The Virtues of Doubt

Doubt is often viewed as the opposite of faith, a problem in our lives or a moral failing. The pain of doubt causes us to try and avoid the question, cling to certainty, pretend we do not feel the questions we have. We go to great lengths to avoid being in a place where we can even hear the questions, fear being alone with our thoughts and nothing to block them.

There is no question about the discomfort of doubt. When we question, it can be difficult to find a point upon which we can stand, a place where doubt fades to certainty. It’s true that few people doubt the world of solid objects, that the sun will rise the next day and the chair they sit on will continue to exist if they stop thinking about it. But questions without concrete objects, questions of faith and virtue and wonder have no clear-cut answers no matter how strong one’s faith is. When doubt raises questions about those articles taken on faith, it can feel as though our very foundation is being attacked.

Doubt is the act of questioning, looking at our beliefs and thinking about what they mean, what they’re worth, whether they are still correct to us. The very fact that we are questioning our beliefs does not mean we do not still hold those beliefs or that our faith is in question, but that we are learning more about ourselves, and understanding more. Doubt is not the opposite of faith. It is instead an integral component of a mature faith. It is a form of spiritual exercise, like physical exercise in that is painful when performed, but has the long term virtues of greater physical health. Doubt cleans our minds, helps identify what is toxic in thought and what serves us no longer, and reaffirms those beliefs that are truly meaningful to us.

The pain of doubt is the pain of realizing that what we believe is uncertain. The morality of such doubt, of such uncertainty, is more difficult to articulate and frequently sneered at, particularly by those who are not brave enough to confront their own doubts. But beliefs unquestioned are not strong faith, but a weak faith that totters on a slender foundation. When questioning destroys faith, the faith was weak or nonexistent to begin with.

Doubt is not the opposite of faith, but the complement. Indifference is the opposite of faith, that uncaring avoidance of the entire faith question. Doubt is the questioning that keeps faith alive and enables one to explore and grow in that faith. To fear doubt is to fear faith itself, to be so convinced of the flimsiness of that faith that it will disintegrate when examined closely. Doubt is a blessing even as it is a curse, as it makes us what we are: Thinking animals that can determine for ourselves what we believe and why.

Questions:
What about doubt scares you the most?
How can you doubt and hold faith at the same time?
What aspect of your own faith are you most afraid to question and why? What do you think you may find behind it?