Faith and Doubt | Greg Tonkinson | TEDxGrandCanyonUniversity
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- Опубликовано: 11 апр 2017
- Trusting in a higher power can be tricky, especially when faced with challenges. Having experienced a traumatic event himself, Dr. Tonkinson explores the relationship between faith and doubt.
Dr. Greg Tonkinson has spent much of his adult life teaching in various capacities. Currently, Greg serves as the Spiritual Life Director, Department Chair, and Bible Teacher at Valley Christian High School. Greg holds degrees from Arizona State University, Phoenix Seminary, and Talbot School of Theology, Biola University. In 2010, Tonkinson’s family was devastated when his wife, Leigh Ann, was innocently killed in a car accident coming home from work. In the past six years, Tonkinson has spoken about his loss to several audiences; helping them to navigate the issue of faith through the turbulent streams of doubt, loss and grief.
This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at ted.com/tedx
That’s my dad
I am sorry about my mom, this reminds me of "job" in the torah, and I have nothing positive to say about this ted talk. Considering how many people die on daily basis from in justice and traffic accidents and their families will never have an option to tell their story on a ted talk.
@@indviduation is this meant to be a insult or???
thats so cool
I disagree with him about faith and doubt. I started with questions and doubt and this lead to loss of faith (that a god exists). I'm now an atheist. This is the pathway doubt takes us most of the time. The majority of atheists stay atheist for the rest of their lives.
I’m so sorry you have to endure this pain.
The greatest mercy God has granted me is the understanding that grief for the loss of my loved ones is for me. Their entry to their eternity with Him is the greatest gift, and the one that I am ultimately striving for. I can be thankful for their end to suffering through the pain of this world. I can simultaneously rejoice and grieve. I thank Him for that revelation, that only came through the loss of the one person who I loved more than any other. Rejoice and weep.
I had a similar experience after a sudden death of a loved one. At first it may have been doubt and separation but it eventually turned into my petulant resistance to go back into the fold because I was deeply hurt by His betrayal by killing someone I loved. But God kept coming back to offer His love. After 10years and Jesus persistently reminding that He loved me, my hard heart melted. And now my new found faith is on a firm foundation and based on the persistence of love, even through the trials of life that God offers-among other things.
It's heart breaking to hear your story sir yes with out faith humans are in complete
Nicely shared and concluded. Definitely relatable and examples given where on point. Thanks for sharing something so sensitive and personal. God bless and keep you and yours strong daily with wisdom.🙂👍🏾
I loved this!
We as people tend to do this more than we realize. We believe in a god that is more like Santa Claus, when in reality He is the Almighty, the Sovereign God of the universe. We believe that God is all powerful, and for some reason we think that we, the creature, and force the will of the Creator. Instead of questioning why, we should question what- what am I to learn from this?
GREAT reference to Gethsemane! THANK YOU
Amazing!!
Best message on Ted Talks
Trust !
I live with this feeling everyday that "god" is there, but my sceptical side says he isn't. Belief isn't a feeling that can be enforced it has to be felt. So how do you believe? I look at many religions across the earth and wonder which one is right? What if the religion you have followed all this time is wrong? You are a product of your environment. I wonder sometimes if my thoughts are driven by moral virtues instilled as a child. Or the feelings I have learned stumbling through the journey of life. Who's right?
🎯 Key Takeaways for quick navigation:
03:28 *🤔 Doubting can be a normal experience for people of faith, even for those deeply rooted in their beliefs.*
07:21 *💡 Finding solace in examples of doubt and questioning found in religious texts can help individuals navigate their own doubts about faith.*
09:25 *🌱 While doubt and faith are often intertwined, there's a different perspective suggesting doubt might be a means for individuals to assert control or influence outcomes.*
11:32 *⚖️ Ultimately, individuals facing doubt in their faith must decide whether to continue doubting or to align with the belief in a higher power's control and plan.*
14:12 *🛤️ Doubt, when approached honestly, can paradoxically strengthen one's faith and lead to a deeper understanding of beliefs.*
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This is how I deal with such situation as his. I ask myself the following question. Are you personally responsible for that accident? NO, of course not! Well, someone is ultimately responsible for what happened. Therefore place that grief etc upon them and try and move on. My christian journey would fill a 200 page novel. The things I have been through. I did not give myself those troubles though, so therefore someone else is responsible, and its not me.
jesus loves you!
I am so glad that I am not a religious person. My life is perfect without any mythical being!
As a man of God I want to bring a question to you. Let's say the Bible is false and was made up and your belief in nothing is correct, meaning that my beliefs do not matter in the end and will not affect me. Great that is a win win for both of us. On the other hand lets say the Bible is 100% true. In the end my faith in Jesus throughout my life benefited me in the end while your beliefs fell short. All I'm saying is, it is more logical to believe in something than nothing.
