Trust, Silence, and Liturgical Acts

Abstract

Undermining our trust in God is one of the purported unacceptable consequences of the truth of skeptical theism. This chapter argues that a motivation for adopting skeptical theism can be seen as a way of responding not only to the problem of evil, but also what Mike Rea calls “the problem of divine silence.” It argues that how silence should be interpreted depends on what other beliefs people have about God. Silence would only justify a lack of trust in God if God did not provide an accessible way of experiencing His presence despite His silence. This chapter argues that liturgical practices can provide a basis of maintaining one’s trust in God even if those practices do not result in propositional knowledge regarding His justification for evil.