The definitive story on doubting can be found in John 20. Travel back with me to that first Sunday, seven long days since Jesus’ resurrection. “On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors being locked where the disciples were for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.” 19. The disciples, hiding behind heavy doors of fear, were amazed when Jesus appeared in their midst quickly replacing doubt with his perfect peace.
The following week, Thomas, who had been absent from that first Sunday service, (ever wonder why?) was present. All week he’d been bombarded with the other’s first person accounts of having “seen the Lord”, and he was tired of it. In his frustration he blurted out, “Unless I see in his hands the mark of the nails, and place my finger into the mark of the nails, and place my hand into his side, I will never believe.” “I will never believe“, have sadder words ever been uttered, and by a “believer”? Fast forward 8 days and we find the refreshed 10, minus one naysayer, assembled. “Eight days later, his disciples were inside again, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side. Do not disbelieve, but believe.” 26-28. This scripture proves to me that Jesus not only doesn’t want us to disbelieve, but he wants us to be completely doubt-free. Jesus didn’t have to ask what was bugging Thomas, he knew it and cut right to the chase.
What obstacle is keeping you from total belief? Don’t be afraid to voice it, he knows already, but wants to hear it from you. The last part of this tale is my favorite, “Thomas answered him, ‘My Lord and my God!’ Jesus said to him, ‘Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.’” Jesus had proved himself to Thomas and all doubt was dispelled, as he fell on his knees in worship. This promise was not just for Tom, but read that one line again, “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed“…that’s all of us!! For Thomas, seeing was believing, for you it may be something else, but don’t live in doubt another day!!
What can one truthfully and logically say about the world outside of one's self? It is difficult work and one can never be absolutely certain about anything one says about the world. There is always Doubt.
ReplyDeleteDonna, with the topic of Doubt, you have left the peaceful realm of religion and entered the stormy waters of epistemolgy and logic. Epistemology is the study of what knowledge is and how does a person aquire knowledge. Logic is the study of how to reason correctly about the world. Both are difficult areas of study and, some would say, inconsistent with the study and practice of religion.
But I have to say, with admiration, that you engage in some contorted verbal gymnastics in your writing today. You would make a lawyer proud. You start today's blog saying that a definitive statement exists that will convince everyone of the reality of the (Christian) god. Then you qualify that by saying that this statement is different for each person. Well then if that is true then the statement is not logically definitive, it is subjective. You make no further reference to this statement so I'm curious about what it might be.
Then you say that John 20 in the New Testament is the definitive story on doubt about one of the persons in the trinity of the Christian god, namely Jesus. You say that "Jesus not only doesn’t want us to disbelieve, but he wants us to be completely doubt-free". Well, that would be nice, I thought. As a disbeliever and an agnostic, I would welcome the easing of any doubt from my uncertain mind. Then you quote Jesus, "Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed." So Jesus says that to remove doubt from one's mind, one should just believe without seeing anything, anything that would give credibility to a specific belief. But belief in exactly what? That god has a perfect plan for each of us? That Jesus is both man and god? That Jesus died as a sacrifice for our sins? That Jesus rose from death, walked among the living and will return in a final judgment? Jesus curiously doesn't say anything about the details of what he wants us to believe. And this is a definitive story?
I have often wondered why Jesus declares belief without seeing to be a virtue, as a behavior he wants people to follow. I wonder even more about why any person would accept this request to believe without seeing as a normal and reasonable request, especially from a poor itinerant fisherman who says he is the son of a god and claims to have recently risen from the dead. Believing without seeing is not a strategy or behavior that one would follow in the physical world, the "real" world of people living in the here and now. Jesus is perfectly capable, according to the New Testament, of performing miracles to impress the crowd. So it would be a trivial matter for him to convince people of anything that he wants, especially ignorant, poor, hungry and sick people. If the request to believe without seeing is a test of faith in him and his mission, why is faith valued above proven certainty or logical conviction? Blind faith in the value and truthfulness in what another person says about the world can be a very dangerous and destructive thing to do. Or is Jesus like a coy lover, asking for belief in his love, but without giving anything tangible to back it up? Or is he like a Wall Street shyster, asking for investment money but with no details about the investment?
Religion sells hope (future directed) for the escape from suffering through belief and release or salvation (past directed)from social remorse and sin through redemption. People who are desperately suffering will do almost anything to relieve their pain. Especially if a mystical, vague and ambiguous higher power is involved. But can the people in the here and now real world who claim to represent this higher power say anything they want to say about such a power and what it can do? Well, they can but should they be trusted, should they be believed without question?
Ray, Once again we come to the proverbial fork in the road, and as Yogi Berra says, (let's) take it. Your opinion on faith and people of faith, continues to be in opposition to mine. If I haven't made myself clear, regarding my personal position, by now, I never will. There are so many areas that are inexplicable, to those who have not experienced God personally. "But people who aren't spiritual can't receive these truths from God's Spirit. It all sounds foolish to them and they can't understand it, for only those who are spiritual can understand what the Spirit means." I Cor. 2:14. The same holds true for so many things in life. A person can try and explain what it's like to be a grand parent, for instance, but until you have the experience yourself, you see it as merely my point of view. My faith isn't based on mindless, blind faith, why would God want that kind of follower? So either I'm not getting that across to you correctly, or you don't care. If you were a serious "seeker" I'd love to continue this interaction, but I don't think that is the case. I can't prove everything to you, only God can. So as Jesus told his disciples, "If people do not welcome you, leave their town and shake the dust off your feet as a testimony against them." I'm continuing on the faith fork, but as always, I'll keep praying that God bring you to a place of understanding, you'll be a great addition to the Kingdom!! ;)
ReplyDelete