1.22.2012

A Life of Faith: In Defense of Doubt


A Life of Faith


A few months ago this book was recommended to me.
Initially, I was in no hurry to read it. I have lots of books on the ol' 'to read' list, so new recommendations often get pushed to the end of the list.

Thankfully, the friend who recommended the book asked if we could get together and discuss it. That was just the motivation I needed! The book got moved to the front of my reading list, and I'm so thankful it did.

This is one of my favorite faith-related books! It's "In Defense of Doubt" by Val Webb. It was published in 1995.

If you are a person who has a lot of questions about faith (and life, too), this book is for you! The author is a brilliant and inspiring woman. In the first chapter, she clearly articulates that faith and doubt are NOT opposites. Throughout the book she affirms the value of doubt in human life, and she uplifts many very famous theologians who often went through periods of questioning and had doubts.

She quotes Joseph Campbell in the first chapter,
and since I've read it, I've been thinking a lot about this passage:

People say that what we're all seeking is a meaning for life. I don't think that's what we're really seeking. I think that what we're seeking is an experience of being alive, so that our life experiences on a purely physical plane will have resonances within our innermost being and reality, so that we actually feel the rapture of being alive.


And here's one author quote by Marjorie Suchocki that has remained with me....

Theology is like a garment we have produced, not a universal truth. The garment, like all garments, will fit some, and not others. Should garments be thrown out then, because they do not fit everyone? Ah, then we should freeze in the winters of our loneliness! Better we should simply adjust the fit and see to helping others as they, too, weave their mantles.

Isn't that fantastic?!?!


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2 comments:

  1. Wow, very powerful! Thank you for sharing it!

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  2. If you liked this book, you may also like Alan Watts, "The Wisdom of Insecurity"

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