I always liked the bullet proof pope mobil, there's faith in action...
That trend has apparently transcended to the world of church drummers as well.
@@AtomicDiesel4100 lol!
💙
I feel some of those feelings myself. After he took my grandmother, I was angry at him. He took her from me. That's not the only thing. Take what's happening now with this virus, from a religious point of view, he has the power to stop it. But he's not. Would saying he started this virus be wrong? We say God is omnipotent and omnipresent. He knew it would happen, why didn't he stop it? Why is he allowing this to go on? Is this what he wants for his creation? To die before their time?
Well Hinduism says God will treat us like Adults - God created this Universe, this earth & gave you this life. Life's problems are ours to face and solve
Some people cannot handle it - they want an easier life. Religions like Christianity & Islam cater to such people - a Giant Retirement Home in the sky awaits, the easy lazy life of just sitting about doing nothing, a useless existence for eternity
But what these fools don't realize is that they are not in a magic land in the sky but they are right here on earth! They are reborn as Trees or Dogs or other lower life forms
What worries does a Tree Have? none! It sits in one place all its life!
What work does a Dog do? Nothing
Fed, sheltered, protected & cared for by its master - the easy lazy life - Heaven!
Christianity teaches us that partaking in Christ's suffering here on Earth is a privilege. There is no "wanting an easier life" in that. Jesus is the Way and the Truth and the Life. God's wrath is satisfied and the wages of sin are paid by the death and sacrifice of His son Jesus Christ. Wanting to spend eternity with God, with your Creator, is not weakness. It is only natural for the sourced to want to return to the Source. Especially when that relationship with Him exists and you allow it to be the fuel for your life. @@ramaraksha01
I read some blog posts of when I was angry at God and I cringed.
Truth is not opinion and opinion is not truth...
I went through dough too. three coworkers of mine made God's dead jokes, i fought against these jokes but I lost because I couldn't explain how Jesus is the savior. so i left confused. Ended up in a bad relationship. since it was hurtful, i decided to read my bible since he was was being mean and remember it brought me joy years ago. a some point i asked God to show me a sign that Jesus was the savior. my boy friend and i got into a fight and he left. but i was left with the crazy mean things he would tell me. I just wanted those thoughts to leave. I also discover i was now 12 weeks pregnant by him. I also wanted learn how to speak Russian, beautiful language. but I told my daughter in my womb that (Jesus loves you) in Russian at that direct moment she did a somersault in my womb and i knew from there on that Jesus was and is the savior.
😪
You said you had two choices: doubting God's plan, or doing God's plan. How can you do God's plan when no one know a what his plan is?
People embrace gods plans all the time!
Ever read about the time God ordered the destruction of 60 different cities so that the Israelites can live there? He orders the killing of all the men, women, and children of each city, and the looting of all value (Deuteronomy 3).
God sure has thought up some crazy plans!
@@WhiteXXdog Does that mean this god had foresaken those people he ordered killed? How does one even know if God has forsaken them in this life? I'm reminded of the story of Moses here,
All I'm saying is that the God of the bible has had a pretty poor track record when it comes to being morally upstanding and if you want to get philosophical about the always growing list of references I have surrounding that statement, be my guest.
2 Samuel 12:11-14 NAB
Exodus 21:7-11 NLT
Zechariah 14:1-2 NAB
Judges 5:30 NAB
Judges 21:10-24 NLT
Numbers 31:7-18 NLT
Genesis 3:16
Genesis 19:8
Genesis 38:16-24
Exodus 21:3-4
Exodus 21:7
Exodus 21:10
Leviticus 15:19-30
Leviticus 12:1-8
Leviticus 15:19-30
Leviticus 18:19
Leviticus 19:20
Leviticus 21:9
Leviticus 27:3-7
Numbers 1:2
Numbers 30:3-16
Numbers 31: 14-18
Deuteronomy 20:10-14 NAB
Deuteronomy 22:28-29
Deuteronomy 22:23-24
Deuteronomy 20:13-15
Deuteronomy 21:11-14
Deuteronomy 22:5
Deuteronomy 22:13-22
Deuteronomy 22:23-24
Deuteronomy 22:28-29
Deuteronomy 25:11-12
Deuteronomy 25:11-12
And try asking any theist what does one DO in Heaven? Describe a day to me
Pretty soon they realize that this question is not as easy as it looks
First they say they will be working but then what work? What work does the All-mighty need to get done? Is he running factories in the sky, exporting goods to the universe next door?
Now you see the problem
Because if they say there is no work - now you have billions of lazy moochers sponging off God - just sitting about/laying about/snoring away/chatting/floating about
A useless existence for eternity!
Ah, God's Grand Plan!
