Is questioning one's faith inevitable?

I trust that "The unexamined life is not worth living" (Socrates).

Personally, when I question my faith, it eventually becomes more strong, for I slice off layers of illusions which burden it. Until I have started questioning my faith, I could not seriously rely on it. Could not keep confidence in harder situations.

At the core of my faith lies experience, so I don't fear to lose it.

Goken wrote: I wouldn't say that it is inevitable for everyone. There are plenty of people who go their entire lives with unshaking faith in their chosen religion. It is my opinion that those people may have led sheltered lives, however.

I'm not saying that I think everyone should switch faiths at one point in their lives, just that everyone should ask themselves why they believe what they believe. If the answers tell them to stay with their original faith, great, if they feel the need to search for another faith, also great. Also, the answers they get don't have to make sense to anyone but themselves.

This is how I feel at the moment. I grew up Christian, but lately, as I read and study the Bible, I find myself growing more and more distant. I have friends who have gone to seminary school with what appeared to be unshakable faith. They had always been so strong in their beliefs and would die for them...but after 2 or 3 years of seminary, they left rejecting their faith. The more they studied, the more flaws they found in the religion and in the book. They now stand 100% by what they see and 0% by faith in an invisible man who controls everything.

I grew up being told what to believe, without trying to see if I really do believe it. Now that Jediism has taught me to open my mind, i'm thinking for myself and seeing that maybe I really don't believe the things I was taught to believe in. I only believe them because I was brought up being told they are true and that they should not be questioned. Seems a lot like mind control to me. "You must believe in me and not question me. I love you, and you are mine, but if you question me I will send you into eternal darkness." Yeah...sounds like a great thing to be a part of, lol.

"Trust in the Lord with all thine heart, and lean not unto thine own understanding" (Proverbs, 3:5)
"... perhaps you hate a thing and it is good for you; and perhaps you love a thing and it is bad for you. And Allah Knows, while you know not." (Qur'an, 2:216)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fi8kYcl2Y38
It is not that there were no ideas engrained in me during childhood whatsoever, but I dare assert being privileged in that I was not indoctrinated into any traditional religion, well-meaning though parents who do this to their young may be. As a result, by the time I was presented these ideas in any depth, appealing as though some were to different extents to my untrained mind, still none of them caught on in the long run. I have not lost one night's sleep over what will happen to me after I die an unbeliever; yet, in a way, I feel no gratitude for that.
Now, on the flip side, of course, there is no doctrine that can protect me from or inform me of all the others either. I will never say that I know Judaism got it wrong because Hinduism got it right or that Christianity got it wrong because Jediism taught me something else. This sort of shortcut is as unwanted as it is unavailable to me.

Thank you for this question Edan, i myself question everything so also my believe in things, i look over my motivations and see if what i believe is in line with being a good person, as long as my faith is in the good mindset i am ok but if things are asked of me that i cant rhime with the way i see the world i do question that , i find it good for my growth

Edan wrote: As the title says, is it inevitable that one will eventually come to question their faith?

I know that we've had some 'discussions' regarding the definition of faith, so I'm going to give a rough definition of what I mean. For this thread, when I am talking about faith, I mean someone's religious or spiritual beliefs.

Given the number of people that join this forum even if they don't participate (roughly 100 a month), I would suggest the answer may be yes.

I do think that questioning one's beliefs, if only briefly, can actually be a good thing, because it can serve as a reminder why we do believe. Or if not, lead in a new direction.