Do you truly have faith if you have not doubted?

Question

If someone just believes in their faith and is not willing to examine other perspectives, is this a sign that they are not willing to test their faith?

I am agnostic, it has taken many years of introspection for me to reach a spiritual state I am intellectually and emotionally comfortable with. But it seems like a lot of people (here and other places) think that having faith is never questioning their religion, and refusing to examine any evidence which seems like it is contradictory to their beliefs.

Is this really fair to God, if he exists? To me its like saying that you are afraid to examine the logical consequences of your faith. Defensiveness to me is about fear, if you examined other perspectives and still believe then you will have nothing to fear. Why do we have reason if not to use it?

Please don't just quote irrelevant bible passages... I am interested in how people experience faith, I already have a bible.

Answer 1

For me, it was a matter of finding my faith because I doubted what I was taught as a child. I had several world religion classes in high school and in college to help me figure it out because no religion was feeling right to me. Then it became clear to me some time ago, that Nature is constant and true...it provides everything we need, and it provides checks and balances in the world. Nature is never wrong in it's reasons. I equate God with nature, and therein lies all the answers I need.

Answer 2

I think it is not fair for you to question or doubt someone else's journey. You may have reached your own particular state of spiritual enlightenment after "many years of introspection" but surely you can appreciate that not everyone will follow that exact same path.

For me I grew up in a very religious, churchy family but without the Holy Spirit of God - nevertheless belief in God was the only thing that ever made sense to me even years later when I finally rejected the dry spiritless heritage of my family - simply put, I could not accept a purposeless existence; that intelligent life had been accidentally created from nothing by total random chance.

"In the beginning God" those four words from that book you didn't want quoted - made sense. Nothing else ever did.

Thanks for asking!

Answer 3

My friend I have been a believer nearly all my life. Im 33, and am in training as a Pastor. Let me first say this. God is a big boy. Anyone NOT willing to put him to the test RESPECTFULLY doesnt know him. In Malachi he tells us to TEST him with our giving. He does it in other places concerning other things too.

I fully agree with you.
Until you ACCEPT the fact that we could be wrong, you cant call what you have faith. Faith is the product of a choice. Look it up in Hebrews.1 Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.
Heb 11:1 (NIV)
Read the rest to see what faith does when its at work.

I dont have faith the sky is blue. i know it is. there isnt another option, i can clearly see it. I have a fact.

God on the other hand KNOWS that we will struggle to believe. Since he made me with free choice and free thought, i MUST admit the possibility of him not existing, otherwise I cant truly open myself to believe HIS unseen truths. The difference is that in the end, i submit my faith to HIM.

When i wrack my mind with inconceivable thoghts, like his omniscience and omnipresence, i come to the end of my own understanding and i must then realize this.

Just because i dont understand it all doesnt mean what i dont understand isnt real. its just bigger than me. Jesus said BLESSED is he who believes but does not see. He knew it too. AS long as we dont let deception take us back into a comfort zone of disbelief, God is ok with us doubting him sometimes. He can take it. :P

Answer 4

Passages even though they AGREE with you?

We are supposed to have doubts about everything. You have to be pretty dumb to except everything at face value. Jehovah does not want dumb people. He wants us to use the brains we have. EXAMPLES:

1Peter 3:15 always be ready to make a defense for your faith by study and learning beforehand.

1John 4:1 to TEST inspired expressions to see if they originate with God. There would be much less false religion if this was done regularly.

1Thess. 5:21 to MAKE SURE of all things and hold fast to what is fine. Sounds better than 'trust but verify'.

Acts 17:11 where Paul and Silas were delighted with the Beroean's example. Even with them there personally telling the people things, still they with great eagerness of mind, searched the scriptures they had to see if the things they were told were true.

You can see by these examples that true Christian faith is never to be taken at face value. Only false religions do not want you to look too closely at the doctrines. Their doctrines can not stand up to scrutiny.

Answer 5

Consider the beautiful blue sky, the radiant sunset, the new born baby & the sweet aroma of nature's flowers.

Practically, all Christian have some doubt, this is completely normal.
We continue to sin knowing it is wrong, view all the Apostles that walked with Jesus, they depicted doubt!

Are we more religious and faithful than an Apostle?

This is the main reason we require Jesus in our life, when we sin we desire to make correction; we run to Jesus.

God bless'

Answer 6

You must have heard this...but I am going to state it again. Faith is believing in something you can not see.....I remembered when I questioned Faith....then one day I just decided to take God at his written Word. I did find that my faith was tested....but then I realized that God's timing was not always my timing....so it wasn't that he wasn't answering my prayer....or wasn't honoring his word...it was that his timing in answering it, was much better than mine. A way to explain it....When your desperation is so great....when you are humbled so much.....then that is when you truly meet "faith" in the face...and understand it fully. If we truly seek it out....WE WILL find it.

Answer 7

well thats an interesting question, and in fact my priest was talking about this last week, and he said, "if you are not willing to test your faith, how can you truly have faith?" and i too have asked questions, but then i discovered that i was closer to god because i questioned him. it made me believe more for some strange reason haha.
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