@@WhiteXXdog And try asking any theist what does one DO in Heaven? Describe a day to me
Pretty soon they realize that this question is not as easy as it looks
First they say they will be working but then what work? What work does the All-mighty need to get done? Is he running factories in the sky, exporting goods to the universe next door?
Now you see the problem
Because if they say there is no work - now you have billions of lazy moochers sponging off God - just sitting about/laying about/snoring away/chatting/floating about
A useless existence for eternity!
Ah, God's Grand Plan!
Check out 'Jesus reveals the truth' for more on biblical Faith
Get delivered develop a personal relationship with Christ the Savior.
John 14:6
If god kills someone, it is the proof of his existence and wisdom. If he doesn't kill someone, it is proof of his existence and wisdom...Ontological problem solved.
There is no proof. Superstition is not a valuable explanation
It's one of those " God can't lose" arguments. It's like... "heads I win, tails you lose". Christianity is full of them.
That’s as logically plausible as saying: ‘If I find a mermaid, they exist. If I don’t find a mermaid, they still exist.’ The only way I could prove the existence of mermaids is to physically find one. And if I wanted to prove that they didn’t exist, then I would have to look in every corner of the world in which they could be and come out empty handed; it’s certainly difficult but not impossible. And yet even so, how can this method be applied to God? God is supposedly an immaterial, infinite being, so how can our mortal, finite methods of finding physical beings apply to a being that is not physical? And how is it that God is supposed to be the supreme of the supreme yet it is conceivable to think that a mortal is capable of understanding this? Surely if we can understand God through our own human reason, he’s not as supreme as believed to be, and if this can come into question, are we really talking about the being which we call God? How do we possess the knowledge or capability to know something that, as the Bible suggests, is perfect and beyond the material level of existence when we ourselves are imperfect and confined to this material plane? Now I’m not saying that God exists, and I’m not saying that he doesn’t (I have no right to do so), but unfortunately, you can’t solve the ontological problem, without first knowing the levels of the problem. :)
@@graceoffer8296 and that was exactly my point. Thanks !
I can't find a good reason to believe in a higher power, (meaning a supreme being). There's just too much wishful thinking that gets in the way of an impartial and objective study. If a god exists I am unable to detect it. I also have a hard time believing a complex form such as a god can preexist without cause or explanation.
socksumi you are misunderstanding what God is... First of all, God is simple, not complex. I know this might sound strange at first, but God is simple in the sense of not having any parts (not that he is easy to understand). There is an actual dogma and theological notion all about that called Divine Simplicity. Understanding Divine Simplicity is key to understanding why God does not need a cause; His very essence is His existence itself, hence why the name is "I AM". God is a necessary being, a being that could not even in principle have failed to exist, it makes no sense to ask a cause for Him as He could not even in principle have failed to exist; He doesn't need a cause in order to be, He just is pure existence. This is what God is supposed to be.
I hope my post doesn't seem like nonsense to you. I strongly, strongly recommend you to read the following books: "Five Proofs of the Existence of God" by Edward Feser; "Who designed the designer?" by Michael Augros, and "Experience of God: Being, Consciousness, Bliss" by David Bentley Hart. Please give these books a try. They will give a lot to think about.
You didn't see the title? Why watch?
@@mordec1016 Are you referring to the god of the bible?
What if one’s definition of God just needs adjusting? What if God is the energy of love that has the capacity to overtake the lower energies of fear, hate, etc.. what if God has no control over the details of sentient life, but is the miraculous energy that creates healing in the midst of life’s tragedies. “Good” and “bad” things happen to us all because we are all human, to expect my life to be free from those experiences would be not only delusional, but would also rob me of the gift of God’s healing power and the personal insight, growth and strength that comes with the healing from tragedy. We are all part of a community of humankind, by going through tragedy I can understand and help others through their own similar journeys. To be excused from that aspect of the human experience would be a dis-service.
How there are only 85 comments on this video
That's my dad too!
God has gave you knowledge,children,food,strength to keep living and i can go on and on about what god have give you in your live,but when god take 1 life in your live your questioning everything? Everything’s god do because of reason that is better for you but you don’t know it.. this life just a test to see how much faith to do you have.. be patient,and im sorry for your loss..
Haniff Razri that’s really insensitive. I’m a Christian myself and the thing that pushes people away from God is people like you who villainise is when we have a crisis of faith. It’s normal to experience doubts like this especially in the world we live in. You’re making it worse by acting like he is in the wrong for feeling this way
"just a test"? "better for you"? - What kind of Got would that be. Certainly, Got ist beyound our understanding, He will make everything perfect in the end. But the end is not yet there. Till then, God suffers with those who suffer. The Christ on the Cross is God on our side.
