Edited by Jim McCrory, Thursday 27 November 2025 at 20:47
Why Is It Wise to Question Your Religion?
Have you become tired of dancing to the tune of thoughts of men and human traditions that contradict? The people in Jesus’ day felt like that; always striving and feeling they would never please God because of the psychological impact of being in the power of humans. Jesus said, "For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” This was because the Pharisees of his day put heavy burdens on the flock.
Questioning one’s religion can feel unsettling, especially when that faith has shaped your home, your community, and the people you trust. Also, you may think that you are disappointing God by showing a lack of faith. This is not talking about leaving God.
When a belief system surrounds you from childhood, it can seem unquestionable simply because it is familiar. Yet familiarity alone does not determine truth, and wisdom often begins where honest inquiry is allowed to flourish. I speak from a place of personal experience.
Many traditions include members who are highly educated including doctors, lawyers, leaders, and thinkers. Their presence within a religion may be impressive, but it doesn’t confirm the truth of the belief system itself. Every faith has brilliant followers, and they cannot all be true. That reality invites us to look beyond credentials and consider the foundations of what we believe.
Proverbs 15:1 teaches, “A simple man believes everything, but the prudent man carefully considers his ways.” This itself encourages thoughtful reflection. This is not an invitation to cynicism but to maturity; an openness to examine claims, practices, and teachings with a clear and honest mind. Critical thinking strengthens faith when it is true and exposes weaknesses when something is mistaken or misleading.
To reflect deeply on your beliefs is to honour integrity. It creates space for genuine conviction rather than inherited assumptions. Ask yourself, "What happens if I leave my religion?" Will you be shunned, ignored, treated as an outsider despite your love for God? This is a red flag. Asking such questions safeguards you from being misled. Psalm 124 speaks of snares set along the path, reminding us that not every voice is trustworthy and not every tradition is grounded in truth. Yet it also promises that there is always a path to freedom.
Literature, conversation, and study can serve as tools that help us recognize that path—giving us language, insight, and imagination to escape what traps the mind and heart.
To question your religion is not an act of rebellion but a pursuit of clarity. It allows you to claim your beliefs as your own, not because they were given to you, but because they have been examined and found worthy. In the end, sincere questioning leads either to a deeper, more grounded faith or to the discovery of a better way; both outcomes rooted in courage, honesty, and a desire for truth.
There is an account in the Bible where Jesus made a life changing statement,
“Thomas said to him, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?”
Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” John 14 (NIV).
Many today are asking, “Am I in the true religion?” Well, put Jesus’ statement to the test. Read the gospels and ask, does this have the ring of truth? What qualities does Jesus have that makes this convincing?
"Now these, who were more noble... every day examining the Scriptures, whether these things were so. " Acts 17:11 BSB
Why Is It Wise to Question Your Religion?
Why Is It Wise to Question Your Religion?
Have you become tired of dancing to the tune of thoughts of men and human traditions that contradict? The people in Jesus’ day felt like that; always striving and feeling they would never please God because of the psychological impact of being in the power of humans. Jesus said, "For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” This was because the Pharisees of his day put heavy burdens on the flock.
Questioning one’s religion can feel unsettling, especially when that faith has shaped your home, your community, and the people you trust. Also, you may think that you are disappointing God by showing a lack of faith. This is not talking about leaving God.
When a belief system surrounds you from childhood, it can seem unquestionable simply because it is familiar. Yet familiarity alone does not determine truth, and wisdom often begins where honest inquiry is allowed to flourish. I speak from a place of personal experience.
Many traditions include members who are highly educated including doctors, lawyers, leaders, and thinkers. Their presence within a religion may be impressive, but it doesn’t confirm the truth of the belief system itself. Every faith has brilliant followers, and they cannot all be true. That reality invites us to look beyond credentials and consider the foundations of what we believe.
Proverbs 15:1 teaches, “A simple man believes everything, but the prudent man carefully considers his ways.” This itself encourages thoughtful reflection. This is not an invitation to cynicism but to maturity; an openness to examine claims, practices, and teachings with a clear and honest mind. Critical thinking strengthens faith when it is true and exposes weaknesses when something is mistaken or misleading.
To reflect deeply on your beliefs is to honour integrity. It creates space for genuine conviction rather than inherited assumptions. Ask yourself, "What happens if I leave my religion?" Will you be shunned, ignored, treated as an outsider despite your love for God? This is a red flag. Asking such questions safeguards you from being misled. Psalm 124 speaks of snares set along the path, reminding us that not every voice is trustworthy and not every tradition is grounded in truth. Yet it also promises that there is always a path to freedom.
Literature, conversation, and study can serve as tools that help us recognize that path—giving us language, insight, and imagination to escape what traps the mind and heart.
To question your religion is not an act of rebellion but a pursuit of clarity. It allows you to claim your beliefs as your own, not because they were given to you, but because they have been examined and found worthy. In the end, sincere questioning leads either to a deeper, more grounded faith or to the discovery of a better way; both outcomes rooted in courage, honesty, and a desire for truth.
There is an account in the Bible where Jesus made a life changing statement,
“Thomas said to him, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?”
Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” John 14 (NIV).
Many today are asking, “Am I in the true religion?” Well, put Jesus’ statement to the test. Read the gospels and ask, does this have the ring of truth? What qualities does Jesus have that makes this convincing?
"Now these, who were more noble... every day examining the Scriptures, whether these things were so. " Acts 17:11 BSB