In Reply to: Re: Faith - breaking it down posted by katie on June 13, 2007 at 20:57:09:
Good on ya! Having said that the act of believing is often choosing not to question, I also believe that it is good to question your faith and the things you believe in. Whatever it is you believe in, if it is that fragile that it can't stand up to a little questioning, then it is not worth believing in. And it is healthy to understand yourself, to question yourself and realize, this part I can rationally justify, that part I can't but choose to believe anyway. It's healthy because it's like keeping tabs on yourself, and it makes you less irrational and vulnerable to manipulation. Most of all it leaves you a chance to change your mind, learn and grow.
You reminded me of a great book I read: `A SHort History Of Nearly Everything´ by Bill Bryson. As a layman was so curious and began questioning everything about existence: Why is the sea salty, how did we get here, did we evolve from different root species, how do scientists draw the conclusions they do. He asked experts over and over again, forcing them to explore the evidence with him, explain it to him over and over until he could grasp it. After reading a book like that, I found it is still possible for me to have faith, but I no longer interpret the bible as literally as I once did -the earth is older than 6000 years.