Doubt

Biblical Approaches

Scripture tells us that faith is “the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen” (Heb. 11:1). The Wisdom tradition, especially Ecclesiastes and Job, offers a philosophical vantage on doubt, showing it to be a common and even natural aspect of living a faithful life. The New Testament also addresses doubt in many instances. One of the more famous ones is the “Doubting Thomas” incident [Page 126](John 20:29). Here, Thomas inserts his finger into the wound of Jesus, who responds, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen me and yet believe.” Another crucial incident occurs when the man with a demon-possessed child asks if Jesus is able to help him (Mark 9:20–24). Jesus replies that “all things are possible to him who believes,” and the father's famous retort is “I believe; help my unbelief!” This father feels the paradox and struggle inherent in faith, a predicament some youth find themselves in—wanting to believe, but reluctant to do so. As these excerpts illustrate, many organized religions recognize the impact of doubt and want to uphold individuals in their struggles with it.

Theoretical Approaches

Theologian Paul Tillich's (1957) classic, Dynamics of Faith, analyzes different kinds of doubt. The doubt integral to faith, Tillich claims, is existential doubt, the capacity to accept the uncertainty that comes with faith in the divine. Tillich insists that doubt is not the negation of faith but is always present in faith and that this faith has a distinct “in spite of,” an uncertainty that goes hand-in-hand with faith. Tillich's view may also help the teenager (and adult) realize that courage is needed to face doubt. Every spiritual journey has its high seasons and low seasons, and faith is marked not by certainty but by trust.

Psychologist Gordon Allport suggests adolescent doubt may be due to skepticism—not about the deeper meaning and lasting commitments of faith but many of the concrete behavioral expressions of faith, such as worship styles, rituals such as communion or prayers, and so on. Adults could take on the important task of helping teenagers understand this crucial distinction between the ultimate object of faith and its worldly, concrete forms.

Another classic, Stages of Faith by James Fowler (1981), asserts that the opposite of faith is not doubt but nihilism—profound despair and inability to envision any transcendent relationships. Fowler describes how doubt emerges. In late childhood, youth notice discrepancies between major accounts of truth (e.g., science and religion) and wonder about which is “right.” Children also detect hypocrisy in the gap between what adults preach and practice. Later in adolescence, youth develop an “individuative-reflective” faith that is marked by questioning whether their beliefs are actually their own or mere holdovers from others (parents, congregations, peers). Thus, doubt helps youth outgrow their earlier “absorbed” faith. This “demythologizing” or stripping away of prior beliefs can cause anxiety, but the result is that the teen feels a personal ownership of the faith. In some cases, this new faith may indeed be the teen's “old” faith (of family or congregation); the key difference is that the teenager now takes personal responsibility for believing and being committed to it.

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