“Many traditional religionists might argue that having “faith” means we may not question established religious doctrine, for the sheer act of doubting what we have been taught to believe is to be considered blasphemous behavior. As this quotation from Fr. Anthony DeMello illustrates, however, that is really not what faith is all about:
“An openness to the truth, no matter what the consequences, no matter where it leads you and when you don’t even know where it’s going to lead you. That’s faith. Not belief, but faith. Your beliefs give you a lot of security, but faith is insecurity. You don’t know. You’re ready to follow and you’re open, you’re wide open! You’re ready to listen.”
This doesn’t mean that you become gullible and immediately accept new information to replace the old, but instead you learn to question everything – new and old – with an open mind. It also is essential for you to understand there is nothing at all irreverent about questioning traditional religious concepts, for even Buddha himself cautioned against blindly embracing his teachings when he said:
“Monks and scholars must not accept my words out of respect,but must analyze them the way that a goldsmith analyzes gold, by cutting, scraping, rubbing, melting.”
In developing your own spiritual philosophy, it is very important that you, too, adopt a similar approach.”
Jeff Maziarek, in “Spirituality Simplified”
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Jeff Maziarek, author of Spirituality Simplified and Codi’s Journey, launched Pondercentral.com in April 2007 as a Web-based forum for “PONDER on THIS,” a series of weekday inspirational email messages he began sending to subscribers in March 1999. A FREE service since its inception, “PONDER on THIS” provides subscribers with meaningful content to assist them on their individual paths of spiritual growth. In addition, it benefits subscribers, authors, and publishers by including links to Amazon.com where subscribers can learn more about the book being quoted, and also purchase it.
Jeff Maziarek, author of Spirituality Simplified and Codi’s Journey, launched Pondercentral.com in April 2007 as a Web-based forum for “PONDER on THIS,” a series of weekday inspirational email messages he began sending to subscribers in March 1999.
