Do you think that because someone has chosen religion, they are closed-minded pe

1. 61

   Jesse Mugnierposted 12 years ago

   Do you think that because someone has chosen religion, they are closed-minded people?
   
   Once you choose what you believe, there is nothing else. Does this make you closed-minded?
   
   

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2. 82

   johndnathanposted 12 years ago

   No... Oh I guess you want a more detailed answer.
   
   You don't choose your beliefs.  You follow the beliefs that make the most sense to you.  This can be due to your upbringing, your culture, or some sort of indoctrination.
   
   I grew up Roman Catholic, mainly because my mother was Roman Catholic and she demanded that the whole family go to church.  I was a Christian by default, and I didn't question my beliefs until I started to think about it.  Then gradually Christianity started to become more and more obscure until it made absolutely no sense to me.

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      Jesse Mugnierposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      I believe you are wrong, you say you don't choose your beliefs, just follow them. What is the difference? If you follow Christianity, don't you choose that as your faith? Otherwise, why follow?
      
      If it makes no sense, do you still follow? and why?

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   2. 82

      johndnathanposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      What I mean to say is that one cannot simply choose to believe something.  They can fake belief, but they know deep down inside that they do not believe it.
      
      I don't still follow Christianity.  It doesn't make sense to me anymore.

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   3. 61

      Jesse Mugnierposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Of course you choose it. How is it even possible to believe something you don't choose yourself?
      "I don't choose to believe in God, but I do."

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      johndnathanposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      One cannot choose to believe in something they don't already believe.  I cannot choose to believe in Zeus or Ahura Mazda out of the blue.  There must be something I experience to give me reason to believe that they actually exist.

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      Jesse Mugnierposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      I didn't say anything about "out of blue". You learn about something, and choose whether or not to believe in it. Once you learned about Zeus you choose to believe he exists or choose not to believe.

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   tammybarnetteposted 12 years ago

   I do not believe it makes you close- minded. I am a Christian. I am also a very open- minded person. I do not pretend to know everything, and that is what makes a person close- minded in my point of view.

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      faisalb87posted 12 years agoin reply to this

      I agree with you

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   Darrell Robertsposted 12 years ago

   I think that if a person has choosena religion, that is good for them.  I also think that when they think that their beilief is the only way and there is no possibility that they could be wrong, that is when they become close-minded. 
   
   To have a belief does not make the idea absolute.  The world was believed to be flat, by some people at one piont in time and they were very wrong.  It was also thought that the sun went around the earth, and we know now that is also incorrect.

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   1. 61

      Jesse Mugnierposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      What a wonderful answer. Thank you

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