The Complexity of Doubt
A couple weeks back, I began sharing my thoughts on doubt, how it has impacted the landscape of organized religion, and doubt's place in the practice of any religion. I last shared that, at least historically in the Christian religion, doubt is a welcome and needed aspect of maturing our faith. In fact, Doubt is a Doorway to Deeper Faith! Doubt is our companion, every bit as resilient and persistent as faith. Doubt can be a tough but effective teacher and a difficult but faithful friend. When leaned into and nurtured well, doubt prepares the way for a new kind of faith after (and with) doubt, a humbled and harmonious faith that expresses itself in love.
These statements are not just rooted in theology but science as well! There has been TONS of scientific research into the stages of faith. These stages suggest faith development mirrors cognitive and moral development, influenced by life experiences, social environments, and personal reflection. For simplicity's sake, we've to dig into a more stripped-down version of how faith grows and evolves, consisting of four stages. You can catch up on the previous posts here… (The Gospel of Doubt & The Simplicity of Doubt)
This week, we're digging into the second stage of faith, Complexity. In Complexity, the focus is on success or achieving a goal. Someone in the second stage of Complexity began their faith journey in Simplicity, ran into some doubts and questions, and successfully answered them. This makes them feel safe and secure (which is what everyone needs to evolve) AND gives them a new sense of independence. For someone in Complexity, this impacts everything. Now, authority figures are more coaches than leaders. God is now an encourager and guide rather than a figure to please. Faith is a means to a desired end rather than assent to required beliefs. As with everything, there are strengths and weaknesses at this stage. The strengths of folks in Complexity are enthusiasm, an eagerness to learn, idealism, and action. Their weaknesses are that they can be superficial, naive, overly pragmatic, and have excessive confidence.
Like Doubt and Simplicity, we see this stage in the Bible...kinda. (After all, things are starting to get...complex...right?). In James 1:2-8, we see James mirroring his brother, Jesus. (Side note, we're pretty sure one of Jesus' core followers was his brother! I don't know about you, but I could do all the stuff Jesus did and still not convince my sister I was anything but a show-off and hogging attention!!! But I digress.) We see James interacting with folks in their various faith journies. First, just like James learned from Jesus, he fully accepts their perspective and gives them what they need to feel seen and heard. Second, James fully invites them, showing there is more to faith and belief than he currently understands. We see that James is teaching us that...
Belief is Complex, But Faith is Simple
Like doubt and the first stage of Simplicity, the second stage and Complexity are necessary for us all. It is also a necessity that we have a faith (and a faith community) that fully accepts and gives us what we need while in that stage while also fully preparing us for the other stages of faith. As we are learning, we are not outgrowing our faith. Instead, we are growing out of one stage of our faith and moving into another one. Doubt prepares the way for a new kind of faith after (and with) doubt, a humbled and harmonious faith that expresses itself in love.
As a person of science and faith (degrees and professional experience in both), I will continue to write about the different stages of faith we experience as humans. Doubt is a vital part of how that faith evolves and matures and how we can be more kind to ourselves and one another as we all make our way through this crazy thing we call life. One of my favorite things to do is sit down with a tasty beverage and chat more deeply about this. We can do that one-on-one or we could do it at the Doubter's Club. Either way, I have no doubts that our conversations will be wonderful.
Grace and Peace,
Sam