Doubt is Part of Faith???

"I know I believe in God but I have doubts, and doubt is part of faith," she [Madeline Albright] said.

I found this quote yesterday while perusing an article which was a report of the former United States Secretary of State’s opinion on President Bush’s affirmation of faith as it relates to his avowal of faith in relation to policy. The article can be found at the following site: http://www.cnn.com/2006/POLITICS/05/22/albright.bush.reut/index.html.

The focus of my post at this point is not whether or not I agree with Ms. Albright’s assertions, but the utter self-contradiction of the statement which concluded the article which I have cited above. I don’t think that I have heard a more obvious and outright contradiction since the 2004 Presidential Election in which presidential nominee John Kerry said that, “I voted for it before I voted against it,” in reference to a military spending proposal that was made to the senate.

Thought it may be somewhat moot to do so, let us take a dictionary definition of faith:

1 a : allegiance to duty or a person : LOYALTY b (1) : fidelity to one's promises (2) : sincerity of intentions
2 a (1) : belief and trust in and loyalty to God (2) : belief in the traditional doctrines of a religion b (1) : firm belief in something for which there is no proof (2) : complete trust
3 : something that is believed especially with strong conviction; especially : a system of religious beliefs

Let us also take the dictionary definition of doubt:

1 archaic a : FEAR b : SUSPECT
2 : to be in doubt about doubts everyone's word>
3 a : to lack confidence in : DISTRUST doubting him even when I know that he is honest -- H. L. Mencken> b : to consider unlikely

Is it reasonably possible for faith and doubt to cohabit the same mind? I would submit that they cannot. One rules out the other as they are in direct contrast in every aspect. Faith is negated by doubt. How can you say that you believe in something and doubt it at the same time. I believe that the correct word for such a circumstance in which you find yourself wishing to believe something but that you have your doubts as to it’s truth is skepticisim.

The benefit that President Bush has over Ms. Albright is that he is not skeptical about his beliefs. He has full confidence in them and acts according to the dictates of his own conscience and not that of what he thinks other people would like him to do.