The brighter side of doubt
SECOND PART

I asked them why they wanted such a subject and one answered: "Pastor, we are all cramming for our final exams, and we want to know exactly what to expect." They were urging me to tell the details of life beyond the grave. But I told them, "No one knows exactly: there has to be room for faith, as there is room for doubt."

The Apostle Paul who is Christianity's greatest theologian has said the truth for us: "Now we can only know religious truth partially, for we can only see through a glass darkly, we can only discern baffling reflections in a mirror." Because of this we are often perplexed and uncertain. And this is not bad at all. Unamuno, the famous Spanish philosopher and poet, often questioned whether faith could be faith at all if it lacked the quality of doubt. For to claim to know everything about God would reduce the eternal to the dimensions of human insights. So let us move on to what Lord Tennyson meant when he said, "There is a sunnier side to doubt than in half the creeds."

Now in our linkage with Thomas as our Twin, there is something especially remarkable about doubt: the element of honest doubt could be an open door to greater certainty. To be sure, there are negative and dishonest doubts-those born stubborn prejudice, dull incompetence, sheer ignorance. Someone says that this kind of doubt "poisons the roots of life and sours the soil of living." And he goes on to say that: Truth never need be afraid of light. The more light you let loose upon it, the more beautiful it becomes. Sunlight falling upon a dead log will increase the process of decay but sunlight falling upon a living tree enhances its beauty and strength.

This is true in the field of medical science. Did you know that many tears ago the cure for fever was bleeding the patient? And many died because the higher the fever the more bleeding-until some bled to death. The honest doubt of medical scientists of such a practice led to the discovery of anti-biotics which has saved millions.

This is true in the field of human love. True in the field of theology. Jesus said to his disciples that soon he would be going away, and that his disciples would follow him afterwards. One of them, Thomas, is not quite satisfied with Jesus' words. He says, "Lord, we do not know where you are going; how can we know the way?" And this word of doubt of a disciple elicits from Jesus one of his greatest pronouncements: "I am the way, the truth and the life; no one comes to the Father except through me." TO BE CONTINUED

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