Is questioning one's faith inevitable?

Questioning faith, no matter the definition of that word, is part of the process. It's just critical thinking. It doesn't have to be any more complicated than that. Through your faith you are presented with information, you analyze it, and come to a conclusion. Over time you're presented with new, possibly conflicting information and you analyze that as well. It's completely natural and important for one's spiritual growth. If one isn't confident enough in one's self and in one's faith to handle questions, especially from one's self, then I think a deeper level of questioning is in order. If you can ask yourself, "do I really believe this?" and give yourself an honest answer, no matter if that answer is yes or no, you have grown tremendously.

When it comes to questioning things about yourself, I've always felt that we always have the answers we're looking for. The trouble is, we don't always ask the right questions.

The fact that we have a word and concept for faith implies that we would question ours, as well as that of others, and would have our's questioned as well.

For me, it always boils down to a fact that I have trouble getting behind any large story. I have always found prayer absurd, and I was told that I felt that way because I lack faith. As a child I was a part of an Evangelical youth group called Awana's, like religious boy scouts. We spent a lot of time in the church, playing out door games and then would come it to memorize parts of the bible and talk about it with our youth leaders. You got awards and advancements for this. The youth leaders would always ask us a bunch of questions and test us, and in this way I found out for the first time that I did not have faith. I would always fall in to these logic traps that I could not get out of with out faith in their lines of questioning. It is not surprising, my family never attended church. I was in the program because there was a girl that I knew from school who was in the program and I liked her.

I have found that I only have a little faith in a few things, because I have spent a lot of time examining my beliefs to find what would rise to the top as faith. Faith is only there to back up why we believe something that is not explainable. I can not explain why I feel alone in a group, but never like I am by myself when away from others. I can't explain why I feel like I knew my children when they were born, or why I knew that my wife was the person I wanted to spend the rest of my life with. But I do have faith that those are things that exist. Everything else is up for questioning, those are just a few of the things that I have faith in that I ponder.

"faith" is the sum of the answers to our questions.

I think faith should be questioned. If it is not it would grow stagnant in a sense. Believing in something is a good thing but I think blind faith can be dangerous. Do you believe what you believe because you read it, thought about it, and chose it or do you believe it because a preacher or friend told you how it should be understood? Think about that question.... you just questioned your faith.

Edan wrote: As the title says, is it inevitable that one will eventually come to question their faith?

I wouldn't call it "inevitable", but rather "common".

questioning one's beliefs

It would be ludicrous, purposfully blinding and ignorant if you didn't.

Did I offend anyone?

Streen wrote:

Edan wrote: As the title says, is it inevitable that one will eventually come to question their faith?

I wouldn't call it "inevitable", but rather "common".

I donno, after living in the Bible Belt for so long I'm not too sure it's common either hahaha.

I don't think questioning your faith is inevitable but I do think it is very good practice. And one I try to follow quite often.

I remember as a young kid, I was sitting in Sunday School and being taught the 10 Commandments. I was told "Thou shalt have no other gods before me." meant "[Our Christian] God is the only one, true, God. All others are fake." I had already fallen in love with the mythology of the ages and I sat there thinking But...how could the Egyptians and the Romans and the Greeks have been so wrong? How can you go through life worshiping something that's fake? What makes us so much more right?

Unfortunately, I didn't have open-thinking role-models at the time and just accepted what I was fed for 20 years. I do appreciate the church I grew up in and the love of the congregation, and I do slightly envy those who don't seem to go through the angst of getting 'lost' while looking for answers to questions, but I feel like I'm a much better and stronger person for getting lost and poking around at what I believe in.

It's as natural and inevitable as a snake shedding its skin, yo. In other words, humans are intrinsically metaphysical. As consciousness evolves, so must ones beliefs or "faiths" correspond to this evolution. Faith must decay before it can grow anew, and since growth is a a natural property of consciousness, it follows that all faiths must in some sense decay. This sense of "decay" could be elaborated further, but I would generally consider "questioning" one's faith to be either a kind of decay or a symptom of decay, depending on how you want to approach describing the phenomena.

What is essential never really dies, however. So one may qualify my original answer with a few other distinctions and terms, etc.

I honestly believe if one is diligent about their studies they will take what they once learned from the frame of new knowledge (which may then be applied). This usually means completely reevaluating most personal outlooks in life and everything GOOD that will come from that.

On a side note, I question my faith of task everyday as everyday for me is a new challenge at university. Always be working on something that fulfills you and it will only help to align you to your innermost faith, the one which resonates the most for you.

