Grappling with doubts as act of faith

[Topper]

One element of religious experience which seems tone lacking in LDS culture is thenotionthat grappling with doubts is noble and act of faith in and of itself.

In the Jewish experience this often forms the centerpiece of Jewish intellectual and religious experience. In LDS culture short shrift is given to doubters, as if they are made of lesser stuff. On the fringe doubters sometimes depict believers as made of lesser stuff too. However, do you believe the LDS fabric would be enriched if leadership embrace the faith paradym of struggling and muddling through? Instead of depicting the doubters as sinners but of people seeking faith, would the tensions be reduced? I am not speaking of disbelievers but doubters who wish to believe but have difficulty doing so.

[YOhio]

However, do you believe the LDS fabric would be enriched if leadership embrace the faith paradym of struggling and muddling through? Instead of depicting the doubters as sinners but of people seeking faith, would the tensions be reduced?

No.

[Topper]

No.

Why not?

[YOhio]

Why not?

I didn't really mean that. I was mocking your loaded question with my simple, yet absurd answer. Of course the church would benefit from more inclusiveness and to some degree it already does. There are cultural barriers and inconsistent practices among leaders throughout the church, just as I'm sure some in the Jewish experience have felt even though they have a several thousand year head start on us. I don't think its fair to say that the church and leaders uniformly depict honest doubters and strugglers as sinners. That said, it appears that the church is trying to be a bit more aggressive in positive communication to those who have doubts.

http://www.deseretnews.com/article/865583665/Simple-faith-in-a-digital-age.html

[SeattleUte]

If you have doubts and are struggling with your faith, talk to me. I'm the resident faith crisis consultant.

[Topper]

I didn't really mean that. I was mocking your loaded question with my simple, yet absurd answer. Of course the church would benefit from more inclusiveness and to some degree it already does. There are cultural barriers and inconsistent practices among leaders throughout the church, just as I'm sure some in the Jewish experience have felt even though they have a several thousand year head start on us. I don't think its fair to say that the church and leaders uniformly depict honest doubters and strugglers as sinners. That said, it appears that the church is trying to be a bit more aggressive in positive communication to those who have doubts.

http://www.deseretnews.com/article/8...gital-age.html

And I didn't mean to imply uniformity, at least not in its modern iteration. But the Jewish experience is quite different form the LDS experience.

[YOhio]

If you have doubts and are struggling with your faith, talk to me. I'm the resident faith crisis consultant.

stfu.

[Topper]

If you have doubts and are struggling with your faith, talk to me. I'm the resident faith crisis consultant.

You do not doubt enough and take positivism to an extreme, trusting too much in man's ability to know and to improve.

[Topper]

stfu.

We do not embrace the notion that doubting is actually is an element of faith. Jewish traditions can allow for a lifetime of doubt though one acts in faith. Mother Theresa apparently lived mostly in doubt.

[YOhio]

You do not doubt enough and take positivism to an extreme, trusting too much in man's ability to know and to improve.

Whoa. Those are fighting words. Where I come from you don't accuse someone of taking positivism to the extreme unless you're willing to throw down.

[Topper]

Whoa. Those are fighting words. Where I come from you don't accuse someone of taking positivism to the extreme unless you're willing to throw down.

Seattle is actually a Platonic positivist, to an arrogant degree.

[woot]

It's a neat idea, but I don't think it's a coincidence that the Jews are encouraged to doubt and that their identity is more about ethnicity than religion.

It makes sense that a "true" religion would encourage doubt and scholarship, and it makes sense that the retention rate in said religion would nevertheless remain high. If LDS church leaders were to begin encouraging religious scholarship, I wonder if a "reform" movement would happen like in Judaism.

[Topper]

It's a neat idea, but I don't think it's a coincidence that the Jews are encouraged to doubt and that their identity is more about ethnicity than religion.

It makes sense that a "true" religion would encourage doubt and scholarship, and it makes sense that the retention rate in said religion would nevertheless remain high. If LDS church leaders were to begin encouraging religious scholarship, I wonder if a "reform" movement would happen like in Judaism.

The LDS prescription for doubt seems to be to fix the doubt, I.e., give faith, instead of preparing one to live with doubt.

I am not well-versed enough with Islam to know how Islam deals with doubt.

[woot]

The LDS prescription for doubt seems to be to fix the doubt, I.e., give faith, instead of preparing one to live with doubt.

I am not well-versed enough with Islam to know how Islam deals with doubt.

Well infidels are often killed, so doubt would seem risky.

[ERCougar]

Christ said 'doubt not, but be believing'.

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