Often we confuse doubt and skepticism. They belong to each other, but they are different in that they are found not in the theme in discussion but in the person of faith who is doubtful and the one who to large degree gives first loyalty to doubt. Many persons of great faith have admitted to serious doubt, but held on to the affirmative of faith while the doubt worked its way through to resolution. Augustine confessed to doubt, but refused it in the light of what he believed to be the truth of Scripture so well preached by Anselm. Augustine, a distinguished teacher of rhetoric and well known in the secular Roman world, went to hear gifted Anselm preach so as to analyze the oral rhetoric of the preacher. Augustine was a skeptic who merged into a doubter, but driven by doubt in the faith of his mother, Monica, to Christian truth. His skepticism turned positive in honest doubts even in his faith and classical defense of biblical Christianity that is studied in our era. Both his Confessions and The City of God are classics, read fifteen hundred years after his death. In our era, Mother Teresa, founder of a Catholic order for women to serve the needs of the poor was troubled by doubt for many years, but never relinquished her faith to doubt. Her observations remain poignant to the reader. We can be sure that Peter’s cowardly response to the challenge at the fire during the trial of Jesus was not a loss of his basic faith, but a response of doubt about what he believed Jesus would accomplish with the disciples in the dream of Israel to establish the kingdom of David again in the land. He was penitent and forgiven by the risen Christ. Judas had a private agenda that was not of first importance to Jesus, and in his skepticism found disloyalty in response to the emerging meaning of Christ in the redemptive story of God – for the sin of the world. Judas was unable to add faith to natural logics.
George Bernard Shaw was a skeptic relating to Christianity. The more he learned of Christianity the deeper became his skepticism. His drama, Major Barbara, reveals that he understood Christianity. Even he recognized some of the mystery of faith and unbelief when he stated that objective persons could not be dogmatic about skepticism or anything else. Objectivity would say we might be wrong or we might be right. Persons would have to be humble about their certainties. Scripture relates this to meekness. If we knew all of the truth of everything we believe we would, in declaring that truth, become so arrogant that no one would care enough to listen to what we have to say. Even Jesus informed the disciples that he had much to say that he would not because: ye cannot bear it now. In all, the truth of all is beyond our capacity and is further reduced by the varieties of contexts and presuppositions we bring to any proposition.
Two respected eminent persons argued about waterboarding – the use of water torture to force confession from enemies. One believed it to be right because information was gained in terrorist attacks that saved many lives and did not take the life of the confessor. The other was strongly against the procedure as a moral matter and the belief that prisoners will say anything to avoid the torture. Although I would subscribe firmly to the moral argument as the right one, I understand that both men were arguing truthfully in the light of their presuppositions. Meekness would prevent me from harshness, vitriol, and negative accusation against the first man. The solution would be found in a policy that would in the name of peace find some improved way to gain information while respecting the dignity of every human being and not meeting terror with terror. That is not easy to do, but resolutions every day face that issue of varied starting points. The starting point for Christians is the presupposition that God exists and that he communicates. This is called faith. Every presupposition is an act of faith. God starts with us at the beginning, and moves forward, affirmatively from there. Faith is not an excuse for ignorance. It begins the search to be completed in a life context. Because faith in God is gifted to human beings the way is narrow because it seems unreal for imperfect mankind to relate to perfect God. It is difficult – to live in the norms of nature in human reason working with evidence registering on the senses while believing also in the mysteries of the unseen kingdom of God. Scriptural affirmations must prevail in Christian faith. To make that workable in nature God must find a way for mankind’s escape or there isn’t any hope. *Mark W. Lee, Sr. — 2016, 2020