THE QUESTION

Questioning Faith

What is the place of questioning in faith? Does questioning tenets or traditions make your faith less valid?

Posted by Sally Quinn and Jon Meacham on June 13, 2007 6:55 AM
FROM THE PANEL

God Will Let Me Know God

Faith is not a proof; rather it is conviction.

Posted by Jane Holmes Dixon, on June 19, 2007 9:18 AM

God Asks and Answers

It is by our questioning that our understandings become our own.

Posted by Mark S. Sisk, on June 19, 2007 7:11 AM

Asking Questions is How We Grow

Why would we ever want to stop exploring, wondering, asking questions and trying to understand the mind of God?

Posted by Michael Otterson, on June 18, 2007 10:12 AM

Questioning is Part of Life

This call to free-thinking was another of the fundamental aspects of Islam that appealed to me greatly.

Posted by Pamela K. Taylor, on June 18, 2007 9:33 AM

Patching Together the Quilt of Faith

The plain fact is that there is no authoritative source anywhere to which we can turn for normative definition of the tenets and traditions of Christianity.

Posted by James Anderson, on June 18, 2007 8:04 AM

Question Faith? Fear Not

The idea that anyone would suggest it is inappropriate to question human concepts of God lies between ridiculous and absurd.

Posted by John Shelby Spong, on June 18, 2007 7:10 AM

Doubts Are to Be Expected

If a person had no doubts, there would be no faith required.

Posted by Charles "Chuck" Colson, on June 16, 2007 8:44 AM

An Enlightened Approach to Faith

Only by questioning and testing one's faith can one be sure it is robust and worth defending.

Posted by Julia Neuberger, on June 16, 2007 7:31 AM

The Power of "I Believe"

I decided long ago that I would not allow the canons of Enlightenment Rationalism be the final arbiter of truth.

Posted by Randall Balmer, on June 16, 2007 6:07 AM

Dare to Wonder

For too many people, faith is a kind of "auto-pilot" flight plan.

Posted by Brian D. McLaren, on June 15, 2007 10:35 AM

Questioning and Conscience

Questioning is the voice of conscience and the absence of one is the death of the other.

Posted by John Dominic Crossan, on June 15, 2007 9:52 AM

Blind Faith No Virtue

Faith constitutes a risk because it is not based solely on reason, argument, or evidence.

Posted by Chester Gillis, on June 15, 2007 8:40 AM

The Central Place of Questioning

Oh, by the way, Jesus questioned.

Posted by Martin Marty, on June 15, 2007 7:58 AM

Blind Acceptance is Idolatry

Questioning serves a necessary religious function: it prevents us from thinking there can ever be a final formulation of “the way things are.”

Posted by Marcus Borg, on June 14, 2007 9:50 AM

God Gave You a Brain--Use It!

Questions are better than Sudoku for keeping your brain (and your faith) alive and ticking.

Posted by Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite, on June 14, 2007 8:55 AM

I Believe the New Testament, Not Tenets nor Traditions

Tenets and traditions are not the bedrock upon which my faith rests.

Posted by Gardner Calvin Taylor, on June 14, 2007 7:49 AM

Questioning is Faith's Lifeblood

Using reason based on experience is one of the best ways to deepen the life of faith.

Posted by Bob Edgar, on June 14, 2007 6:12 AM

Depends on the Question

The way in which we question God determines the kind of answer we get.

Posted by Cal Thomas, on June 13, 2007 9:43 AM

God Not Afraid of Our Inquiries

A faith that is threatened by doctrinal inquiries and evaluation of certain tenants is no faith at all.

Posted by Samuel Rodriguez, on June 13, 2007 8:01 AM

Doubt: The Voice of Reason

I have always traced the end of my own faith to the frequent repetition of the story of Doubting Thomas.

Posted by Susan Jacoby, on June 13, 2007 7:35 AM

Seeking Truth in Freedom

The Muslim affirmation of faith is: "THERE IS NO GOD.... BUT GOD, (AND MUHAMMAD IS HIS PROPHET) The affirmation suggests that you move gradually towards faith with the sincere intention of seeking Truth with all the lights turned on. From...

Posted by Salman Ahmad, on June 13, 2007 6:40 AM

FEATURED COMMENTS

timothy: "Does questioning tenets or traditions make your faith less valid?" Doubt does not oppose Faith. The opposite of Faith is unbelief.. ...

Raymond: By NO Means wonder about anything you've been fed! One loose string in this fairy fabric would unwind the faithful at warp speed. (pun inten...

Tonio: I see the issue of questioning as the issue of evidence from the natural world calling an ideology into doubt. The new Creation Museum in Ke...

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