Doubt

Doubt:

1. To question or hold questionable; to withhold assent to; to hesitate to believe, or to be inclined not to believe; to withhold confidence from; to distrust; as, I have heard the story, but I doubt the truth of it....
2. To suspect; to fear; to be apprehensive of...
3. To fill with fear; to affright.

Particularly, in many religious traditions, doubt is equated with fear. In Christian circles, this can be interpreted as a lack or, even, opposition to faith. This can mean an abiding mistrust in the power of God to be present in our lives. It is the fear that, perhaps, God does not have our best interest at heart or, even if He does, He lacks the power to protect and guide us. Thus doubt may develop into a form of backsliding for the "committed" Christian.

While, I would not dispute the fact that an abiding doubt in God's faithfulness probably will lead to an unhealthy form of Christianity (or agnosticism or, perhaps even, atheism), doubt in and of itself is not a bad thing. Doubt, in the first sense, is an essential part of any honest approach to religious experience and spiritual awareness.

Doubt, in the first sense, causes us to contemplate, strive for understanding and even test the religious claims of our fellow sojourners and leaders. This form of doubt forces us to evaluate programs and movements in light of reason, faith and a commitment to truth. Forcing us to apply concepts and commands only after "owning" them for ourselves. Because I believe our Christian walk is, ultimately, a solo affair (in the sense that God doesn't judge us for the thoughts and actions of our community, only on our own choices in the context of our community), God expects us to be responsible for what we allow to enter our hearts and our minds. Doubt, as a sort of prudent skepticism, is the first line of defense against unhealthy ideas.

Doubt, in the sense of fear and suspicion, can only be harmful. This form of doubt is so often purely irrational and may stem from a variety of unhealthy and selfish impulses. This is where the first form of doubt may be useful (i.e. in helping to evaluate what can turn out to be unwise thoughts or courses of action).

In the second and third sense of the word doubt, we see the same power that faith has used in harmful ways. On that view, faith and doubt are both the attempt to convince ourselves of a certain outcome. Faith is the hope in something good; doubt the hope in something bad.