"Once the idea of a universal truth about the good, knowable by human reason, is lost, inevitably the notion of conscience also changes. Conscience is no longer considered in its primordial reality as an act of a person's intelligence, the function of which is to apply the universal knowledge of the good in a specific situation and thus to express a judgment about the right conduct to be chosen here and now. Instead, there is a tendency to grant to the individual conscience the prerogative of independently determining the criteria of good and evil and then acting accordingly. Such an outlook is quite congenial to an individualist ethic, wherein each individual is faced with his own truth, different from the truth of others. Taken to its extreme consequences, this individualism leads to a denial of the very idea of human nature."
Veritatis Splendor - 32
Obviously old mate Saint John Paul II was a horrific "fundy"...
If doubt is an integral part of religious life there is reason to believe that it is a valuable asset for those of us who are dedicated to living a spiritual life with absolute certainty the missing link. Some would say that is why we speak of faith rather than certainty addressing the need of the senses to embrace all that appears secure.
When at Mass what does it mean to sing Ave Verum Corpus knowing that there are people around you whose faith waivers? Who sometimes doubt God’s omnipotence, or goodness, or very existence? More to the point what does it mean to recite these words if you, or I are one of those doubters?
“Faith will come to him who passionately yearns for ultimate meaning, who is alert to the sublime dignity of being, who is alive to the marvel of the matter, to the unbelievable core within the known, evident, concrete . . . By foregoing beauty for goodness, power for love, grief for gratitude, by entreating the Lord for help to understand our hopes, for strength to resist our fears, we may receive a gentle sense of the holiness permeating the air like a strangeness that cannot be removed. Our crying out of pitfalls of self-indulgence for purity of devotion will prepare the dawn of faith.” (Man Is Not Alone, 89-90) ~ Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel
Rabbi Heschel correctly informs us that our faith cannot be understood purely as an instrument of belief, rather should be the expression of our actions evidencing our beliefs. Thus our self indulgence should yield to that ever so subtle influence emerging from within our being guiding us to to offer practical help to a person who by coincidence, or by design needs our assistance.
The American Catholic author, Mary Gordon, writes “The ability to question, the ability to take a skeptical position, is absolutely central to my understanding of myself, and my understanding of myself as a religious person.” She even argues that “faith without doubt is just either nostalgia or a kind of addiction.”
There is also high risk treading into the quick sands of self righteous, fundamentalist assurance when religious belief worships rules.
Paul of Tarsus would be woken out of his devotion to laws on his life saving journey to Damascus to embrace faith in God.
The reassuringly less than perfect human being and Catholic author, Graham Greene sums up my understandings, in words that speak clearly without further ado:
“Doubt is the heart of the matter. Abolish all doubt, and what's left is not faith, but absolute, heartless conviction. You're certain that you possess the Truth -- inevitably offered with an implied uppercase T -- and this certainty quickly devolves into dogmatism and righteousness, by which I mean a demonstrative, overweening pride in being so very right, in short, the arrogance of fundamentalism.”
― Graham Greene
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