We use doubt as a safety mechanism every day, whether we realize it or not. It’s how we avoid scams, bad decisions, and even physical danger. If someone called you right now, claiming you won a million dollars but just needed your bank info, you’d immediately be skeptical. Why? Because your critical thinking kicks in. You ask questions: Does this make sense? Have I entered a contest? Why would they need my bank info?

Doubt isn’t just useful—it’s necessary. It protects us from harm and deception. So why is it that when it comes to religion, specifically the Bible, doubt is suddenly treated as something bad?

Truth Welcomes Challenges

If something is true, it can withstand scrutiny. Scientists don’t take claims at face value—they test, experiment, and demand evidence. If someone says they have a cure for cancer, no one just takes their word for it. We ask for proof. We expect rigorous testing before we accept it as truth.

Yet, when it comes to the Bible, people are told to just believe. To have “faith”. To not ask “too many questions”. But why? If the Bible is true, shouldn’t it hold up under examination like anything else? Why should it need protection from doubt?

Everyday Doubt: It’s A Survival Tool

We apply doubt and reason to everything in life:

Buying a car – You don’t just take the salesman’s word that it’s a great deal; you check reviews, inspect the engine, and maybe even get a second opinion.

Choosing a babysitter – You don’t leave your child with a stranger just because they say they’re good with kids. You look at references, ask around, and make sure they’re trustworthy.

Reading news – If a headline sounds outrageous, you check sources to see if it’s actually true or just clickbait.

Relationships – If your partner constantly makes excuses for bad behavior, dismisses your concerns, or gaslights you into thinking you’re the problem, ignoring doubt can keep you trapped in a toxic situation. Manipulators rely on blind trust. They don’t want you to question them because if you did, you might see the truth—that they are controlling you, that they aren’t actually changing, that their promises are empty. Doubt in relationships isn’t about being paranoid; it’s about protecting yourself from being used or emotionally drained.


Doubt is Not the Enemy—Blind Faith Is

The truth doesn’t fear doubt. It stands firm against it. If someone tells you to stop questioning, that’s usually a red flag that they don’t have good answers.

So if we use doubt to determine truth in every  other area of life, why shouldn’t we use it with religion? If  God is real and the Bible is truly his word, shouldn’t it be able to withstand scrutiny? Shouldn’t it welcome questions rather than punish them?

Doubt is not a weakness. It is a tool for finding truth. And if the Bible crumbles under doubt, then maybe—just maybe—it was never the truth to begin with.

Sources

Kahneman, D. (2011). Thinking, fast and slow. Farrar, Straus and Giroux.


Forward, S. (2002). Emotional blackmail: When the people in your life use fear, obligation, and guilt to manipulate you. HarperCollins.

Stern, R. (2018). The gaslight effect: How to spot and survive the hidden manipulation others use to control your life. Harmony.


Ehrman, B. D. (2011). Forged: Writing in the name of God—Why the Bible’s authors are not who we think they are. HarperOne.

Loftus, J. W. (2019). The case against miracles. Hypatia Press.