I believe that doubt is the one thing that hastens social and spiritual and personal change.
I read this morning a post by an author who raises the question of the transformative power of questioning and doubting. She surmises that societal change originates with somebody somewhere asking a question. She writes:
Now imagine: if you actually discussed your beliefs with someone else, you begin to see, very rapidly, that he doesn’t believe the same things as you, at least not in the same way as you. You have a decision to make. You either burrow into your hole and insist on your rightness, or you listen and wonder, “I wonder why he thinks that?” and “What can I learn from him?”
Doubt promotes dialogue...
Many years ago I expressed doubt about the justice of hell. The room full of Christians who I trusted to hear me out instead began to scripturize me to keep me on the straight and narrow path...narrow being the key word here. But questions are the fertile ground where our imagination discovers new trails of thought and possibility. Questioning and doubting open up vistas of our thinking to consider faith, life, and relationships another way.
I once heard Brian McLaren say that he sees this generation discovering faith by questioning. I love that, for I am the queen of questions and it is true : I have learned and relearned and unlearned what makes the sum of my life by the simplicity of asking a question. In the creed that I follow, which is to live my life as best I can according to the teachings of Jesus, he advised his followers, You have not for you ask not. Asking is a gateway. But asking doesn't come without it's risks.
Questions have long been troublemakers for those who ask them, and especially for those who attempt to answer them. Questions can lead us to bigger open meadows of liberty or push us to the edge of the cliff with a mob ready to throw us off. Questions can be subversive. Who do you say I am? asked Jesus of his followers. Definitely a dangerous question in the context of the times.
What questions are you asking lately?
3 comments:
Hi Pam! Just discovered your blog via a Facebook post. I wanted you to know you are part of a current conspiracy in my life to egg me on to launching my own blog. I'm inspired by your style. Thanks for what you're doing! - Richard in Iowa
I'm a question lover also, and see that the trend in post-modern spirituality leans into query as opposed to avoiding it, painting an idea of god as not only inscrutable but the Unquestionable One. (Jeez, was that a sentence?) Most of my time as a worship leader and preacher is spent inviting questions, welcoming wondering, trusting that G-d is surrounding it all.
Hi Richard, oh I love being part of conspiracies! So glad you have found a creative spark here to get your own blog going. Do let me know when you go LIVE so I can come by and check out your blog digs!
Yes, questions do seem to be leading the way as they usually do. I am particularly fond of the What if... questions for they really do open up new trails of thinking and imagining. I have blogged a few What if... questions over the last year or two. There is a category of What if... posts that can be found in the sidebar on my blog's homepage. Some of those questions made some people uncomfortable when I asked them. But they are just questions....however, they demonstrate how curiosity can ruffle people's sense of rootedness and blind acceptance of certain kinds of ideology, no matter how noble.
Thanks so much for stopping by and for your comments. Totally encourages me when I meet a new reader, and anybody from the heartland of Iowa is especially welcomed!!
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