Not really. Some people just go with it, never stopping to ask themselves 'why?'. A word of advice: there is no definitive answer to why we're here. At least I don't believe so. The only thing I know for certain is that I'm here, right now, and I'd rather not be spending all my time thinking about a possibly imaginary hell that I could or could not end up in because I didn't believe in something that was telling me how to live my life...

its an inevitable part of growth
if growth stops then faith may never be questioned (this is often the very reason that the growth stops - so fath doesnt have to be questioned) but at a certain point we can go no further without re-evaluating what we belive and updating ourselves and our views

i feel i have to always be open to new understanding.

its way more ok to see that i was wrong before and then adapt to new information than it is to deny truth because i am afraid or just stubborn

I have the enviable position of never being part of a religious family, yet I always sought out religion. Though the faiths I tried to follow never really felt 'right' and so I never committed to them. If faith is a deeply held conviction then I guess I have not really questioned my own faith (once I'd established what that was!) but that of others.

There are circumstances in life that anyone will inevitably question their faith, such as a death of a loved one etc. Especially if you are part of a faith that teaches reward for the good as the question arises as to: why that good person has been taken away and those good people left have to suffer the pain of that loss?

Yet, it is exactly these questions and our search for answers that will likely strengthen or break a persons faith.

I agree with OB1, I think questioning faith is essential for growth or progression (that's not to say that remaining where you are is not perfectly fine, things will just remain the same - if it's not broken don't fix it!)

People are inquisitive and on the whole I think we will continue to search for answers when our current system cannot provide them

While on the other hand...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Af815ksm4RU

I used to question my faith from the time I became (or was made) a conscious member of the Protestant Church. I never really felt 'at home' there, it just didn't feel right. I first checked out Buddhism, later quit the church and basically lived without any religious belief system for probably around 15 years until I found the Temple and with it a place and a religion that indeed does 'feel right' to me. I just know in my heart that this is it.

I can't really speak of the population in general, but I don't know many religious people, although most everyone I know used to be a member of one of our state religions (Protestantism and Catholicism that is) and now isn't.

A great number of my students are Muslims and they seem to adhere to their religious beliefs much more strongly than the Christians (or former Christians) I know.

In an episode of House M.D (Season 2 Episode 19 - House vs God) a faith healer comes in and at one point refuses treatment on the basis of his beliefs. House asks Dr Wilson to help and Dr Wilson makes the argument that one of the hall marks of a saint is humility, a saint would have to consider that they could be wrong even if they believed they were right. The faith healer agrees to the treatment.

Yes. Question everything - when the question come us.

This is a part of life. This is inevitable because we are evolving. We are constantly changing. We either adapt or resist the change. If a person holds onto a faith or a belief to the point that this person resists the obvious change that the Force is offering, suggesting or implementing, that person is stagnant. that person is "dead". And that person is out of touch with what is moving within the world.

If a person's faith is truly "strong" and accurate for the present state of things, no matter the intensity of the questioning, it will not waiver. Look into the doubt, allow for the shifts and welcome these questions because this process should affirm the reasons behind the faith.

If things are true and accurate, questioning will only demonstrate why the faith is in place. If this period of doubt "destroys" the faith, then use that opening to let go, adapt and create a new faith.

Forms constantly change. Spirit is eternal. All things in the material world change. Since we are material beings, we need to allow for this change inside and outside of ourselves.

I don't think anyone should have faith in anything, but rather our beliefs should be firmly rooted in the best objective evidence available to us, and in our own observations. Nothing should be accepted as true on faith.

Red_Eye_Jedi wrote: I don't think anyone should have faith in anything

Nothing should be accepted as true on faith.

whats your opinion on the moon landing?

molecules?

the big bang?

was george washington REALLY the first president of the united states?

is there really such a thing as "quebec"?

am i dreaming of you, or are you dreaming of me?

im not advocating the rejection of burden of proof
im simply responding to the presentaton of an absolute which i know is not realistic for me personally

i accept that a degree of faith is ok because otherwise i wont be able to have faith in simple communication woth other people

if there actually are any other people

I sense that this thread is about to go off topic... So can we keep it about whether one will question their faith, rather than whether someone should have religious/spiritual faith at all

Edan wrote: I sense that this thread is about to go off topic... So can we keep it about whether one will question their faith, rather than whether someone should have religious/spiritual faith at all

I was just thinking about the that. I guess it happens at death or near death, and probably manifests in various forms within psychosis. I guess its only a 'problem' when it causes inappropriate outcomes, such that the belief leads the believer to act in a way which is contrary to the consensual reality, or increases harm to oneself. Watt's and Jiddu K. work with breaking down the conditioned view of the world which incorporates challenging ones beliefs, so its probably a useful thing to be aware of the extent of faith and belief in oneself but also to know what its like to have these challenged or perhaps removed.