"God has gave you knowledge,children,food,strength to keep living" How could you possibly know that? How do you know anything you attribute to a god? It's just bold faced assertions.
Religions will always impress me. They can even reverse the concept of doubt and make it a reason for further blind faith.
Doubting is part of life, everyone whose absolutely certain about anything did not think enough or do not consider the knowledge he/she may not have.
But here is different. Your religion requires a whole devotion and trust. The way to go to paradise is not through doubt but through worship and adoration.
Doubt cannot be part of faith therefore in my opinion. Doubt is part of reason, and faith is the antithesis of reason.
LATE The way to paradise is through true relationship with the Lord. It’s humbly confessing and repenting from our wrongdoings and accepting Christ as our savior. It’s living in obedience for Him because He died for all of us. In our walk with Him, we will have doubt, and in this, the word tells us to be real because he knows and understands our needs. And so as we doubt, we humbly seek truth in Him and His word. We aren’t condemned for having logical doubt, we just have to just understand that in our doubt there is answer. It’s trusting something that’s much bigger than ourselves. He really is a good father and will light up a way for us even when we really don’t deserve it (: If you want to discuss I’m here friend, and I trusts but I know it’s not always easy
The only way to heaven, if this is what you mean by paradise, is to accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior. No other way.
I disagree due to the breadth of the topic. In regard to: Is there a God, a savior? Can you make a decision to disagree with your inner doubt and believe that there is God? Can you overcome your natural inclination to doubt, be suspect, & forever be analyzing. Like going: God is real ... no, wait ... I don't believe in God. Sure you can be an agnostic. But why not make a decision? Take a stand. THAT DOES NOT MEAN you can't continue to question & have a healthy level of doubt, or questioning, over the millions of issues surrounding humans, God and the world. In other words, you can believe but still question things about life and God. We DO NOT know it all. Just don't do it the basic questions: Is there a God (higher power)? The answer is yes for me, and I'm not going to waste time debating it for the rest of my natural life. However, I continue to questions all man's versions of the spiritual life.
Ikr?
You said: *"faith is the antithesis of reason."*
Then it is apparent that you do not understand faith. Those outside of Christianity often give an erroneous definition of faith that has been altered to fit within their worldview - they would define it as “blind trust in the absence of evidence,” as Richard Dawkins has once said, but Biblical faith is most certainly not without evidence (Romans 1:19-20). A “blind faith,” a “faith without evidence,” or a “faith in faith” is the definition of fideism, not faith, and although atheists accuse Christians of having this kind of blind faith, that is not, nor has it ever been the kind of faith that the Bible speaks of.
Our English word Faith comes from the Latin word fides, and means “reliability, confidence, loyalty, assurance.” It is a sense of trust between two parties that is built upon evidences that prove that reliability. Fides is always reciprocal and mutual, and implies both privileges and responsibilities on both sides.
The New Testament authors used the Greek word πιστις (pistis) for faith. This word means a conviction of the truth of anything.
Biblical faith is not “believing IN God;” rather, it is “believing God,” (“Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness” - Galatians 3:6) and it is not a “blind faith,” but it is a sense of trust that is built upon an abundance of evidence. It is about living by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God (Deuteronomy 8:3, Matthew 4:4), being assured of the promises in His word because we know Him, and we know who He is.
An intelligent mind has no room for doubt... doubt is the enemy of an intelligent mind...
Professional yapper
That’s kinda that RUclipsrs are ❤
I AM the TRUE Anointed HOLY LORD GOD of EARTH. No I am NOT here to Heal everyone, that is not why I exist, "Who took part in creation of All, KNOWS ALL, and Anointed the Anointed", who Anointed Me, Anointed LORD ERIC EC4. I'm here to bring LAW AND ORDER, due to many criminals that were victimizing many in the Spirit World and As above, So below, and exist elsewhere, and in between, as an Anointed HOLY LORD and Law Giver. Just a few basics, how I exist, and whom I PRAY TOO. And yes, with my knowledge and wisdom, and many individuals that study and know the same type knowledge as I, I can prove I am who am in the Supreme Court of the United States of America, with no magic tricks, a miracle just that I show though proof, I have, and would know this TRUTH with reasonable doubt, all my references and prophecies of the past using many references from many cultural histories, zodiacs, Numerology, multi-cultural Gematria. Holy Holy Holy
Anointed LORD ERIC EC4
2 comments...
Better than people arguing, trying to one up another with constant arguements between if God is real. I've been watching other Ted Talks about religion and God ( because of my existential dread) and I feel a bit enlightened... but then I go down to the comments and see people playing "my horse is bigger than your horse" about science and religion instead of talking about whether science CAN walk hand-in-hand with religion? I mean, who are we to say they can't compliment or inspire each other to seek the higher truth out there?
@@tangytablets5150 thank you.