Doubt can be a scary place. In a turning and transient world, when time flies too fast for our memory to follow, and our business is busyness, change seems to be the only constant. We cope by finding bits of solid ground to stand on. We survive by forging little nooks of security, places where we feel safe, where boring is good, and dependability is golden. We need bastions of protection just to get by. Sure we don't mind the swirling dervish of life sometimes, but we need breaks between the rides. We all need solid ground to stand on. Doubt can be like that whirling ride, or it can be a diminished spot of ground beneath us. If doubt overtakes us, we either cannot get off the ride anymore, or we step off it into emptiness. But lets be honest. Everyone doubts. Doubt is like taxes, its obligatory. Sure, we wouldn't want to doubt ourselves into an asylum somewhere, but we also wouldn't want to be a naive gullible, a comparative bunny rabbit in this predatory world. How then can we harness our doubts and force them into submission to truth? Well, we first should consider what we're dealing with. Three kinds of doubt stand out to me (this is borrowed from Dr. Gary Habermas who first clarified these categories for me). 1) Intellectual Doubt--this is the reasoned and thoughtful kind of doubt where questions are raised about some proposed belief and unless answers come we suspend belief. Scientific, philosophical, theological or what have you--intellectual doubt is the "thinking mans" mode of doubt. 2) Emotional Doubt--this is the emotionally based doubt where, regardless of intellectual objections, the locus of doubt is some hurt, anger, fear, or otherwise emotional distrust. In my estimation, the vast majority of skeptics, free-thinkers and disbelievers have emotional doubt lurking beneath their intellectual questions. 3) Volitional Doubt--this is the willful and deliberate doubt, which may have originally sprung from emotional hurt or intellectual objections, but has since cooled and calcified into simple choice. This kind of doubt is the scariest because it cannot be assuaged or reasoned with. As such, it is emotionally and intellectually oblivious. Intellectual doubt is my forte. It's relatively easy to address since the questioner is simply looking for answers to the question. Intellectual answers. Logical, scientific, theological, and philosophical problems can often find strong answers, if not conclusive answers so that intellectual doubt is resolved. Emotional doubt is a bit trickier. The questions that arise are are often attempts to vent an emotional hurt, rather than seek an intellectual answer (for example, "There can't be a good God if he lets little babies die every day, right?"). The questions and doubts that are expressed sometimes don't even do that. Sometimes they just obscure and deflect us from seeing the emotional wound where the doubt really lurks. Here the intellectual questions can be answered without resolving much or any of the doubt. The intellectual questions are more of a smoke screen than a barrier. The real barrier is usually some kind of hurt. to address emotional doubt we have to address the hurt. A warm hug can sometimes do the trick. Usually though it takes some long-term loving friendship, earned trust, a patient ear, and gentle counsel. These needs are met existentially, not "rationally," so to speak. Volitional doubt is even trickier. This kind of doubt might be exposed by first addressing the intellectual and emotional needs. When the person has no significant hurt or rational objection, he or she may still prefer to doubt and stay comfortable in their old lifestyle, their secret sin, their independence, their addiction, or what have you. Somewhere between the last two kinds of doubt lurk the three main reasons for disbelief (that I can see at least). Pride, fear and comfort. Untold millions of people would rather reject faith in God than have to admit they were wrong, than cede to his authority, than step into the unknown, than leave their comfort zone. Rarely do I meet a person whose sole, or even main, reason for disbelief is a genuinely intellectual reason. Usually what happens with an "intellectual doubter" is after searching out his or her questions about God (or "the faith," or "the resurrection," or "the Bible") to the furthest end and seeing that strong reasons remain for believing God, they still don't want to believe or are still emotionally unable to believe. Resolving the intellectual doubts merely cleared away the smokescreen so that the real reasons for disbelief can be addressed. so what is the moral of the story then? I suppose the simplest starting point is to admit that we don't always know ourselves as well as we think we do. Once admitting that we need courage enough to follow the truth wherever it leads. This is a willful commitment, a scary one at that. And following the truth is rarely a straight and narrow path. Then, lastly, we humbly pursue the truth. to put this is brutally painful terms, consider the lonely maiden wanting a husband. There are millions of eligible women, good girls and would-be domestic goddesses/career women (take your pick) with a great work ethic, a gentle spirit, and undying faithfullness ready to be unleashed on a husband. The only problem is they have no good husband material available. For there millions of those women, there are about 12 good guys to choose from. So what do they do? They do what anyone desperate enough does, they settle. I'm not talking about realistic settling, I'm talking about pessimistic settling. I'm not saying they should hold out for prince charming, I'm saying they shouldn't marry the dragon. The truth is, and they know this, they should wait for a good respectable God-fearing and responsible man. However emotional doubt can be very strong ("Being an old maid is the worst thing ever!; No man will ever love me") and it can be well hidden by intellectual doubts ("All the good guys seem to be gay or taken; I really don't have a 'right' or 'deserve' anything better than this?; Hardly anyone 'holds' out for their Mr. Right anymore."). Reasoning with such women does little good. The locus of doubt is emotional, but if not treated it hardens into intellectual and volitional doubt. I know I already "concluded" but perhaps some clarification would help to apply this insight. 1) Treat the doubt according to its kind--intellectual for the intellectual, emotional for the emotional, and persistent prayer for the volitional doubt. 2) Use your doubt--don't run from it, explain it away, or pretend its not real. It need not master you. Rather let it be the insightful question that helps your further along to better answers. 3) Known what you know, and doubt your doubts--if you find that doubt is getting the best of you, remember what you do know. And don't let anyone talk you into unreasonable, baseless, and illicit doubts. In the mean time, question your very questions. Some questions are uncalled for, and you don't have to let them trouble you. Why question whether truth exists? Do you really believe that you can't trust your senses AT ALL? Why question your own existence? If you have no real intellectual reason to doubt your wife's faithfulness, then why worry about it? 4) Emotions are a better follower than leader--when you find that your doubts are more emotional than anything else, treat it with the caution and care you should use with any emotion. Don't let emotion take you on a roller coaster ride. You have great authority over your emotions so don't believe the lie that you have to "follow your heart," or "if I feel it, it must be true." If you can let your emotions inform you but not guide you then you'll find that emotions are a great and helpful support as you pursue truth. 5) Let your intellectual doubts correct your faith--be a life-long learner, ask sensible and responsible questions to correct your faith. When you have good reasons, and the pros outweigh the cons, then you can start extending some faith in that direction, reasonable faith. If you wait for absolute certainty you'll be waiting a while. But if you hold out for high probability, or a good defensible position, then you can start building a worldview and a life. Doubt can be good. Truth is out there and you can know it, so let your doubts be just another avenue to it.