Why does the church treat doubt as an enemy? It’s been referred to as the skeleton in the closet of faith; the only way to treat a skeleton is to bring it into the open and expose it for what it really is. And what is it really? I don’t think its something to hid or be afraid of, but a ‘hard structure on which living tissue may grow’. Doubt always coexists with faith, for in the presence of certainty who would need faith at all?
I look at how Job’s friends reacted to his doubts with shock and dismay. Books like Lamentations, Job, and Psalms show that God understands the value of human doubt, amply portraying it in scripture. Psychology teaches that since you can’t really eliminate your feelings you might as well go ahead and express them openly, and I think the Bible tends to agree. ‘Those who honestly confront their doubts often find themselves growing into a faith that transcends the doubts’.
Martin Gardner suggested that today’s intellectually honest Christian must choose between being a truthful traitor, or a royal liar. Philip Yancey suggests that “many characters in the Bible demonstrate a third category: the loyal traitor, who questions, squirms, and rebels, yet still remains loyal”. God appears far less threatened by doubt than does his church.
It’s safe to admit that doubt may lead a person away from faith rather than towards it. For me, doubt has prompted me to question things that need questioning, and motivates me toward seeking out answers. I often think that I am ignorant to my own internal doubts; Its almost as if I can’t even admit my doubts to myself, and certainly not another person. How many times do I doubt, despite the facts that God has always provided, that he might fail me…that my needs will not be met. Or times I doubt that God will use me to produce good out of hard times or bad situations. * But how can I not doubt? God is invisible! How do I really know he is there? Prove to me there is a God out there. Yes, I doubt, but I remain a Christian. I am…a loyal traitor.
Why don’t we have the guts to say ”I know I should believe this, but honestly, I am having trouble right now” Yet most of us sit tight-lipped and only question in our hearts and minds, lonely doubters. I think we all need trustworthy doubt companions.
‘Faith means striking out, with no clear end in sight and perhaps even no clear view of the nest step. It means following, trusting, holding out a hand to an invisible Guide. Faith is reason gone courageous- not the opposite of reason, to be sure, but something more than reason and never satisfied by reason alone. A step always remains beyond the range of light.’
I must exercise faith simply to believe God exists. And I best learn about my own need for faith during its absence. God’s invisibility guarantees we will experience times of doubt. Doubt encourages us to ask questions and motivates us to find answers. Lets face it, doubt is inevitable…but we need to learn how to wrestle authentically with our doubts.
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