Faithful vs. Skeptical Doubts

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nancyer

Faithful vs. Skeptical Doubts

Post by nancyer » Tue Apr 21, 2015 3:45 pm

Hello. It's been quite a while since I've been here and I've missed it. I've been without a computer for some time but I now have access on a limited basis. I am heading up my church'sTuesday morning Bible Study next week. The topic is based on a question our pastor slipped into the bulletine last week on the difference between faithful and skeptcial doubting. I've gathered quite a good bit of information on why we doubt, where doubts come from, and the good and bad of doubting. Several sources agree that God is more tolerant of doubting than most humans. We know this because we know that God always welcomes us back when we've gone astray. God doesn't turn people away because they have questions. What I need is the scriptures to go to. A search online simply came up with those where the word doubt was used but most of those talked about not doubting.

I will be working on this for the next couple days so will look for any thoughts or points anyone here wishes to make.

Thank you all, and God Bless. I hope to come back here far more often.

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Paidion
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Re: Faithful vs. Skeptical Doubts

Post by Paidion » Tue Apr 21, 2015 4:16 pm

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mattrose
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Re: Faithful vs. Skeptical Doubts

Post by mattrose » Wed Apr 22, 2015 8:07 am

Interestingly, Roger Olson posted about 3 kinds of doubt just the other day on his blog
http://www.patheos.com/blogs/rogereolso ... out-doubt/

And here are my own thoughts on doubt I posted a few years back

I am a natural born skeptic. That might surprise some of you who know I'm a Christian (and a pastor), but it's true. Before I gave my life to Christ, I had serious doubts about the existence of God. And guess what, after I gave my life to Christ, I still do sometimes! Here are 7 things I think every doubter, like me, should know:

1. Doubt may be a God-given personality trait
I think God created a wide range of personality types. Some people are just naturally faith-full (though us doubters call them gullible). Others are naturally skeptical. I think both of these personality types can be put to proper use by God, who created them.

2. Doubt should be applied fairly and with common sense
I think doubt is somewhat out of control in the age of reason. Though we may not be able to know some things (anything?) with absolute certainty, that shouldn't stop us from believing anything. Indeed, we believe all sorts of things every day without being absolutely sure that they are true. Faith shouldn't be held to an all-together different standard.

3. Doubt has not always been welcome in the church
I think the church has often been afraid of doubt in the ranks. I'm sure there are many reasons for this, but it is inappropriate. Asking questions is a valuable part of faith. The church needs to value the questions from its doubting members and non-members.

4. Doubt is an inevitable component of this present age
I think the Bible is clear that our knowledge in this present age is limited. This leaves room for doubt. Why did God create a world and an age where certainties are seemingly impossible? Maybe acting despite uncertainty is a necessary part of life. For whatever reason (I don't claim to know exactly why), doubt is a part of life.

5. Doubt may be minimized through investigation
I think that just because doubt is a part of life, we shouldn't be content to let everything remain in the realm of mystery. We should constantly be searching for the truth. I also think the truth is discoverable because God wants it (Him) to be known. Reason and faith are not opposites. Reason, used rightly, leads to faith.

6. Doubt is welcomed by God through prayer
I think people think (generally) that God hates doubt. I think God is against hard-hearts (which sometimes may be described as doubting), but I also see from Scripture that God is more than willing to interact with doubt. Think about it, a ton of the Psalms are records of God's people expressing their doubts about Him... and God saw fit to preserve those Psalms for us to see.

7. Doubt need not dictate your decision to follow Jesus
I think doubt is part of the journey of life. If you have doubts, it makes little to no sense (to me) to cement them and remove yourself from environments where faith may be kindled. The kind of doubting I'm referring to is not the opposite of faith. The opposite of faith is disobedience, not doubt.

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Paidion
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Re: Faithful vs. Skeptical Doubts

Post by Paidion » Wed Apr 22, 2015 10:32 am

Somehow I am reminded of Derek Flood's "Unquestioning obedience" vs "Faithful questioning" in his book that I am now reading, "Disarming Scripture."
Paidion

Man judges a person by his past deeds, and administers penalties for his wrongdoing. God judges a person by his present character, and disciplines him that he may become righteous.

Avatar shows me at 75 years old. I am now 83.

nancyer

Re: Faithful vs. Skeptical Doubts

Post by nancyer » Mon Apr 27, 2015 4:25 pm

Thank you so much for the great response. Sorry I'm just now getting to it. Mattrose, #3 was right on. I think that every church should have a sign above their door saying "Doubters Welcome" One of the things I love about my church was the pastor (since reassigned) told us over and over that it was not his job to tell us what to think or what to believe but to guide us in our search for the answers and understanding. I'm looking forward to tomorrow morning and will certainly present your thoughts on the subject. Thank you again.

nancyer

Re: Faithful vs. Skeptical Doubts

Post by nancyer » Mon Apr 27, 2015 4:28 pm

Paidion wrote:Somehow I am reminded of Derek Flood's "Unquestioning obedience" vs "Faithful questioning" in his book that I am now reading, "Disarming Scripture."
This is excellent. A reall "hmmmmm". Thank you

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