The story of so-called "Doubting Thomas" is generally familiar to Christians: after the resurrection Christ appears to his followers, but Thomas is absent from the group at the time.  When the other apostles tell him that Christ has risen from the dead, Thomas replies: "Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands, and put my finger in the mark of the nails and my hand in his side, I will not believe" (John 20:25, NRSV).  The following week, Thomas is present when the apostles meet, and Christ again appears.  Thomas then proclaims his belief, to which Christ replies: "Have you believed because you have seen me?  Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe" (John 20:29, NRSV).  Hence, the description "Doubting Thomas" now refers to a person who refuses to accept a claim unless proof is supplied.  Like other biblically inspired terms such as "Good Samaritan" and "Prodigal Son," it has entered the general lexicon and is used in both religious and non-religious contexts.  However, the connotations attached to these uses are largely unjustified.For instance, one Christian environmentalist recently rebuked "Doubting Thomases" who dispute the relevance of religion to ecological justice; likewise, a secular article on education criticized the skepticism that a "Doubting Thomas" had displayed about a teaching method.  In each case, the term was decidedly negative, reflecting the popular portrayal of Thomas as both wrong and confrontational toward his fellows.  Unswayed by their testimony, Thomas declares his unbelief, challenging the faith of the other apostles and, by extension, the basis of Christianity.  'Unless my standards of evidence are met,' he seems boldly to say, 'I will never believe what you tell me.'  Thus Thomas becomes a symbol of stubborn refusal, a negative exemplar to contrast with the belief to which Christians are called.  But as useful as that depiction may appear to countless sermons about faith, it misunderstands the message of the scripture.The most important point to recognize in this regard is that Thomas does not ask for anything beyond what the other apostles have already received.  They have seen Christ while he has not, having experienced the physical confirmation that Thomas still lacks.  Hence, Thomas is not unique in wanting proof—or, if he is, then his uniqueness is a matter of chance.  We might well have had "Doubting Peter" or "Doubting Bartholomew," if one of them had been absent instead.  With this observation in mind, Thomas' words are cast in a new light: "Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands, and put my finger in the mark of the nails and my hand in his side, I will not believe."  Typically, words in scriptures are not italicized to indicate inflection in this way, but those emphases clearly reflect the intended meaning.  Thomas' remark is far from the defiant challenge to faith it has so often been viewed as.  Instead, it is the mournful, perhaps desperate admission of one who wants to believe but is afraid to hope.This interpretation also informs how Christ's response to Thomas should be understood.  By referring to "those who have not seen," Christ does not distinguish between Thomas and the other apostles, all of whom believe because they have seen.  He distinguishes between them collectively and anyone who only hears that Christ has risen.  Thus Thomas does not exemplify a blameworthy unbelief, but a joyful confirmation that the testimony he heard about Christ is true.  The message of the scripture, then, is that those who have faith without sight will one day experience that same confirmation.  This lesson of fulfilled hope is what the story of "Doubting Thomas" truly represents.Passage Title: Doubting Thomas Question 51For which of the following passage claims does the author provide the most supporting evidence?A.The term "Doubting Thomas" could easily have been "Doubting Peter" or "Doubting Bartholomew" instead.B.In most cases, biblical scriptures do not include text that has been italicized to indicate a speaker's voice inflection.C.The term "Doubting Thomas" is similar to terms like "Good Samaritan" and "Prodigal Son" in having entered the general lexicon.D.Thomas' portrayal as a symbol of stubborn refusal has been part of countless sermons about faith.