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Claiming something unreasonable by pulling out a word like faith does not make anything truth and does disservice to such meaningful words.
Once an angry student approached his professor. "I am angry at you." "Why?" "Because you are asking me to question beliefs I hold dear." "What is wrong with that?" "Because they are true!" "Alright, if you can paint a sow with the word "cow" and it will make the sow a cow, I will admit that your calling something true must make it so."
There are some tests to apply to truth claims. I will only present one. Has this that I believe proven, over time, to be helpful or harmful to others? We need to question any belief that relegates a large portion of humankind to be “outsiders” and a few to be “insiders.”
I recommend the movie “The Third Miracle.” In this 1999 movie, Ed Harris plays Father Frank Shore. He investigates, as a priest of the Catholic Church, claims of miracles and, also, whether someone should be accepted as a saint. The movie is the best film I have seen on the dynamics of faith and human reason. Ed Harris plays a splendid role as a priest who once found it easy to believe, but, now, has serous doubts about the faith. However, Father Frank Shore continues to fulfill his priestly role, not allowing his sincere doubts to deter him from fulfilling his vows and not allowing his wish for certainty to lead him to lie about his honest questions, even though his best friend, a priest, affirms he has never had any doubts since becoming a priest. In this movie there is much to consider on what it means to be faithful and have faith, without giving in to the credulity of many or the cynicism of many others.
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Finally, I am, for some reason, a natural skeptic. I did not choose to be. I have even tried not to be. I was surprised to find out that I am. And, I pray that I would quit the Ministry and leave the institutional Church before I forfeit that divinely given gift of faithful skepticism. I mean, I cannot just simply believe with the apparent ease that some of my friends have and do. That does not make them right or wrong, or me right or wrong. Much of what I believe remains open. That is, I come to the best conclusion. Sometimes, I end up affirming a belief I do not understand, but it is not because I have not subjected such to scrutiny. As a pastor and professor, I have endured much criticism over the years, and quite a bit of pure meanness, from persons who are uncomfortable with such faithful skepticism. I have been called “liberal,” when I know I am not a “liberal,” and I have been told, bluntly, that I am going to hell. I do not regret that. In fact, I feel sad for persons who seem to have a “God” that seems not big enough to handle honest doubt.
No, faith to me is most seen in a man like Father Frank Shore, and I hope in a man like Brian Wilcox, also. For me, there is a faithful skepticism. Likewise, there is an unfaithful faith. I choose the former, for I believe it is the way of higher integrity, honor, and reflects best the responsibility imparted to me from my Creator to use the common sense given me.
Likewise, my father, Theo, modeled such honesty to me, even though he and I often do not agree on religion. Nevertheless, I inherited from him a priority on integrity, both moral and intellectual. Remembering his example has helped me accept and remain firm under many situations of criticism. Religion can be very harsh toward its own who do not tow the line. But, after all, in Easter, are we not celebrating the Life of someone who never placed priority on towing the line?
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