So basically..it frustrates me when people call another religion close-minded. Be it Christian, Athiest, ect. How can any religion NOT be close minded? I happen to be a Christian but I dont consider myself ignorant or close-minded to other religions, seeing as I have considered them and simply have chosen Christianity to be what I believe in. The point is, we all believe in something. Even when you believe in nothing...that is a belief, therefore you believe in SOMETHING. So how can you not be "close minded" and stick to what you believe in at the same time? You cant. Who else feels this way?
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Thing A: What a person's beliefs are
Thing B: How open-minded they are
I think a lot of people will say that thing A influences thing B; that if someone is religious, it makes them closed-minded. The reason they say this is because we all know religious people who are closed-minded. However, that's an observation, not a proof.
The only proof here is that thing B is thing B (logically, it can't be anything but true). To put that into English, people are closed-minded because they are closed-minded, not because they are religious.
Some may argue in the other direction: that people are religious because they are closed-minded. But because the logic above works in both directions, there's no proof there either.
Personally, I think people call others closed-minded when they believe something different. That's not closed-minded. It's differently-minded.
I'd like to think that if Christianity didn't exist than all the Christian people would still want to do the right thing but looking at the way they're so quick to judge non-Christians as lost because we don't share their exact beliefs; I just really don't know if that's true for a lot of them. It just seems like we should be celebrating love, friendships and family over some god who we just sort of owe everything too.
This isn't an attack on you. In fact you seem really level headed which is why I'd like your opinion on it. As an outside observer it just seems like a really weird way to live to me. I guess I just don't really understand religion. Why does there need to be a greater meaning to life. Life is fucking beautiful.
I guess what it comes down to, is the fact that alot(not all) of people who claim to be "Christians" use their religion more as a reason to do bad rather than good because they use God as a constant forgiver and someone who will allow them to act however they want. Anyone who does this loses alot of my respect.
There doesnt necessarily NEED to be. Some people just believe there is. If you choose to not believe this, thats ok! People are people and there is always going to be people who disagree. I know what I believe, and so I go with that.
Its not my job to force my religion on anyone. As long as others understand my opinion and respect that, I am not about to judge anyone who believes differently. Because my beliefs are just that; "Beliefs." Proof and belief are two different things. Nobody has any proof of any greater power. I simply believe that there is.