The Laughing Wolf

Challenging Faith And Belief

There are words you hear, ideas expressed, that just seem to click and you don’t know how you didn’t see something before. As a youth, I heard some words like this from a pastor I respect and I wish now that I could quote them far better. For they seem to have an even greater import today than they did then.

His words were a shock to some, for they appear to fly in the face of traditional religious teaching. For what he proposed was very simple, but then again it is often the simple concepts that can cause the most profound searching of souls.

Do you see anything with which you disagree as being a challenge to your faith? Do you take any question as a threat? Does the sight of any thing or behavior different from your faith cause you to panic, or desire to destroy it? Does the presentation of any alternative interpretation of scripture bring rage or fear?

To build on his excellent foundation, if the slightest question shakes you and brings doubt into your life; if seeing behavior with which you disagree tempts you; if the ready availability of some temptation causes you to fall – then what you have is not faith. It is not true belief.

Faith is not weakened by challenge, it is made stronger. Mature belief depends on discussion, consideration, and growth. When I was a child, I thought as a child has meaning on many levels, and it applies to all aspects of life. When you were a child, you may have thought that stars were but candles in the sky. Do you still believe that as an adult? If not, why then should your beliefs and understandings on matters of faith remain the same?

Challenges to faith and belief should not be seen as attacks, but as opportunities. For they give you the chance to share your thoughts and beliefs. Through honest discussion and consideration, you can increase your understanding and knowledge, and use such to help others understand and grow as well.

Fantasy ideologies can stand no question, and allow nothing that would contradict them to stand. For one great example, look to the Taliban. The only way their version of faith could survive was to cut their people off from the outside world. They did not allow the internet, papers, and other forms of communications that would show things different from their presentation. Anything existing that represented beliefs different from their own was destroyed, such as the giant, ancient Buddhas. Their system could not withstand the mute presence of statues that had stood for centuries. It could only exist in a vacuum.

Questioning, learning, and attempts to better understand your scriptures and beliefs – whatever your faith – are crucial. It is something that should be an ongoing part of your life. It is not always comfortable at the time, but the end result provides far greater comfort and security to you.

If you choose to follow the Way of the Wolf, this should not be limited to matters of spiritual faith and belief. All knowledge and – most especially – assumptions should be challenged on a regular basis.

How many times have you just absolutely “known” something? And found out it was wrong? Have you never made a snap judgment of a person, only to find out that what you assumed was the case was not? Our lives are filled with such things, and learning we are wrong can be embarrassing, but we are the better for finding out the truth. Learning is a cumulative process of replacing old knowledge with better knowledge. We not only add facts, but we increase our sophistication by understanding more complex ideas.

Think on school a bit. Did you start with quantum theory in first grade? Or did you start with rather simplistic presentations of atoms and cells as if they were solid objects? Did you discuss electron valences and sharing when learning how compounds were made? Or did you simply talk about two things joining? Did you start with conjugating verbs? Or did you start with the ABCs?

Now, did you see learning as a threat? As something to be feared and fought? A danger to society that must be eliminated for the good of all?

If not, why then fear learning and growth in any area?

Challenge yourself on every level.

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