Archbishop of Canterbury admits doubts about existence of God

[unhappycamper]

http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2014/09/archbishop-of-canterbury-admits-doubts-about-existence-of-god/



Justin Welby tells BBC radio interviewer there are moments when he doubts – but he is certain about the existence of Jesus

Archbishop of Canterbury admits doubts about existence of God
Matthew Weaver, The Guardian
18 Sep 2014

The archbishop of Canterbury has admitted to having doubts about the existence of God and disclosed that on a recent morning jog with his dog he questioned why the Almighty had failed to intervene to prevent an injustice.

In a light-hearted but personal interview in front of hundreds of people in Bristol cathedral last weekend, Justin Welby said: “There are moments, sure, where you think ‘Is there a God? Where is God?’.

Welby quickly added that as the leader of the world’s 80 million-strong Anglican community this was “probably not what the Archbishop of Canterbury should say”.

Earlier, the interviewer, BBC Bristol’s Lucy Tegg, reminded him of the weight his words carried. “You have a remarkably prominent role within the faith community around the world,” Tegg said. “I’ve noticed,” Welby quipped.

[cbayer]

1. I think many believers doubt, and that's a good thing.

I am glad he was able to be honest and human about it.

[TexasProgresive]

2. Mark 9: 24b

“I do believe, help my unbelief!”

Faith is not unquestioning belief.

[cbayer]

3. I am more concerned with those that say they never have doubt

than anyone who acknowledges that they do.

Doubt is what drives us to look more closely, explore more deeply. And that applies to everything, not just religion.

[TexasProgresive]

4. Agreed

I can remember arguments we had as kids about the properties of light. There were 2 sides, light is waves and light are particles ( can't figure out the correct syntax, sorry). Some where I became aware that these ideas are not absolute but are models that explain certain aspects of light. I came to accept there is little that one can be certain of. The only downside in accepting that I will not know everything absolutely is that I mistrust the wisdom of those who are dogmatic in their beliefs. Those who are agnostic theists and atheists are much easier to take. I have difficulty taking seriously radicalized theists and atheists.

Back to Catholic school education. A priest teaching us in religion class said that the Christians may have been persecuted harshly by the Romans because of their adamant insistence that they were right and everyone else was wrong. The Roman empire was for the most part extremely tolerant of all kinds of religion. Could be, seems reasonable.

[cbayer]

5. Great points. I have sometimes pointed out that it requires

faith for most people to believe what is "known" about physics and cosmology and so many other things. While I can grasp some basic concepts, I have to suspend my need to truly understand at some point and take it on faith that the people that say they understand this aren't just pulling the wool over my eyes.

Like you, when it comes to religion, I have the most difficulty with those that say they "know", that they have the right answer, that anyone who doesn't see it like they do is wrong.

I'm not sure about the Christian/Roman issue, though. I have been in the state of Lazio for the last three months. As best I can tell, the Roman/church problems were all about money, land and power. Both groups were fairly absolute in their determination to control the area.

But they made an agreement at some point, and that is a wonderful thing.

[TexasProgresive]

6. I think his theory was

that some of the early Christians were insufferable boors. I doubt that he had any real proof just a hunch based on some modern "Christians".

[cbayer]

7. Christianity has certainly had it's share of insufferable boors!

[trotsky]

10. I can think of one who posted here for awhile.

Said something about no one wanting to live in a society that wasn't based on a religious ethical foundation. What a boor.

[LiberalAndProud]

8. Is faith the device people use to quell all doubt?

[TexasProgresive]

9. When I was very young (8 or 9) I knew everything.

At least I thought I did. As time went on I acquired a bit of wisdom that:
1. I don't know everything.
2. and if I did, nobody wants to hear it.
By the time I was 40 I was exposed to Byzantine Christianity. The Orthodox and Eastern Rite Catholics are not particularly caught up in engraving doctrine on granite but rather in the mysteries of life and the spirit. This is where my faith is-I don't have sense i.e. physical, of God. I believe in God and that God is ineffable. This is not to say that I have doubts but I have a firm belief that I don't really know much of anything and that neither does much of humanity. We have glimpses into the mystery but can never get the whole picture because it is too immense.

The Latin root of the word science translates as knowledge, yet science is more about questions than knowledge. Every question answered by science opens up more and newer questions. The same is true about faith. We are always examining the tip of an immense iceberg. I think that is just great. If we have all the answers then:

Is that all there is, is that all there is
If that's all there is my friends, then let's keep dancing

I know what you must be saying to yourselves,
if that's the way she feels about it why doesn't she just end it all?
Oh, no, not me. I'm in no hurry for that final disappointment,
for I know just as well as I'm standing here talking to you,
when that final moment comes and I'm breathing my lst breath, I'll be saying to myself


Is that all there is, is that all there is
If that's all there is my friends, then let's keep dancing
Let's break out the booze and have a ball
If that's all there is
--Peggy Lee

Or in other words-let's eat, drink and be merry for tomorrow we die.

[LiberalAndProud]

15. You have described the nature of your belief.

Is that correct? Is that what you mean by faith?

[rug]

11. The root of faith is doubt.

[cbayer]

12. Very well put, rug.

[LiberalAndProud]

14. How is that different from the question I asked upthread?

http://www.democraticunderground.com/1218153317#post8

[rug]

16. It's more elegant.

[LiberalAndProud]

17. lol

gotcha

[mr blur]

13. But he's an English C of E Archbishop -

nobody expects him to actually believe in God.

[Warren Stupidity]

18. He gets to wear funny hats, isn't that enough?