The Perplexity of Doubt

For the past several weeks, 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 & The Complexity of Doubt)

This week, we're digging into the third stage of faith, Perplexity. Perplexity focuses on being honest and authentic. As with everyone, they began their faith journey in Simplicity, ran into some doubts and questions, successfully answered them, and moved to the second stage of Complexity. Once again, they ran into more doubts and questions. Still, instead of finding solutions, they found several solutions and answers, some of which oppose one another and are both true simultaneously. At first, this makes them feel safe and secure again and gives them a new sense of openness and vulnerability. Often, this occurs in Stage One or Stage Two environments, where people struggle to see their perspective positively. (After all, it is challenging their paradigm of Simplicity and Complexity). Over time, folks in Perplexity experience a disregard for their approach to faith. In some instances, the disregard turns into correction and rejection. For someone in Perplexity, this impacts everything. Now, authority figures are fallible people who control the naive. God is now a mystery or even a myth. Faith becomes an obstacle to critical thinking. As with everything, there are strengths and weaknesses at this stage. The strengths of folks in Perplexity are honesty, curiosity, and critical thinking, all of which encourage and question the status quo. Their weaknesses include being aloof, uncommitted, cynical, suspicious, elitist, and depressed.

Like Doubt, Simplicity, and Complexity, we see this stage in the Christian scriptures. In Psalm 22, we see David, a very prominent figure in the Judeo-Christian religion, expressing, in song form, what someone in Perplexity is thinking and feeling. Just under half of the lines of the Psalm are full of doubts and questions that are cynical, angry, and from a place of depression. Here are a few...

·   My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?

·   But I am a worm and not human, scorned by others and despised by the people.

·   my mouth is dried up like a potsherd, and my tongue sticks to my jaws; you lay me in the dust of death.

At the same time, over half of the lines of the Psalms are full of curiosity, clarity, and faith that are so thoughtful, hopeful, and confident. Here are a few...

·   To you they cried and were saved; in you they trusted and were not put to shame.

·   I will tell of your name to my brothers and sisters; in the midst of the congregation I will praise you:

·   Posterity will serve him; future generations will be told about the Lord and proclaim his deliverance to a people yet unborn, saying that he has done it.

Here's the super interesting thing: We don't see David expressing his faith experience in Perplexity, but we also see Jesus. Many scholars contend that Jesus, as He was dying on the cross, was singing this Psalm to express doubts and questions: (We see Jesus ask, "Why have you forsaken me God" in Matthew 27:45-47 and Mark 15:33-34). He sang this Psalm to express his hope and faith that God had not forsaken Him. (We see Jesus proclaim, "It is finished," equivalent to "He has done it in John 19:30).

From David and Jesus, we learn that in Perplexity, choice is vital to whether we move forward in our faith or backward. Or maybe another way to say it is...

Perplexity Can Be A Prison or a Passport

Like Doubt, Simplicity, and Complexity, the third stage of Perplexity is 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. 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