"When we are threatened, we tend to manhandle those truths." Well said!
I, too, was raised in a religion built on absolutes (Mormonism for me). And letting go of them into the real flow of nuance was the best thing I ever did for myself.
This is why I love my Lutheran church — the one whose pastor affirmed that I still had a place there even when I was becoming Buddhist. Lutherans (at least the ELCA variety) hold room for doubt, and in fact, consider it almost a necessity. I wish more traditions did! I wrote about this a couple years ago at https://louisejulig.substack.com/p/in-praise-of-doubt
I never miss reading a post of yours in my email, but for some reason I don't come on to Substack much to comment! (Same with yours, Holly!!) But here I am now, lol. My husband and I were just talking about this last night -- about the power and the privilege of saying "I don't know." He'd been studying philosophy and I'd been studying poetry and we'd both come to similar conclusions about how we can get so much further if we can find humility and explore the unknown.
But what a kind, compassionate, and accurate (I think!) reframe to remember that it is out of fear and desperation that we tend to cling to certainty. It is indeed a privilege to be able to tolerate uncertainty! Thank you so much for your work, your thoughtfulness, and your writing.
I’m not sure how you and Pete Enns are using the word “certainty” but the way you use it makes sense to me if I assume it’s based in arrogance and fear. And if that’s true, I agree.
What I’m wresting with is how much God expects us to know anything. If knowing were on a 1-100 continuum, where is a healthy range? Just as certainty can be based in fear, I think there’s a temptation to cling to uncertainty out of fear.
One other nugget from your post that I want to be part of a discussion group to talk about is whether mystery or knowledge is at the center of reality for us. Even talking about nuanced topics, I strive to understand the topic more over time, but I’ve not considered maybe deeper understanding isn’t a good goal. But maybe it is. (???)
The only certainty in life is uncertainty. We just can't know it all and we can never be truly certain about anything. That's life and it's so difficult to navigate because I think we all crave that stability and certainty. Loved reading this ❤️
This was all so moving to me. Especially “Fear is what causes most people to double down on certainty, to lose all interest in questions and curiosity.”
Brilliant, as always, and I agree with your perspective. By the way, do you know the work of Richard Rohr? He is a Franciscan friar who embraces mysticism and paradox—and he founded a beautiful organization in the New Mexican desert called the Center for Action & Contemplation.
"When we are threatened, we tend to manhandle those truths." Well said!
I, too, was raised in a religion built on absolutes (Mormonism for me). And letting go of them into the real flow of nuance was the best thing I ever did for myself.
Great post. So much wisdom here.
I think we have a lot in common. ;)
Yassss!
This is why I love my Lutheran church — the one whose pastor affirmed that I still had a place there even when I was becoming Buddhist. Lutherans (at least the ELCA variety) hold room for doubt, and in fact, consider it almost a necessity. I wish more traditions did! I wrote about this a couple years ago at https://louisejulig.substack.com/p/in-praise-of-doubt
I think I could be a Lutheran!
They really do have a lot going for them. My Lutheran church marches in Pride every year and that makes me all kinds of happy. Here's another one about that if you're interested. https://louisejulig.substack.com/p/its-okay-to-grieve-its-okay-to-feel
I never miss reading a post of yours in my email, but for some reason I don't come on to Substack much to comment! (Same with yours, Holly!!) But here I am now, lol. My husband and I were just talking about this last night -- about the power and the privilege of saying "I don't know." He'd been studying philosophy and I'd been studying poetry and we'd both come to similar conclusions about how we can get so much further if we can find humility and explore the unknown.
But what a kind, compassionate, and accurate (I think!) reframe to remember that it is out of fear and desperation that we tend to cling to certainty. It is indeed a privilege to be able to tolerate uncertainty! Thank you so much for your work, your thoughtfulness, and your writing.
I was just thinking about you yesterday! Thanks for coming back to comment! 🥰
Loved your Craft Talk too, especially the part about asking questions :)
I’m not sure how you and Pete Enns are using the word “certainty” but the way you use it makes sense to me if I assume it’s based in arrogance and fear. And if that’s true, I agree.
What I’m wresting with is how much God expects us to know anything. If knowing were on a 1-100 continuum, where is a healthy range? Just as certainty can be based in fear, I think there’s a temptation to cling to uncertainty out of fear.
One other nugget from your post that I want to be part of a discussion group to talk about is whether mystery or knowledge is at the center of reality for us. Even talking about nuanced topics, I strive to understand the topic more over time, but I’ve not considered maybe deeper understanding isn’t a good goal. But maybe it is. (???)
The only certainty in life is uncertainty. We just can't know it all and we can never be truly certain about anything. That's life and it's so difficult to navigate because I think we all crave that stability and certainty. Loved reading this ❤️
Thanks Lindsey. This is smart and bold, and also reassuring.
This was all so moving to me. Especially “Fear is what causes most people to double down on certainty, to lose all interest in questions and curiosity.”
Brilliant, as always, and I agree with your perspective. By the way, do you know the work of Richard Rohr? He is a Franciscan friar who embraces mysticism and paradox—and he founded a beautiful organization in the New Mexican desert called the Center for Action & Contemplation.
Richard Rohr singlehandedly saved my faith.