The importance of doubt in religious faith
Doubt and critical analysis of religions
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Note:Mark C. Taylor is a religion and humanities professor at Williams College, and the author of the book
"Mystic Bones."1 He contributed an op-ed piece to the New York Times titled "The Devoted
Student" which was published on 2006-DEC-21. 2 It discusses the importance of free discussion
and genuine dialogue on matters of belief -- both religious and secular. Unfortunately, his article was too long to
reproduce here in full. A common practice is to limit the duplication of
copyrighted material to 500 words in length. We have trimmed his article
accordingly.
"... it seems the more religious students become, the less willing they
are to engage in critical reflection about faith.
For years, I have begun my classes by telling students that if they are not more
confused and uncertain at the end of the course than they were at the beginning,
I will have failed. A growing number of religiously correct students consider
this challenge a direct assault on their faith. Yet the task of thinking and
teaching, especially in an age of emergent fundamentalisms, is to cultivate a
faith in doubt that calls into question every certainty.
Any responsible curriculum for the study of religion in the 21st century must be
guided by two basic principles: first, a clear distinction between the study and
the practice of religion, and second, an expansive understanding of what
religion is and of the manifold roles it plays in life. The aim of critical
analysis is not to pass judgment on religious beliefs and practices -- though
some secular dogmatists wrongly cross that line -- but to examine the conditions
necessary for their formation and to consider the many functions they serve.
It is also important to explore the similarities and differences between and
among various religions. Religious traditions are not fixed and monolithic; they
are networks of symbols, myths and rituals, which evolve over time by adapting
to changing circumstances. If we fail to appreciate the complexity and diversity
within, and among, religious traditions, we will overlook the fact that people
from different traditions often share more with one another than they do with
many members of their own tradition.
If chauvinistic believers develop deeper analyses of religion, they might begin
to see in themselves what they criticize in others. In an era that thrives on
both religious and political polarization, this is an important lesson to learn
-- one that extends well beyond the academy.
Since religion is often most influential where it is least obvious, it is
imperative to examine both its manifest and latent dimensions. As defenders of a
faith become more reflective about their own beliefs, they begin to understand
that religion can serve not only to provide answers that render life more secure
but also to prepare them for life's unavoidable complexities and uncertainties.
Until recently, many influential analysts argued that religion, a vestige of an
earlier stage of human development, would wither away as people became more
sophisticated and rational. Obviously, things have not turned out that way.
Indeed, the 21st century will be dominated by religion in ways that were
inconceivable just a few years ago. Religious conflict will be less a matter of
struggles between belief and unbelief than of clashes between believers who make
room for doubt and those who do not.
The warning signs are clear: unless we establish a genuine dialogue within and
among all kinds of belief, ranging from religious fundamentalism to secular
dogmatism, the conflicts of the future will probably be even more deadly.
References used: The following information sources were used to prepare the above
essay. The hyperlinks are not necessarily still active today.
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Mark C. Taylor, "Mystic Bones," Book, University Of Chicago Press, (2007)
Read
reviews or order this book safely from Amazon.com online book store An
Amazon.com reviewer writes:
"A collection of remarkably elegant close-up images of weathered
bones -- remains of cattle, elk, and deer skeletons gathered from the desert of the
American West -- Mystic Bones pairs each photograph with a philosophical
aphorism. These images are buttressed by a major essay, 'Rubbings of Reality,'
in which Taylor explores the use of bones in the religious rituals of native
inhabitants of the Western desert and, more broadly, the appearance of bones in
myth and religious reality."
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Mark C. Taylor, "The Devoted Student," Article, New York Times, 2006-DEC-21, at:
http://www.nytimes.com/
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Mostly copyright © 2006 by The New York Times Company
Originally posted: 2006-DEC-26
Latest update: 2009-APR-11
Author: Mark C. Taylor 
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