Religion...Open or Close-minded

Religion.
World View.
Faith.
Belief System.
Denomination.
Conviction.
Morality.
Free Will.
Predestination.
God.
Monk
Nun.
Buddha
Mohammed
Jesus
Angels
Spirit
Christ
Prophecy
Bible
Koran
Joseph Smith
Mormon
Jehovah’s Witness
Revelation
Resurrection
Reincarnation
Meditation
Prayer
Heaven
Hell

Religion is one of the most (if not THE most) controversial subjects known to humanity. The evidence of this is quite obvious. It seems that as far as religion is concerned, either two people agree totally and can engage in a lengthy, harmonious conversation, or they disagree. And we all have seen various instances of what that can look like. When two persons reach a point of disagreement, there are logically two paths they can take. They can either change the subject in order to have a more congruent discussion, or they can choose to substantiate their opinions to one another. There are logically two possible ends to the latter path. One being that one of the two persons changes their opinion in light of the perceived weight of the other persons’ position. The other end, which is also the most common, is when the conversation eventually ends with the two still in disagreement.
It is interesting to me that in the case where two people disagree and decide to engage in a debate, the debate usually turns into a heated argument. Sure, the levels of “heat” may vary. But usually one or both of the persons involved is quite animated in their defense of their position.
Why is this? What is the big deal?
We want to be right. And whether we can admit it or not. When you believe differently than someone else concerning a given subject, you believe that they are wrong, at some level, concerning that same subject. Some would say such a person would be close-minded to say “dogmatically” that another person is wrong. I would encourage that person to reconsider what it means to be open or close-minded. A closed-minded person will not consider the opinions of others. An open-minded person will. That is it. Open or closed-mindedness has to do with whether or not a person will consider others’ opinions. Not whether they agree or not.
I believe that we have a misconception of what it means to be open or close-minded. It is very common for a person with a strong opinion to be called close-minded. Why? I disagree. I believe that regardless of how “strong” of an opinion a person has, as long as that person is willing to hear other opinions and test his/her opinion against it, he/she remains open-minded.
The problem is that we have lost the ability to debate effectively. We live in a society that embraces differences of opinions as long as they don’t grow too strong. The instant an opinion grows “too strong” the person holding it becomes “close-minded” or “dogmatic.” What ought to take place is a scholarly debate. The two people should substantiate their opinions to one another. Surely it is agreed that if a person has a “strong” opinion, they should be prepared and willing to defend and support it. A correct opinion should be easily defended.
Now I have just used a term that is very controversial. Correct. How could anyone be so “close-minded” or “dogmatic” to believe that his/her opinion is “correct?” Unfortunately, this is the way a lot of people think. The idea of such a thing as true and false or right and wrong is all but dead. It is popular to think that wrong exists only in certain situations. One “sneaky” way of presenting this idea is seen when we hear someone say something like this…”Yeah, I think that’s definitely wrong, but I can’t tell someone else that they shouldn’t do it.” Here’s another example I myself heard from a gas station attendant during a discussion about the pornographic magazines in the store. “Well, no, I wouldn’t want my daughter doing that when she grows up, but otherwise I don’t have a problem with it.” It seems that people have regressed to the point to where they don’t care about others…until it affects their world. Just like the man in the gas station. He “has no problem” with pornography…until his daughter would want to be a part of it. There has been a major paradigm shift in this country. What used to be a “dirty movie” is now an “adult feature.” Strip clubs used to be low quality. Now many are frequented by business groups and financially secure individuals who are willing to pay a high price for this “entertainment.” This is what we get from the idea of ‘relative truth.’At any rate, people should be able to talk about anything. A debate doesn’t have to be a shouting match.