Should Children Doubt God? Lessons from Doubting Thomas for Parents and Teachers
Updated: Jul 23
I recently wrote a guide with craft ideas for teaching kids about Doubting Thomas when this question started stirring in me. When believing parents, teachers, and Sunday school volunteers talk to kids about faith, we often miss the opportunity to teach them about doubt.
This article contrasts faith and doubt, using Doubting Thomas as an example of why it is important to disciple kids into mature faith that can withstand the questions that will inevitably arise.
May you find space here to pause, reflect, and abide.
What to do when children DOUBT God
The crafts and activities I worked out for Doubting Thomas raised a theological question:
Should I encourage children to doubt God? Some of the crafts I listed literally task the kids to voice their concerns about Him. (Yikes) Is it responsible for us as disciplers to encourage children to doubt and task teenagers to write down their questions about Him?
What if they didn't have any questions to begin with? What if we are stirring up unnecessary doubt? What if talking about this causes them to lose their faith and drift away from God?
The best place to find an answer to these questions is in the example of Christ Himself.
Jesus didn't shame Thomas for asking questions—He met him where he was and invited him to believe.
Now Thomas isn't remembered because he doubted. He's remembered because he encountered the risen Jesus.
I realize that every craft should ultimately point children beyond their doubts to the living Christ in the same way that crafts are merely response activities leading to encounter with Him. Yet we can teach children what to do with doubt.
If Sunday school is not just babysitting or entertainment, but true faith formation, then we need to allow children to explore the faith for themselves. We cannot spoon-feed them; we need to teach them a way of thinking.
Doubt isn't the same as unbelief. Doubt says, "Help me understand." Unbelief says, "I refuse to trust."
Here with you is a safe place where they can explore their doubts. If you don't allow it here, they will try to express it elsewhere (where the answers won't be good or true).
So, what is the truth? The truth is God can handle every doubt a child has. The truth is Jesus allowed Thomas to touch His wounds.
Doubt can be the very thing that leads hearts closer to God - if we hold the space for it and tend to it well.
Children can learn that:
Jesus welcomes honest questions.
Faith grows by knowing Jesus.
Seeing isn't the same as believing.
God isn't afraid of our doubts.
Jesus gives us good reasons to trust Him.
Thomas wasn't forever known by Jesus as "the doubter." After encountering the risen Christ, early church tradition tells us he carried the Gospel all the way to India and eventually gave his life for Christ.
One moment of doubt didn't define his future. One encounter with Jesus did.
Thinking positively about doubt is a challenging mindset change, but it could be the difference between lasting faith and someone who says 'Yeah, I grew up Christian but I'm not anymore...'
Every child begins with borrowed faith. They believe because Mom believes. Because Dad believes. Because their Sunday school teacher believes. But sooner or later that borrowed faith must become their own. Questions are often part of that journey. A faith that has wrestled is usually stronger than a faith that has never been tested.
There are many other positive doubt moments in Scripture:
The father in Mark 9:24 — "I believe; help my unbelief!"
John the Baptist asking if Jesus was really the Messiah (Matthew 11).
The Psalms are full of questions ("How long, O Lord?")
Habakkuk questioning God's justice.
Job bringing difficult questions before God.
God is not afraid of our doubts. It's important that we hold space for children to process the things about God they do not understand. They need to learn how to bring their emotions to Him, and have an embodied faith.
Children are naturally curious. They ask hundreds of questions because that is how they learn about the world. Faith is no different. Asking questions isn't evidence that faith is failing—it is often evidence that faith is growing. Faith is not emotional denial.
When a child asks difficult questions... WHAT DO YOU DO?
Stay calm.
Thank them for asking.
Admit when you don't know.
Search Scripture together.
Pray together.
Keep the conversation going.
Our goal isn't to raise children who never ask questions.
Our goal is to raise disciples who know where to take them.
If children learn that Jesus is safe to approach with their deepest fears and biggest questions, then doubt doesn't become the end of faith. It becomes another step toward knowing Him more deeply.
May the children you journey with know that they can approach God's throne with boldness and confidence. He can handle anything they bring His way. He longs to hear their voices and to meet them in their places of doubt.
Read Next
— Discover why biblical faith doesn't ignore difficult emotions but brings them honestly before God.
Why Sunday School Crafts Matter
— Learn how response activities help children process truth instead of simply hearing it.
15 Doubting Thomas Sunday School Crafts
— Put these ideas into practice with creative activities that help children encounter Jesus.
P.S. If you enjoyed this article and would like to stay in touch, I want to invite you to join my newsletter by leaving your email below.
Comments