Sunday reflection from our very own made in Ghana ambassador Okyeame kwame

Sunday reflections 

Doubt , is it good or bad ?            

Was what do you mean !!!! an insult in your circles ? (Joke) 

My children know I am dyslexic and “dyscaculus” so if I tell them now that I used to be a straight A student , they would doubt it completely. They might not say it to my face that they cannot believe my story , but they will whisper their disagreements and question their intelligence. Is it wrong for them to doubt that what I am saying is highly improbable? Would I be offended if someone did not believe a statement I made ? 

Classical humanism says that doubt, while uncomfortable, is absolutely essential for life. René Descartes said, “If you would be a real seeker after truth, it is necessary that at least once in your life you doubt, as far as possible, all things.” 

Doubt simply means to lack conviction in something. I doubt that I can run for four days without food , rest and water based on my own judgement. 

What is the psychological nature of doubt ? I think it is a consequence of thought and time (memory) . It is my mind making it’s judgement on what is probable , possible and impossible based on the data available to me . Doubt may restrict an action and cause anxieties but it may also caution a person from taking a deep plunge into making a future mistake. 

So , why is tradition and religion fighting the mere thought of doubt ? Why are my children not free enough to tell me that based on my history , they doubt that I was being honest with my straight A story ? Why am I a sinner if I question some religious stories ? Especially, ones that I find highly improbable. Why am I judged if I openly declare that I doubt a universal loving God who created all humankind will lead the Asantes to kill Fantes in a war ? The same Omniscient, loving God , would love Isreal more than Jericho but later love Jericho when Isreal rejects His Son ? Why can’t I freely think and share these thoughts ? 

Why are doubters ( unbelievers ) considered to be sinners in most religions ? What have we done wrong ? We are only measuring the degree of probability or improbability of an action . How is it offensive? 

I say people must doubt what they want . After all “truth is the object of all enquiry “ Plato was almost right . 

My Questions 

Is it a sin to doubt what you find improbable? 

Is it disrespectful to doubt your elders ? 

What do you think is the reason why , religion and tradition tries to control what we doubt ?