Published On:Thursday, September 02, 2010

By JEFFARAH GIBSON

Tribune Features Writer

DOES God really exist? What if the notion of the Holy trilogy and Christianity is just a conspiracy?

Is everything outlined in the Bible true? What if the Bible is a make believe book based solely on someone's imagination?

There comes a point in every Christian's life when they begin to question their faith and the very existence of the creator. This uncertainty is a normal process Christians, trying to reach new heights in their spiritual lives, go through.

The good news however, is that this doubt can spawn positive results for the believer, opening doors for research and a deeper commitment.

Tribune Religion spoke to Father Tom Brislin, priest at Holy Cross who said that questioning your faith can actually be a good thing.

"There is nothing wrong with feeling doubtful at times. Everyone goes through that point where they wonder about their faith. Questioning your faith can actually be a positive thing. What it really means is that you are thinking about it. Some people may feel bad about this but they should never feel bad because everyone experiences this at some point in their lives," he explained.

When in doubt, Father Brislin said the first thing the believer should do is humble himself or herself and fall on their knees to God in prayer. He said Christians should spend time talking to God and let Him know the challenges they have been facing and ask Him to strengthen their faith.

"If a person prays about their doubt then overcoming it becomes easier. They should pray about it everyday and ask God to remove the uncertainty from their lives. Then the next thing they would want to do is to begin studying the word of God. It helps a lot," he said.

Searching God's words for comfort and confidence can lead to discovering new things about faith and building a stronger bond with Christ he said.

Additionally finding confidence in people and talking to others who are strong followers of the faith is an added boost. "When a Christian surrounds themselves with others who share the same views they begin to overcome the doubt and their faith is restored."

James Curry* a strong follower of the Christian faith shared with Tribune Religion how he got back on track when he questioned his faith. "There was a lot happening in my life at the time. And at that time I would pray and I felt that God forgot about me when there was no answer. I began to question his existence because He didn't answer my prayer when I wanted Him to. But I soon realised that God works on His time and He will do what he wants to do when he is ready to," he said.

"Even though you have doubt, eventually time by time the believer will realise that there is someone out there greater than themselves. And there are always things that He allows to happen in your life that lets one know that He is still there."

He said the worst thing any Christian can do when their faith is being challenged is pull away from God.

"I think that when a person finds themselves questioning God the worst thing they can do is completely stray away. In life Christians must be strong and if they find themselves doubting God they should not pull away."

He added that it is very important that Christians never surround themselves with non believers.

"It can cause them to withdraw from other Christians. At that time I felt like it was me operating my own life and I just felt like He wasn't there. When you start doubting God you tend to try to find the answers within yourself. You try to solve your own problems. Don't look for answers in other religions, look to God and his word," he said.

* Name has been changed.