Do you consider yourself to be open-minded or locked into a belief system?

Question

Some people claim to be open-minded but yet refuse to consider anything outside their relgion or culture . . .

Answer 1

'Belief' itself is an insidious mind-killer... it cuts off the mind from consideration of alternative possibilities. Beliefs are the primary interpretive filter... all input gets interpreted in terms of those beliefs... along with misconceptions and prejudices.

Open-minded means being willing to consider alternative possibilities, and it implies 'intellectual honesty'... the willingness to question and doubt one's own preconceptions.

Religious belief... the certainty that one 'knows' the 'truth' relating to certain aspects of existence and reality (i.e., god, creation, salvation, etc.) PRECLUDES an open mind.

(The following harsh statement pertains to the generic 'you'... NOT to the author of this question)

If you are religious, and you think you are open-minded... just chalk that up as another delusion, among all the others that have polluted.. and closed... your mind.

Answer 2

Most people who consider themselves "open-minded" have already made the judgment that anyone who has strong or unwavering beliefs are close-minded (or ignorant) deeming those who are religious especially narrow-minded.


By your own definition those who judge themselves as "open" and others "not open"
are close-minded.


This whole PC open mindedness thing is at the core of Secular Humanism ( the religion of public schools) which states that there is no God and that man may choose any path that does not include the supernatural. All beliefs that do not include man as his own God are discounted and it's followers are called "close-minded".

There are many people who are "locked" into a belief system because they HAVE examined all the options and have found none but one that is correct.

It isn't narrow-minded to examine all your options and make an informed decisions based on fact and reasoning. It's called wisdom.

Answer 3

Hmmm very good question. I see myself as having and open mind. It's a sponge for new ideas!

As it happens I have a friend who is very anti-god and against any belief. He likes to think he is totally open minded but upon further examination of him(which gives me great enjoyment ;)) it's revealed that his mind is totally closed. While he may not have any spiritual beliefs his mind is closed against any new ideas about how life could be and what is possible.
Good point about people who claim to be open minded but refuse to consider anything outside their religion or culture. I imagine they say that they are open minded because it sounds better than stating "my mind is completely closed!"
An open mind is a mind free of all dogma, beliefs, and ideas about how things are. or at least free enough to be willing to see the possibility of new ideas. Beliefs automatically shut a mind down. The person can't see anything beyond that particular belief. It's like going thru life with blinders on. Life is a total mystery. There is no stopping point to discovery and growth for the open mind.

Answer 4

I have no belief system insofar as religion goes. Very closed minded when it comes to food - not very experimental there. I don't think I could handle polygamy either. I like flying a foot launched aircraft (hang glider). That takes an open mind, I guess, considering the psychological hoops you have to make your brain jump through just to launch off a cliff. So, yeah, open minded in some things, not much interested in other things. Nobody's perfect.

Answer 5

I am open minded about many things, especially my faith! I open my mind (and heart) and God fills them up!


As far as the "anything outside their relgion or culture", been there done that, burned the tshirts, now I'm free in Jesus! (I became a believer at 44)

Answer 6

I am very open minded... but i must make a distinction between open mindedness and gullibility. I can place myself in the shoes of a believer and look at the world from their point of view even though i don't believe it. I am willing to listen to and debate others on their religious beliefs and if anyone ever gives me sound reasonable evidence for why theirs is right ill be the first one to sign up... However nobody has yet been able to produce god for me so i remain skeptical.

Answer 7

Dear Mithra,

Well, I'm open minded, but I guess one doesn't want to be so open-minded that one's brains fall out.

I'm an intelligent man, a PhD candidate... but for a long time I attempted to be open minded about EVERYTHING - and it damn near killed me.

About a month ago, I started looking at the bible again and seeking out God. I feel much better than I have in a long time, even though I can't properly call myself a Christian. I am a seeker of God, I guess.

There is something to be said for structure. Also, the bible is SO rich in its history, philosophy, literature, etc., that it's worth a lifetime of study. There is some kind of freedom in that for me. Hard to explain.

Love, Jack

Answer 8

Wait a second.

I've concluded beyond a doubt, after years of personal growth and research and thought and prayer, that my religion (Catholicism) is the true one.

But this makes me "closed-minded"?

You seem to be suggesting that people who have decided on a particular belief system aren't open-minded.

It doesn't seem to occur to you that being "open-minded" does not require one to be un-anchored from any belief system that they think is true.

You seem to think that a person can only be "open-minded" if they are intellectually drifting, and have not settled on a particular faith or belief system as the truth.

No offense, but who's being limited in their definitions here? Who's truly being closed-minded here?

Answer 9

The really open-minded are too busy even to declare themselves to be so !
Obviously, their priority is to receive anything worthy of looking at, and so do not even bother to get 'recognised' as open-minded. No ego problem you see... The people you refer ('yet refuse to consider'), have taken it as a fashion to 'declare', and avoid open branding ! Blind belief has tremendous strength upon weak close minded people !

Answer 10

We need to be open. The only real way to do this is to consider anything that you think that you know as being suspect. This way you stay open to the truth and you can recognise it if you become aware of it. We need to be ready to change our beliefs in case something we had been thinking should prove not to be true.