Doubt is not the absence of faith

Earlier this week The Pew Forum on Religious Religion and Public Life released a survey that found that people who doubt the existence of God know more about religion than people of faith. In the survey of religious knowledge atheists and agnostics scored higher than all others, followed closely by Jews and Mormons. Catholics and Protestants, however, were far behind. 


According to the report, 45 percent of Catholics didn’t know that their church teaches that the bread and wine used in Communion do not simply symbolize but actually become the body and blood of Christ. And 53 percent of couldn’t correctly identify Martin Luther (you know, the man responsible for the creation of their branch of Christianity). And the worst part (for me, at least) was that Black Protestants scored at the bottom of the survey.


An agnostic friend of mine was overjoyed with this news, declaring that it was further proof that Christians, especially Black Christians, just blindly believe in Jesus because their mamas or grandmamas told them to do so. He believes that this is further proof their faith isn’t real. While I do think it’s a shame for Christians to know so little about their faith, I don’t completely agree with my friend’s assessment. 


Most Christians I know who are very passionate about their faith feel the way they do because they fell in love with the character of Jesus, not because of rituals or the history of the religion. They’ve had some sort of encounter with a force that they feel could have only been God and that is why they are so convinced. Even my friends who have degrees in theology never mention the lessons learned in seminary when you ask them about their faith. They simply talk about their relationships with Christ. 


Nonetheless, I do think it’s important for Christians to learn more about religion (theirs and others), but not to prove to agnostics and atheists that their faith is real. I believe that learning more about your faith and even questioning your faith as you learn about others can actually serve to strengthen your beliefs. That’s exactly what happened with me. When I lived in Berkeley, California I was surrounded by people who, whether atheist, Muslim, Hindu, or Buddhist, thought that Christianity was essentially ruining the world. Listening to their gripes and learning more about their beliefs caused me to question everything I had ever been taught. I even went through a phase in which I stopped going to church. But after wrestling with God for years I came out of that battle with an ardent and life-changing love for Christ and a respect for people with beliefs that differ from mine. Too many people believe that those things cannot coexist. 


When asked why are atheists and agnostics better informed, one of the researchers offered the theory that many  American atheists and agnostics grew up in a religious tradition and consciously gave it up, often after a much study and thought. 


At the risk of sounding like my agnostic friend, some Christian communities do discourage much thought. Questioning your religion is seen as blasphemy, especially in the Deep South where Christianity is more of a culture than anything else. I still have memories of being scolded at Vacation Bible School for asking too many questions. But I maintain that doubt is not the absence of faith. I’ve lost count of the number of times I yelled to the heavens, “God, I just don’t get you!” But that doesn’t mean I love God less than other believers. Don’t we all struggle to understand the people we love — our spouses, our children, our parents? 


Yes, I know I will never fully understand God, but that doesn’t mean I’m not going to keep trying. You see, every time I start digging for answers even if I don’t find what I’m looking for I unearth some treasure that makes me fall in love with my Creator all over again.