Doubt in faith important for maturity but not necessary for belief

Can you have faith without doubt? This is a question asked by 73 year old Lesley Hazleton, who is an agnostic Jews that wrote a biography on the life of Muhammad. Her argument was the doubt without faith turns into only conviction, which in turn leads to prideful fundamentalists. However, I believe that doubt is not essential for faith, but can be responsible for maturing it.

Hazelton believed that faith cannot exist without doubt, but I believe children and ignorant people are both great examples of the opposite. From my experiences babysitting and volunteering in my church nursery, I have found that children can be quite stubborn. They just cannot share that blue ball, refuse to abandon their nightly routine, or stick with their beliefs about a supernatural being. If given reason why God does not exist, they will still stick with the right answer. Some might see this as not being faithful, but Jesus said “anyone who doesn’t receive the kingdom of God like a child will never enter it,” (Mark 10:15, NLT). So by having the stubborn and trusting faith of a child, you will receive God. Ignorant people are also like this. They may be close minded to other faiths or thoughts, but lack of knowledge does not mean lack of faith. Education or no education, belief in Jesus means they are Christian and have faith.

Although faith can stand without doubt, doubt is a way for a heart to mature. I have seen this in my own life. Before taking Honors Intro to World Religions, I was pretty set in my beliefs. Jesus, the Holy Spirit, God, and the bible were all true. But by going through this class and learning more about my faith and others, I have encountered much doubt. There was one packet in the Christianity unit that made the argument that the bible was mistranslated, misunderstood, and different doctrines were never in it originally. Or seeing the Judaism and Islamic faith regarding Christ as only a good teacher and nothing more. This has made me question the beliefs I have always held. So, I researched it using the bible, the internet, and “Mere Christianity” by C. S. Lewis. I found some facts backing my beliefs and others invalidating them, but ultimately it came to faith. I realized that there was only so much I could prove before making a choice. I made the choice to believe, and I still make that choice every day. But through this class I have seen my faith grow. I now have evidence that I can verbalize to back some of my points, and my experience to back the others. I do miss the innocent faith without doubt that I had before, but my faith with questions has resulted in so much growth with me as a person and how my beliefs impact my life.

So, I think that doubt is important for maturity, but not essential. What do you believe?