ARE YOU OPEN-MINDED? To quote Richards Dawkins, By all means lets be open-minded, but not so open-minded that our brains drop out. Everyone has boundaries in their mind as to what they think exists and what doesnt, so no one is 100% open minded. I dont believe in rainbow chickens that swim, does that make me closed minded? Those who categorically state as fact that there is no god are just as wrong as those who categorically state as fact that god absolutely exists. Neither can prove their statement. However...there is a considerable amount of evidence that all gods have been made up by human beings to suit their political and social needs. There is considerable evidence that every single one of the so-called divine stories about creation, miracles, heaven, hell, angels, demons, and everything else that religions claim as truth are not true at all, and are in fact completely wrong. A rational, logical evaluation of religion provides no proof at all that any of it is true, and so it is reasonable to assume that no god exists, although there is no definitive proof of his or her non-existence. Most non-believers consider those who follow a god for which there is no evidence, and for which there is considerable evidence against, to lack critical reasoning and thinking skills. Thats your weak-minded stance. No, nobody can prove absolutely that some kind of god does not exist. That does NOT mean, however, that one DOES exist. And with the huge weight of evidence against the existence of god, it makes no sense of any kind logically to believe in one. I am an agnostic atheist. This means by definition that I hold the philosophical position that the existence of a god or gods is unknowable. But, I do not believe because I have found no evidence or good reason to believe. That makes me an atheist. About open-mindedness... I dont get so hung up on that label. There is such a thing as being too open-minded. I try to be as open to new ideas as I can, but I am ultimately interested in being a realist. Open-minded and closed-minded are polar terms on a spectrum of the use of judgement. I find that in many areas of life, somewhere in the middle yields better results than being on either of the extreme ends. That said, leaning towards the open-mindedness end a bit is wise. Look, we *get* religion. We understand that humans are afraid of dying, that they *want* to believe in some kind of afterlife where theyll live eternally happy with all of their long-lost loved ones. They *want* to believe that there is some all-powerful being looking out for their welfare. Its comforting to believe that. It can make you feel good. The problem is -- theres no evidence that its real. None. And lots of evidence to show that its NOT real. So go ahead and believe it if you want to, but dont pretend there is any real basis for such a belief -- there isnt. If you want to live your life believing in fairy-tales, youre certainly free to do so -- but many of us choose instead to seek true knowledge and understand our world, our universe, and ourselves and not live our lives based on happy myths just to alleviate our fears. Wed rather know the truth than live in a fantasy world.
Posted on: Sat, 29 Mar 2014 15:47:37 +0000
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