is it ok to sometimes question.....?

Question

i am a believer of god. i read the bible, i pray, i love god and know hes my father. but sometimes, like when im watching the discovery channel or something, and i see how the world was made and all that jazz, i sometimes question my own beliefs. is that bad? am i allowed to do that? i feel bad afterwards for ever judging or questioning God. but sometimes i cant help it.

Answer 1

Doubt is not wrong.

Any group or authority that tells you different has the character of a controlling cult and should be fled from.

Doubt should be resolved by a search for the truth, wherever possible, given that total certainty is available for very few things. In most instances the "very probable" needs to be taken as functional truth and not doubted except in the face of strong new evidence, data.

Sometimes doubt cannot be resolved.
There, the options are either not to decide, or to make only provisional decisions. Both of these ease the discomfort from the actual persistence of doubt.

It's wordy but deep:
Os Guinness wrote a very good book on Christians in doubt.
(It's called "Doubt"!)

Answer 2

You should question and come to your own conclusion and acceptance. This is particularly true in Christianity where there are so many different Religions, Doctrine and Beliefs. Read for yourself and form your own belief. It is my opinion that people tend to be the Religion of their parents and community. If you were born in a Hindu household, community or Country you would likely be Hindu and not question your Religion or Faith. The same holds true for Islam, Christianity etc. Therefore has it really been your choice? Of course not. God wants you to choose him yourself. This is why he gave us free will. How can you make a choice if you question nothing and blindly accept that which you have been told. As long as you do not blaspheme God is not going to be angry with you.

Answer 3

Yes it is fine that you are questioning, just keep in mind we live in a fallen world that does not reflect the character of God.
His special revelation to us is in the Bible, not the discovery channel. His general revelation is on the discovery channel. Do you think the simplest of ecosystems could have formed on their own without any guidance? If you drop twelve cups down a flight of stairs, what are the odds of them landing in an organized pyramid, stacked neatly on top of each other? About the same odds.

Answer 4

Everyone questions their beliefs. I have done it at times too. When we begin to question our beliefs I think it's God's way of testing how much we really believe in Him and if we will come back to Him or not. Whenever I question my beliefs I go and look something up I'm not sure on. This just ends in my faith becoming stronger and my knowlege of God expanding. So for me it allows me to know God even better.

Answer 5

To 'believe' in God is to do just that, believe in 'God'. However, one's beliefs should be as of a compass; providing a general direction that can and should change given new information.

It would be the same as a scientist saying 'I believe in science' but refusing to listen to anything another scientist had to say. How can the study of, and exploration of, the Earth diminish faith, since such 'knowledge' can and should only expand it? How can studying that which a 'creator' made diminish its presance in such? Is not science but a way to 'prove' faith, since the creator, through the laws of science, makes its presence felt?

A 'house' of faith cannot be built carelessly; it must be built slowly, surely, with every brick, every timber, every post sunk deep into that which will bear its weight. A timber placed into the ground SHOULD be questioned as it whether or not it will bear the weight, for it is better to question it early, when it can be shored up or moved, rather than late, when the whole of the house depends upon it. If the timber be rotten, is it not better to throw it away and replace it with that which is strong and dependable?

If you have faith in God, do you not also have faith that God will provide good timber? Therefore, how can the presence of such cause you to question your faith? Is God truly afraid of your questions: "Ask, and it shall be given. Seek, and ye shall find. Knock, and it shall be opened." Is not 'faith' that which causes one to ask, seek and knock?

Answer 6

... Many "creationists" DISTORT the scriptures to the point that they are almost unrecognizable. NOTHING in scripture teaches us that the earth is about 6,000 years old. THAT IS A MISREPRESENTATION AND DISTORTION based on what is BY DEFINITION a mishandling of the scriptures.

Exegesis is the science of Biblical interpretation. One of the PRIMARY concerns of it involves CONTEXT. The scriptures were never intended to be taken apart a word or phrase at a time and "reshuffled" to create a new document. This is what Ussher did to arrive at his 4004 B.C. date for creation. Because of that, he has misled many centuries of Christians. The impact of this is probably grown over the last 150 years with some abandoning faith because they believe this gross misrepresentation of the scriptures rather than the TRUTH of scriptures which SAYS NOTHING ABOUT THE "DATE" OF CREATION... Others have employed Ussher's methods and arrived at significantly different results, an IMPOSSIBILITY with proper interpretation.

Answer 7

I wouldn't be so worried about what God thinks about you questioning you beliefs as I would about what God thinks about where your faith is at. If you find your faith wavering then it is time to do several things.
1. Read and ponder the scriptures more.
2. Pray more.
3. Be more vigilant in keeping the commandments, and applying Christ's teachings into your life.

Answer 8

It is actually very important to question. If you don't know the answers to those questions, you should find them, whether it be within or from a spiritual leader. In the end you are enhancing your faith, not taking away from it. Just believing without ever knowing why or how or having all the details is irresponsible and can only take away from your spiritual relationships.

Faith is one thing, blind faith is another all together.

Answer 9

Questioning is good. It's what leads you to ask more and more questions until you realize you've been wrong the whole time and seek the correct path, which happens to not be religious at all.

And trust me, this is easier said than done. I was a Christian and went to a private school for several years. I know what you're going through.

Answer 10

I question God every day. After all, He is my Father and I am His child. I don't know as much as He does. I have learned a lot from Him by asking questions.