How do I know if my religious doubts mean I should leave my faith?

Doubt isn't a verdict—it's a conversation happening inside you. Sor Juana spent her whole life asking hard questions *within* her faith, writing poetry that challenged doctrine while remaining a believer. She knew the difference between intellectual restlessness and spiritual incompatibility. Start by separating the doubt from the pressure. Are you questioning ideas, or are you rejecting the community, the rules, the identity itself? These aren't the same thing. Sor Juana couldn't separate them—the institution demanded obedience along with belief. You might be able to. Give yourself permission to sit with uncertainty without rushing toward a decision. Talk to people who've stayed *and* people who've left. Read the mystics and the skeptics. Notice what you're actually grieving when you imagine leaving—is it the loss of belief, or the loss of belonging, or the loss of who you thought you were? The real question isn't whether your doubts are valid. They are. The question is: what do you need to live honestly? That answer might take months or years to clarify. Don't let anyone—not your community, not your own fear—push you into certainty before you're ready.