Question by LimeNinja get this thing off me!: Who is more narrow-minded, the searcher, or the one who settles on a doctrine that makes them feel good?
I get a hearty laugh when I hear atheists referred to as narrow-minded.
Most atheists I know were raised with some sort of religion, found it uncomfortable, went through a period of doubt which often included doing vast amounts of research into all the various religions mankind has embraced, then venturing beyond those sacrosanct doctrines into more metaphysical areas, spirituality, philosophy, etc, and finally coming to the conclusion that the safest “belief” is one that is supported by evidence.
So who is more narrow-minded, the searcher, or the person who most likely stopped asking religious questions in childhood, and stuck to an unchanging, unquestioned system of belief because the rest of the people around them told them it was right, and who now argues that that anyone who doesn’t agree with them is going to hell.
Huckster – did I not write “most atheists”?
READ the question!
TTC – well, until we start surveying children in America, we’ll have to rely on educated guesses. In my neighborhood, EVERY family on my block was religious, and EVERY kid in my neighborhood had some sort of god belief taught to them. There were no “open atheists” amongst the kids in my neighborhood. Using myself as an example, it’s obvious that *some* percentage of these formerly religious kids grew up to become atheists, so while this may not be the most scientific method of gathering data, it’s probably descriptive of most suburban neighborhoods in America in the latter part of the 20th Century.
Best answer:
Answer by Eddie
the person who settles
Give your answer to this question below!
What makes you think all Atheists ask questions?
I generally get a hearty laugh when I read that “most” atheists were raised in some sort of religion. A statement often taken without fact seems factual when we want it to….lol
Dogma acts like blinders that keep religious people from seeing. Atheists have no dogma and therefore aren’t narrow minded.
I’m sure atheists are so broad-minded that they believe 2+2=9 and square triangles are circular and evolution is a fact.
Being narrow-minded when it comes to truth is the most sane and intelligent thing of all.
The person who settles. Whoever refers to *all* atheists as narrow-minded is silly. Some atheists are narrow-minded, but it isn’t the result of atheism. That just depends on the individual. There are narrow-minded people in all groups. If I hear an atheist deny that there is even a *tiny* chance that there could be some kind of higher power, I would tend to think that person is narrow-minded (only because no one can be sure of that. By definition we are all agnostic since no one is omniscient).
All I know is that, in general (and I do hate to generalize, but…) atheists are a hell of a lot more open-minded than most Christians.
The searcher who denies there is an answer, discounting anyone who has found one, is just as closed minded as the person who just blindly believes and never considers that they could be wrong. They’re two sides of the same coin. imho.
peace
Edit:
Daydreamer– guilty as charged. I claim to have found an answer, so I’m by definition ludicrous.
I was raised as a Christian and out of 3 brothers and one sister, mom and dad I am the only one who turned atheist.
The first time I began questioning this religion is when my parents tried to convince me Santa Claus was real. They were trying to get me to be good by saying Santa isn’t going to give me any presents if I’m not good. That’s exactly what God is. It’s told to people to keep them “good” and if they’re not they won’t get any presents. The present in this case is life after death..
To be honest, I didn’t care about getting any presents to begin with. They always sucked anyways. But I was still good out of respect for my parents.
It is possible to be a narrow-minded atheist, and it is also possible to be a narrow-minded religionist. Never stop asking the hard questions. I firmly believe that they lead back to God. However, they certainly force us to reevaluate our portrait of God. The cause of Christ is probably hurt more by narrow-minded “christians”, which is most “christians”, than it is by atheists. A true christian will have considered the atheists arguments and found them lacking. Your question provokes a good attitude, but it also contains an idea that could be someone’s undoing. It seems that atheists are equated with “the searcher”. If we are to believe that “the searcher” has any hope of finding the Truth, then would he/she necessarily remain an atheist?
short sighted, narrow minded, brainwashed…. applies to just about any one with a thought in their head….fixed thoughts and ideas….. research is done no matter what walk of life you come from, religion, faith, or none of the above, it all encompases being human…. the length and time and area of the search matters not.. I search the Word of God daily…. I read books that do not pertain to my faith…. I watch the news, which is a form of *search* to gain knowledge…. Narrow minds come from *thinking* that you are alone in the search… You are NOT alone , YOU just think you are…. If you have no belief in God or of spiritual matters, then you are as narrow minded as you claim I am, being a Christian that is…. I have stopped searching for truth of many things, I have found MY truth, why search for something FOUND. That makes NO sense what so ever… Just as it makes no sense to YOU to stop searching for yours…. Stop pointing fingers, there are four pointing BACK at you….. What has *safe* got to do with LIFE ? No one is *safe* from anything… You have the fear of the NOT knowing what comes next… I do not…… Fear is narrow minded to the extreme….. Fear brings the knowledge that knowledge is never enough…… What a way to live life !! *sigh*…… go in peace…. God bless
I’m sorry but your theory defies logic in many ways.
Why would someone who has found what they’ve been searching for continue to search for it elsewhere? What makes you think they don’t continue to search where they are?
Likewise, what makes you think that someone is searching just because they’re wandering around?
And what makes someone more open minded if they haven’t found what they don’t even acknowledge exists?
You appear to be speaking about people who have left Christianity and gone off to find some mystical belief. So, I have to wonder if you would say someone was narrow-minded that found… oh… say Taoism unsatisfying, went through a period of doubt, did vast amounts of research into all the various religions mankind has embraced, and then came to know Jesus Christ and received salvation through Him?
both
Tristan needs to realize that while it’s true that triangles aren’t circular, neither are they square. Also that evolution IS a fact. In my experience, I’ve found that it’s admittedly possible to be a narrow minded atheist, but impossible to be a broad minded Christian.