I haven't written in a while, so I thought I'd make a comeback with some inquisitive questions. I have been on a sort of writing hiatus, and because of it I had the time to think about religion and how it can buoy in my practical life. This isn't going to be a thorough and analytic sort of blog but more of a personal one. There are reasons for this sort of writing, one of which is the ease and enjoyment of writing. Other kinds of writing usually invites a sort of criticism, and I usually have to prepare for those criticisms ahead of time.
Anyway, the topic is doubt. We all have it, so let's face it. I doubt all the time. I doubt God, and I doubt my faith all of the time. There are advantages and disadvantages to this sort of doubt. The major advantage is that I am able to see who really is pastoral in character and caring enough to meet another person in their state of doubt. This has also caused me to be bitter. It has caused bitterness because the people who are more rigid tend to stand out as the most narrow-minded bigots I have ever met, and I am glad they are not pastors. These sorts of people could really cause some real damage and unfortunately they already have.
The advantages tend to come in waves. The one advantage I have seen the most is that people who have doubt have an authentic spirit of getting to the truth. They do not prejudice where it comes from and hence allows a free spirit of inquiry. The way I see it, if "the truth" comes to be questioned, no matter how fundamental the belief may be, it should be tested by all quarters. We should not prejudice its origins or the person judging/criticizing the belief. This is where there is a synonymous relationship with my animosity. If we shouldn't prejudice where truth comes from and there is someone who says that we shouldn't doubt this or that belief, he is prejudicing the doubt and therefore causes my animus. This is why I have a big problem with religious folk or ultra-religious folk. They tend to come off so narrow-minded that they cannot even question simple beliefs, and this sort of reasoning will lead to bad leadership.
In thinking about all of this, I have come to terms with ignoring narrow-minded people and work as best I can to relate to people with similar doubts and come to some sort of resolution.
