Something in us wants to belong. But something in us also wants to be free, to be authentic, to be the truest, most genuine version of ourselves that we can be. Those two desires can be in tension.
Something in us wants to be honest. But something in us also wants to be liked by those around us. And those two desires can be in tension.
Something in us wants to be good. But something in us also wants to be thought of as good by others. And those two desires are often in tension.
Something in us wants to be consistent. But something in us also wants to keep growing, and growing often means changing. So those two desires often conflict.
When enough conflicting desires wrestle within us, the faith crisis becomes an identity crisis. With so much to lose, we face the temptation to trade away our integrity and honesty for the security of belonging. If we do, our good faith decomposes into bad faith and we become stagnant and divided persons, wearing masks and hiding secrets.
From “Faith After Doubt: Why Your Beliefs Stopped Working and What To Do About It” by Brian McLaren