I Doubt It

As a bonus entry in our series on doubt, Owen offers an almost poetic exploration of tensions and conflict inherent in doubt. Previously in an essay called "The Atheist Perspective", Owen shared thoughts on the tough questions a theistic thinker must consider about disbelief and atheism. -Editor

I love doubt. Doubt makes things that are not real, real. Doubt is also the reason for the most painful times of my life. I hate doubt because it separates me from God.

Do I love doubt, or do I hate doubt? Does it matter? Of course it matters. Of course it doesn’t matter. Too many questions. Too many more answers.

Honestly, I love doubt inside myself and hate it inside those I feel apart from. That last statement was true, except for the first part.

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The Atheist Perspective

Owen contemplates atheistic beliefs in light of arguments presented by the New Church about the ultimate fate of those who carry such beliefs. He posits that belief and its consequences are at the center of our life on earth and that to suggest otherwise is to ignore or obfuscate the truth as he sees it. -Editor

You might wonder what atheists have to do with the New Church. Also, you might not wonder that. I don’t know that I really even believed in atheists until one of my old school friends and then brother became one.

If you’re like I was back in the old days, you might just write atheists off as misled and/or confused and/or wronged in some way by the church and so turned against it. I think, honestly, that all that atheists are, are people who have chosen to not believe in God. Of course there are psychological reasons behind their choice, but there are psychological reasons behind every choice every person makes.

The truth is some people just choose to not believe the same things we believe and it’s very possible those choices will lead them down a terrible road.

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