tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4327598978675535878.post8838199020873982015..comments2023-03-23T03:08:24.690-07:00Comments on Theology and Counseling: The Effects of DoubtDr. Corsinihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11401103560367914853noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4327598978675535878.post-38788510481573287582012-12-11T07:55:03.550-08:002012-12-11T07:55:03.550-08:00Mary,
I loved this post. It was actually encourag...Mary,<br /><br />I loved this post. It was actually encouraging to me. As human beings we so easily can doubt many things. It is so encouraging and ocmforting to know we have a wonderful Savior who wants to know all our struggles and doubts. It is interesting to look at the lives of those who we look up to such as Joni Erickson and Francis Schaeffer. It is uplifting to see their life struggles and doubts, yet their life for Christ in the end was stronger than ever before. I normally looked at doubt as only a negative thing. Yet we can grow closer to Christ through doubt if we learn how to cast our doubts, fears, and struggles at the foot of the cross. Thank you for such an encouraging post!Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04041939087737031754noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4327598978675535878.post-32827153643016754232012-12-01T13:46:40.222-08:002012-12-01T13:46:40.222-08:00Mary,
Wonderful post, and most well written! The ...Mary,<br /><br />Wonderful post, and most well written! The one thing above all else that really plucked something deep inside of me is the attention that you brought to this idea that we should openly face our doubts, instead of hiding from them. I think you are right, the tacit meaning behind the changeless we get bombarded with sometimes in the church seem to scream "the doubting Christian is no Christian at all!" <br /><br />You wrote, "The questions of faith may be an important step in forming individual convictions and maturity. Doubt has been shown to have several advantages: higher self-esteem, the ability to think critically and problem solve, to develop principles and morality, and to have less dogmatic judgments." The process of developing these skills and abilities is overshadowed many times in favor of strict legalism and convenience. Many of us find ourselves just like the scholars of Christ day: unchanging, unyielding, and inauthentic because we have not worked out our faith in a way that pays dividends.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17666988455919835570noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4327598978675535878.post-57829757962995693942012-11-25T23:38:40.942-08:002012-11-25T23:38:40.942-08:00I believe doubt is something most people struggle ...I believe doubt is something most people struggle with. I can't remember who quoted, "An unexamined life is a life not worth living," perhaps Albert Einstein? Anyway, when I take a step back to analyze my life and my walk with God, I am sometimes uncertain about things. In my uncertainty, I sometimes get reassurance or what could be considered an answer to my question but I still have many unanswered questions that feel only God can answer. I guess we will have to find a way to deal those question marks in our lives one way or the other.VickyEkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12260145474230104570noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4327598978675535878.post-1072098800956863952012-11-19T20:14:31.315-08:002012-11-19T20:14:31.315-08:00I love that you were taught to question! I fully p...I love that you were taught to question! I fully plan on helping my own children learn how to question and develop their reasoning skills. Maryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05288411815012048781noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4327598978675535878.post-80989292639901415212012-11-19T20:12:40.173-08:002012-11-19T20:12:40.173-08:00Christine, Thank you. I was struck with your paral...Christine, Thank you. I was struck with your parallel to Matthew 5:3. That is a very powerful insight. Maryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05288411815012048781noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4327598978675535878.post-59451143299809321582012-11-17T18:49:39.260-08:002012-11-17T18:49:39.260-08:00Mary!
Loved your post on doubt! Growing up as chi...Mary! <br />Loved your post on doubt! Growing up as children we are taught to "question everything" or at least in my public school education we were. And why not apply this to our faith as well. A healthy dose of doubt brings great maturity and allows believers to be prepared to answer every question. Colossians 4:6 talks about having conversations seasoned with salt and being prepared to give an answer. 1 Peter 3:15 talks about being prepared to give an answer... and what better way to do that, than to ask the hard questions yourself. Your post was so great, creating a well balanced, well supported approach to doubt. WorkingForHisGloryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08526601418220961696noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4327598978675535878.post-54318268302023652512012-11-17T08:19:07.667-08:002012-11-17T08:19:07.667-08:00Mary, what a wonderful post on the effects of doub...Mary, what a wonderful post on the effects of doubt! I agree with you that we must understand the distinction between doubt and unbelief. It appears that within our Christian communities, we often do not understand this difference, and thus assume that all doubt is equal to unbelief. Since this is the notion all too many have, those with doubting thoughts often suppress their uncertainty and questioning for fear of appearing as an unbeliever. The misconception between the two leads the doubter to believe they are not “strong enough” in their faith, or that they lack spiritual understanding. If we look at Matthew 5:3 we read, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (New International Version). I was reading a commentary on this verse that said that “poor in spirit” in its literal sense means “spirit beggars”. The commentary mentioned that God wants us to admit that we are full of doubt, and He wants us to bring our doubt before Him and place them at His feet. God understands our doubt, and wants to take it from us, so that we might not be burdened with doubt any longer. Christine McPheehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17878685832367692261noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4327598978675535878.post-76472709786894649042012-11-16T10:59:31.215-08:002012-11-16T10:59:31.215-08:00Hi, I enjoyed reading your post. I like how you us...Hi, I enjoyed reading your post. I like how you used Doubt to perceive the negative and the positive. It is almost impossible to avoid doubt just in our natural self-being. I do agree that it does help us to stand grounded with rationality when faces with circumstances. It allows to think through. However, consumed or immersed in doubt becomes the force that stops us from living in the freedom Christ has for us. It blinds our faith, our self-image in Christ and stops us from conquering the fears and battles faced in our lifetime. So after reading your post, I see that how doubt can influence us negatively and positively. What comes to mind, is having self-awareness, mindfulness and flow of the Holy Spirit to discern the good and bad. Thank you for sharing this post!Darlenehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09293621645527359896noreply@blogger.com