FAITH AND THE SKEPTIC

The skeptic is someone who says, "I'm going to suspend judgment. I'm not going to commit myself, because the demand for sufficient evidence has not yet been met." This reasoning may sound objective or rational, but the dynamic that is going on underneath the surface in the skeptic is this: "I don't want to be wrong. I don't want to be hurt. I don't want to look like I'm one of the gullible ones." Underneath the surface of the skeptic is fear -- fear of being disappointed. The skeptic says, "I would rather stand on the sidelines and look like an intelligent observer than risk trusting. I will forgo all that might come with that trust."

My favorite story about a skeptic takes place back in the time of the French Revolution, during the "Reign of Terror." People were being executed right and left. Three men were waiting to be executed. The first one was a priest. As he was brought to the guillotine, he was asked, "Do you have any last words?" He answered, "I believe God is going to save me." He put his head into place, the blade came down, and it stopped two inches from his neck. The executioners said, "This is a miracle," and they let him go.

The next man came up. He, too, was a priest. The executioners asked him, "Do you have any last words?" "I believe God is going to save me," he said. They put him in the block, the blade came down, and it stopped two inches from his neck. They said, "This is a miracle," and they let him go.

The third man came up. He was a skeptic and an atheist. He did not want to be associated with believers. The executioners asked him, "Do you have any last words?" Looking at the guillotine, he said, "Well, I think I see your problem. There's something jammed in the gear mechanism."

Skeptics would rather, even at their own expense, appear to be right than take the risk of trusting.

-- John Ortberg in Faith & Doubt


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