Refresh Page

 

3 Nov 2026

 

Faith And Ambiguity

Believers agree that God is omnipresent in our chaotic, endless universe, and is present in every scenario. But God’s Presence is still difficult to comprehend even for Believers … and this doctrine meaningless to Unbelievers who say “…If God is everywhere, why can't I see Him? Why isn’t He kinder to the poor? Why does He permit suffering?”

• When anyone poses these questions whilst insisting on clarity, he will always be disappointed.


• When anyone demands strict logic ("If this fact is true, then that fact must necessarily follow..."), he will be disappointed.


• When anyone seeks intellectual understanding to resolve the Mystery of God and Creation, he will be disappointed.

T’is true that our striving for knowledge is fundamental and evolutionary, inherent in human nature. Properly controlled, our curiosity leads to civilized advances … yet we also remain drawn to primitive wonder and still seduced by the impulses of our lower nature and its many carnal satisfactions.

So, it should be obvious that the absence of sufficient fact is the constant state of human nature. We are born not to understand and not to control certain aspects of Creation (even though some people seek to control everything and everyone). In fact, we are born into Ambiguity, into a state of not knowing. We are born to embrace a plethora of unknowable realities, born to find contentment not merely in the known - but in the Unknown.

No matter how hard we try, we cannot jam the overwhelming realities of God into the tight, restrictive boxes of deduction or induction. Neither science nor syllogism nor mathematical formulae can ever elicit a satisfied “Aha!!” But despite this, the Mystery of God and Creation are essential to our existence.

The Value Of Ambiguity

Despite human limitations, some Unbelievers still push for logical answers to the Mystery of God. They cannot (or will not) accept the fact that our Unknowing is normal, that our Ambiguity is actually healthy when we speak of the Mystery of Creation, and that our Ambiguity should lead us to Faith’s humble assent.

Ambiguity inspires us (or should) to realize that (1) Mystery is a normal part of life, and (2) that Faith is frequent in daily human affairs. In fact, Ambiguity inspires the Virtue of Faith in many people because Ambiguity is the stuff of our existence.

Given the normal and frequent presence of Mystery in our daily experiences, it seems counter-productive that some Unbelievers still demand God to be transparent to their curiosity.

Ambiguity is, thus, a fitting invitation to the Virtue of Faith in both the Believer and the Unbeliever. Faith affords us Wisdom’s gentle Insight and offers us assent to Mystery’s colossal Ambiguity. Faith thereby offers us the consolation of simplicity as we face the profound and complex Mystery of God.

We Need Evidence

Our human attempts to reason our way to understanding any puzzling mystery always depends on "evidence." But, as you know, human reason is frustrated by every mystery’s lack of sufficient facts and by our own cognitive limitations. What we need is persuasive evidence.

We need evidence to be convinced of anything and everything. But we also forget that evidence of God’s Creator’s power is everywhere around us – and within us. Leaves on trees or the hairs on one’s head attest to the wonders of Creation … wonders of which we humans are entirely incapable.

Experience and History also reveal that we are a fallible race, limited in our ability to understand, slow to improve our condition, slower to grasp the fundamental reality of God … and what that means to us (or should). We mislead ourselves if, without Faith, we expect to be at peace with Creation’s innate Ambiguity.

It is clear, then, that human reason unaided will never suffice in the impenetrable arena of God’s Creation. And, as we point out above, Unbelievers are miffed that no clarity is forthcoming for them. It would behoove the Unbeliever to recognize that Ambiguity is a gift to the human spirit, a spur to Faith and a positive factor in Creation.

Nonetheless, some Unbelievers plunge onward imprudently, without humility and, at times, with ruthless intolerance … as they incautiously disparage the Divine and seek to unearth knowledge which is not to be found by our limited, cranky nature.

Nature And Nature

We know that God has a particular Nature, and we humans have a particular nature. These two natures, Divine and human, are clearly not co-equal. This fact underscores basic truths:

• We do not exist in the same realm as God (although some people think otherwise).


• Our minds are not on the same plane with the mind of God.


• We do not perceive events and people as God does, nor do we think as God thinks.


• Comprehending God's Nature is well beyond our grasp

Unknowing on a massive and life-long scale remains our race's lot and our nature's dowry. Yet some Unbelievers are ceaseless in denial and avoidance of that fact.

And for us who Believe … what are our best options, of many which we may choose?

Our best option is to embrace Faith and pray that we may believe and respond to the plentitude of graces which Faith encourages in us … graces such as Gratitude, Humility and Respect for our state of Unknowing.

Furthermore, let us daily increase our Trust in Christ’s forgiving messages which abound in Creation,

And, despite our weaknesses and failings, let us pursue our constant struggle for Kindness and Goodness in our own lives.