Monday, September 03, 2007
Doubting Thomas
I quite enjoyed this article yesterday. I find it quite comforting to this of us in a culture of doubt. Doubt only arises from thought and question. That means people are openly looking around them and wondering. Doubt also means a somewhat open mind, it means alternatives have not been rejected, just not quite accepted yet.
Doubt can be healthy, if, as with most things, taken in moderation. To doubt everything means to trust or love nothing, and this is very unhealthy. There was a particular quote in the article, that most Christians, at some point in the conversation, bring up love. Love implies trust, and has to be core to life.
I like a bit of doubt, because its certainty that tends to lead to the worst in life. Whether it be religious extremism, or the political will to change the world (through taxation, legislation and constitutional change), it can be a bad bad thing. Iraq is a case of certainly without knowledge. A bit of doubt and we wouldn’t be in the place we are.
So here is to a healthy amount of doubt, leading to question, debate, and a growth of knowledge and wisdom. If it is done in an atmosphere of trust and love, then the world will come out all right.
Doubt can be healthy, if, as with most things, taken in moderation. To doubt everything means to trust or love nothing, and this is very unhealthy. There was a particular quote in the article, that most Christians, at some point in the conversation, bring up love. Love implies trust, and has to be core to life.
I like a bit of doubt, because its certainty that tends to lead to the worst in life. Whether it be religious extremism, or the political will to change the world (through taxation, legislation and constitutional change), it can be a bad bad thing. Iraq is a case of certainly without knowledge. A bit of doubt and we wouldn’t be in the place we are.
So here is to a healthy amount of doubt, leading to question, debate, and a growth of knowledge and wisdom. If it is done in an atmosphere of trust and love, then the world will come out all right.
