Summary: A widely quoted Mormon maxim states that "faith and doubt cannot exist in the same mind at the same time, for one will dispel the other." Yet lived experience suggests that faith may be more like a spectrum where belief and non-belief support and inform each other in a fluid relationship. By failing to acknowledge and affirm the many legitimate variations of faithfulness, we may be artificially constricting the bounds of our religious community and blocking people from the further spiritual growth and development that they would otherwise be able to enjoy within the community. Are the boundaries of "faithful" Mormon religiosity more expansive than what we tend to admit? How can we create safe spaces in the Church for those who want to explore their doubts honestly while also retaining a healthy connection to their faith?
