Our Desire For Certainty

A friend of mine, who had been retrenched from his work, responded with some revealing words: “I wish things were just a little more certain,” he said. I think we all identify with that – I certainly do. Is there not a place of deep uncertainty in us all, out of which words like these come? Sadly, religious fundamentalism sees this as vulnerability and exploits it through its frozen and legalistic approach. It reduces mystery, freedom and creativity by removing “uncertainty” and replacing it with “safe predictability” which it calls faith. Tragically, by doing this, it welds our lives and our world closed and slowly begins to apply its conforming power.

Naturally, in such a system it doesn’t take long to find out that doubt is always labeled an enemy, and if it dares to lead in to a rethinking of our faith, it’s pronounced devilish. Does that then mean that all forms of certainty are problematic? Certainly not (excuse the pun). For instance, at the heart of all living, the certainty of being loved needs to be experienced for life to flourish; also, certainty in the integrity of our interactions with others is essential, if our communities are to become places of trust and reliance. Sound spirituality will always nurture the capacity to discern between realistic and unrealistic certainty. It will perceive healthy moments of doubt as being filled with immense potential for new insight. Paul Tillich once said: “The courage to be is rooted in the God who appears when god has disappeared in the anxiety of doubt.”

Much of the shallowness in religion, which fundamentalism perpetuates, is related to an inability to manage and negotiate seasons of doubt. In these circles doubt always seems to be experienced as threat. For this reason, one of the great gifts we can give to each other is space for the vocalization of our doubts. Together, in the accepting and engaging spirit of this space, we are able to struggle with integrity in the discovery of new insight and truth.

Our world is open and free, not encrusted with certainty. It’s out of the gift of uncertainty that the material for life comes. As life-artists, filled with the Divine Spirit, every one of us is free to create and build in the looseness of uncertainty. This can be extremely scary, but deeply fulfilling.

To breath the air of uncertainty is to live. It’s the very soil out of which the shoots of surprise sprout. Jesus knew it, that’s why he said to Thomas who came looking for certainty: “Do you believe because you see me? How happy are those who believe without seeing me!”