Q&A: Psychological Difficulty in Investigating Faith
Psychological Difficulty in Investigating Faith
Question
Hello Rabbi,
First of all, I need to ask forgiveness, because I know this is not your field, but since the Rabbi deals a lot with matters of God and faith, I thought it appropriate to try asking you.
I am experiencing a very serious dissonance. On the one hand, there is the desire to be a thinking, philosophical, curious person who forms positions by his own power. On the other hand, I am dealing with something that until yesterday I would have called a fear of inquiry, but today it seems to me it is already more like anxiety. Yesterday, after I came across Hume's critique of the argument from testimony, I had a small anxiety attack. All this time I had assumed the revelation at Mount Sinai as a foundational premise, and suddenly it became clear to me how arbitrary it is and how little basis I really have, and now I feel that I have serious doubt in faith and that I need to begin investigating from a deeper starting point. I keep putting off the learning, whether because of fear or because of perfectionism. In recent months I felt that I was not afraid to investigate, and that even if I reached the conclusion that I have no reason to keep the commandments, then fine. But yesterday during the attack I felt cold, and as if a pit were opening up under my feet ("If the Torah was not given to us, then what is the meaning at all? Why am I living?")—definitely a feeling I was not prepared for.
I am trying to recover from it. But I would like to hear from the Rabbi whether he knows of, has heard of, or has experienced something similar, and what from a logical standpoint one can and should do (investigate, not investigate, wait with it), how one can deal with fear of the bubble I live in bursting, how one can reconcile my new doubt and the conclusions that follow in a more emotionally whole way. And I know there is a bit of psychology here, and truly, forgive me, I just really feel that I need to ask someone this, so if the Rabbi can try to say something helpful, I would be glad,
Answer
This is not "a bit of psychology" but psychology. It's not my field. In my opinion, it is always appropriate to investigate and reach independent conclusions of your own without fear of anything (but responsibly and through genuine clarification). If there are fears, one should overcome them. When it gets to anxieties, it is advisable to consult a psychologist.
David,
The question is whether this was literally an anxiety attack, or a metaphor.
If this is a kind of general fear of the "bubble bursting," I would personally recommend waiting a bit until the questions no longer arouse fear. Psychologically, that simply happens over time, and then you can investigate and examine answers. If the answers are given in the midst of the emotional "storm" of fear caused by the question, the answer may "feel" like an excuse rather than a real answer, even if it actually is one—and all this because of the emotional "fear" that the question arouses.
That is my humble view.
Wishing you great success!
I can tell you that after a genuine investigation of the truth (I highly recommend Rabbi Michi's lectures and books), there is a reasonable possibility that in certain respects your faith will actually become much more solid than it was before these doubts began to awaken in you.