Certainty, Sectarianism

People long for certainty in all possible contexts. He loves me, he loves me not. Sectarian loyalties are often anchored in this longing. Hence when someone appears to question or disparage a particular system of faith, the reaction of believers may be hostile—but precisely because they harbor secret doubts or don’t understand the essence. People who are really sure don’t flare up when their beliefs are questioned. Those who do either aren’t really sure or they mistake a tribal loyalty for a higher state: genuine understanding. It's not the finger that matters but the moon to which it points. All faith systems are fingers. Certainty is real, and indifferent to criticism, when it knows the Real directly and not just the veils that more or less let it shimmer through.