Sunday Morning Mulling, April 25, 2010: Faith

“Unthinking faith is a curious offering to be made to the creator of the human mind.”  John A. Hutchinson

I thought it curious that as I researched this quote online it’s used by quite a variety of different groups to support their contentions on faith; Christians, interfaith groups, skeptics and atheists alike.  I wanted to get information on it’s author, John A. Hutchinson, to get context for the purpose for its writing, but instead of biographical information I found it’s wide ranging application instead.  It made me take a deeper look at faith.

A person’s faith is incorporated into every aspect of their life, down to every decision and thought, and how they interact with others.  Faith literally becomes the basis for one’s life.  If that faith becomes challenged or shaken in any way, then a person’s foundation is challenged and shaken.  So, it would seem important to fully understand your faith.

For many, faith is something handed down to them by their parents and practiced out of obligation.  There could be a time when they rebel against their faith, for a plethora of reasons, only later to find their way back.  The faith system itself was never really challenged, just rebuffed for a period, maybe during that time of “sowing your wild oats”.  This could lead to an intensification of faith and perhaps to a narrowing perspective on what it is you believe, leading to a blind, dogmatic, and even bigoted faith.   That’s not a good thing.

So I found this quote by Hutchinson to be quite apropos for a Sunday morning mulling.  I think that our Creator would, in fact, want us to have a “thinking faith”.  Atheists seem to agree with idea of a "thinking faith" as well, judging by the fact they use this quote to support atheism.  Why wouldn’t a person, given the ability, not know everything they could about their faith?  Why wouldn’t they challenge every aspect?  Why practice blindly?  I practiced blindly for years, and when the challenges came I wasn’t prepared to face them.  It literally rocked my world as I found out my faith’s foundation was more like the shifting sand of one of Jesus’ parables.

Have a thinking faith.  You have a mind, so use it.    Don’t be afraid to challenge presuppositions you hold close out of fear they might change.  I think fear is the prime motivation for people not to challenge their faith.  Consider every aspect and know it intellectually, not just emotionally.  It could be a wild ride, but it’ll be worth it.