September 16

Doubt does not destroy faith, it strengthens it.

1

I do not take it upon myself to draw the undrawable line between God and us. The decisions of the will are, undoubtedly, our own, but in the higher sphere, in the sphere of free thought and feeling, it is impossible not to recognize his presence. All that is deepest in us is only his reflection.

He constantly inspires us and never ceases to act through us, as long as we agree to desire and do what he wants. He assists our moral efforts, supports us in truth, accepts our cooperation in the battle with evil, and reveals to us a multitude of things too beautiful to express in words.

But he will leave us at the slightest infidelity.

— Martineau

2

Unbelief does not consist in whether or not a person believes, but in a person’s professing to believe that which he does not.

— Martineau

3

There are moments when you stop believing in the life of the spirit.

This is not unbelief, this is a period of belief in corporeal life.

Someone who understands that his life is spiritual suddenly begins to fear death. This always happens when he is confused by something and again begins to believe in the existence of corporeal life, in the same way that you can forget yourself in a theater and believe that what you are seeing on the stage is actually happening, and be frightened by it.

The same thing happens in life.

But in those moments of illusion, a religious person knows that what is happening in his corporeal life cannot deprive him of the good of his true life.

In periods of low spirits you must treat yourself as though you were sick—keep still.

4

The wise can afford to doubt in his wisest moment. The easiness of doubt is the ground of his assurance. Faith keeps many doubts in her pay. If I could not doubt, I should not believe.

— Thoreau

It is not the one who doubts God’s existence and suffers from this doubt who is far from God, but the one who believed the first thing he heard about the existence or non-existence of God, and does not doubt what he was told.