth belongs to Him."

Yes, I know this life is just temporary and a better life is to come. Faith is about accepting what has been ordained for us in this life.

“O My servants! Sorrow not if, in these days and on this earthly plane, things contrary to your wishes have been ordained and manifested by God, for days of blissful joy, of heavenly delight, are assuredly in store for you. Worlds, holy and spiritually glorious, will be unveiled to your eyes. You are destined by Him, in this world and hereafter, to partake of their benefits, to share in their joys, and to obtain a portion of their sustaining grace. To each and every one of them you will, no doubt, attain.”
Gleanings From the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, p. 329

 

[Epic Beard Man]

And part of your purpose might just be sharing with others and setting an example.

I still have a lot by most standards but I have also lost a lot. I also have PTSD and anxiety so it is difficult not to think about all that I have lost and I not worry that more loss is just around the corner.

I'm sorry you're dealing with that...I pray you are in some sort of therapy to mitigate anything that creates a barrier for you to progress. But this is the stuff I mean...You're resilient. You're here, now. In your own way making a difference.

 

[Brian2]

I never have any doubts that my religion is true, but I do have doubts as to whether God is loving.
That puts me in a kind of a bind because my religion teaches that God is loving.

If God is loving how can there be so much suffering in the world? I cannot make that work in my rational mind.
One could argue that humans are responsible for a lot of their suffering because they have free will to make bad moral choices, but that does not explain all suffering and it does not explain the suffering of animals.

All this suffering has a cause and God is working to bring the cause to it's conclusion when things are wound up at the end of this age.

 

[AlexanderG]

This is a difficult topic because faith means so many different things to different people, both in terms of its definition and how it supports someone's worldview or emotional framework. For many people, I think it can be very personal and hard to put in words.

1. On one end of the spectrum, there are usages of "faith" that mean an unquestionable presupposition, a belief in a claim regardless of any lack of evidence or evidence to the contrary. In that sense, I don't see how doubt would come into it. The act of doubting could be seen as incompatible with faith.

2. On the other side, faith can mean "reasonable trust based on good evidence," in which case doubt or even skepticism has surely played a large role in the development of that belief.

So yeah, it's hard to generalize. I tend to hope people will use faith more in line with the second definition. Still, as long as people are living a fulfilling life and not harming others due to their beliefs, then I don't care to quibble with definitions.