10 Years ago — May 25, 2009
“Toxic forms of religion are killing us — sometimes literally, sometimes spiritually. It’s time to look into our own hearts. Are we part of the problem? … Toxic religion is all around us and is not limited to the disciples of Osama bin Laden who hide behind a distorted version of Islam to justify their violent ideology.”
Many of these toxic forms of religion rest on a “false sense of certitude.” Doubt is too often seen as being faithless. We can help by teaching that doubt is okay. “We can suggest … that the path to lasting faith inevitably runs through the valley of the shadow of doubt.” We can acknowledge our own doubts and help others rest with theirs. “Faith … does not answer every question. Rather it assures us that we can live confidently without all the answers. It means we recognize with the Apostle Paul that now we see through a glass darkly. It means, as Scripture insists, that now we walk by faith and not by sight.”
From the “The right way to doubt” by Bill Tammeus