If we here were truly into searching for truth would we not be less analytical and more synthetically minded?

Question

Would we not do better to learn from each other rather than being critical. If we are here to say I am the one who is right than to learn, then what good gets done?? Isn't getting along more important then being right??

Answer 1

To believe has been defined as "to accept as true, genuine, or real." The United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights enshrines every person's "right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion." This right includes the freedom "to change his religion or belief" if he wants to do so.
WHY, though, would anyone want to change his religion or belief? "I have my own beliefs, and I am happy with them," is the commonly expressed view. Many feel that even mistaken beliefs cause little harm to anyone. Someone who believes that the earth is flat, for example, is not likely to hurt himself or anyone else. "We should just agree to differ," some say. Is that always wise? Would a doctor simply agree to differ if one of his colleagues continued to believe he could go straight from handling dead bodies in a morgue to examining sick patients in a hospital ward?
When it comes to religion, mistaken beliefs have historically caused great harm. Think of the horrors that resulted when religious leaders "inspired Christian zealots to pitiless violence" during the so-called Holy Crusades of the Middle Ages. Or think of the modern-day "Christian" gunmen in a recent civil war who, "just like medieval warriors who had saints' names on their sword hilts, taped pictures of the Virgin to their rifle butts." All these zealots believed that they were right. Yet, obviously in these and other religious struggles and fights, something was terribly wrong.
Why is there so much confusion and conflict? The Bible's answer is that Satan the Devil is "misleading the entire inhabited earth." (Revelation 12:9; 2 Corinthians 4:4; 11:3) The apostle Paul warned that many religious people would, sadly, be "doomed to perish" because they would be deceived by Satan, who would "produce miracles and wonders calculated to deceive." Such ones, said Paul, would "shut their minds to the love of truth which could have saved them" and would thus be 'deluded into believing what is a lie.' (2 Thessalonians 2:9-12, The New Testament, by William Barclay) How can you minimize the possibility of believing a lie? Why, in fact, do you believe the way you do?
Perhaps you have been brought up in the beliefs of your family. That may well be a good thing. God wants parents to teach their children. (Deuteronomy 6:4-9; 11:18-21) The young man Timothy, for example, benefited greatly from listening to his mother and grandmother. (2 Timothy 1:5; 3:14, 15) The Scriptures encourage respect for what parents believe. (Proverbs 1:8; Ephesians 6:1) But did your Creator mean for you to believe things simply because your parents believe them? Unthinking adherence to what previous generations believed and did can, in fact, be dangerous.-Psalm 78:8; Amos 2:4.
A Samaritan woman who met Jesus Christ had been brought up to believe in her Samaritan religion. (John 4:20) Jesus respected her freedom to choose what she wanted to believe, but he also pointed out to her: "You worship what you do not know." Many of her religious beliefs were, in fact, mistaken, and he told her that she would have to make changes in her beliefs if she was going to worship God acceptably-"with spirit and truth." Rather than cling to what were no doubt cherished beliefs, she and others like her would, in time, have to become "obedient to the faith" revealed through Jesus Christ.-John 4:21-24, 39-41; Acts 6:7.

Many teachers and authorities in specialized fields of knowledge deserve great respect. Yet, history is littered with examples of renowned teachers who were absolutely wrong. For example, regarding two books on scientific matters written by Greek philosopher Aristotle, historian Bertrand Russell stated that "hardly a sentence in either can be accepted in the light of modern science." Even modern-day authorities often get things drastically wrong. "Heavier-than-air flying machines are impossible," was the confident assertion of British scientist Lord Kelvin in 1895. A wise person, therefore, does not blindly believe that something is true simply because some authoritative teacher says it is.-Psalm 146:3.
The same caution is needed when it comes to religious education. The apostle Paul was well-educated by his religious teachers and was extremely "zealous for the traditions of [his] fathers." His zeal for the traditional beliefs of his ancestors, however, actually created problems for him. It led to his "persecuting the congregation of God and devastating it." (Galatians 1:13, 14; John 16:2, 3) Worse still, for a long time, Paul kept "kicking against the goads," resisting the influences that should have led him to believe in Jesus Christ. It required a dramatic intervention by Jesus himself to move Paul to adjust his beliefs.-Acts 9:1-6; 26:14.

Maybe the media have greatly influenced your beliefs. Most people are glad that there is freedom of speech in the media, giving them access to information that can be useful. However, there are powerful forces that can and frequently do manipulate the media. What is often presented is biased information that can insidiously affect your thinking.
In addition, to appeal to or to attract a larger audience, the media tend to give publicity to what is sensational and unconventional. What could hardly be said or printed for public consumption just a few years ago has become commonplace today. Slowly but surely, established standards of behavior are attacked and whittled away. People's thinking is gradually becoming distorted. They begin to believe that "good is bad and bad is good."-Isaiah 5:20; 1 Corinthians 6:9, 10.
Yes I agree we would do better from learning from each other and working together rather than against each other, that would actually get rid of quite a number of problems that plague the earth

Answer 2

Hello =)

The answer lies somewhere in between, methinks....

If you are going to search for truth, you will have to be analytical to some degree. Perhaps to a great degree.

What people frequently lack is simple common compassion for one another, and respect for one another's beliefs, even if they seem absurd to you. I think all points of view on this topic are of equal merit, and none is "more right" than any other....just that some people present their points of view, at the end of a sledgehammer. All that gets done then, is that their "point" gets "dulled" rather quickly...


Namaste, and Happy New Year,

--Tom

Answer 3

To me everyone has a right to their opinion and believes. I think it could be discussed in a better way instead of people putting each other down all the time. Tell your views about what you believe. There is a right and wrong way in how you do everything and some people just do not know how to disagree politely.

Answer 4

No. If we stop being critical of each other, we'll never find flaws in our own theories/beliefs.

Genuine criticism (unbiased and objective) helps us in making improvements.

But that works if you are focussed in finding the Truth. In reality, it's better to forget about finding the Truth and get along with everyone and have a good time. ;)

Answer 5

I will agree with you on principal.

Getting along with each other is paramount to understanding each others belief (if that is the end-state goal for everyone that is).

It just appears that the end-state goal for most askers is not to "understand" but to "belittle" the other people.

This childish attitude shows up more often in the question to begin with, and I feel it elicits the responses they get sometimes.

Answer 6

I agree with you completely. Getting along is of course more important than being right... but I would recommend you read a bit about Leo Strauss and his political theories... and you will get a better picture of why people are becoming so selfish and personal-satisfaction-oriented as oppose to humans as a group of individuals working for the group benefit.

Leo claims that the social chaos that took place in the United States in the 1960's was purely a result of Liberalism... the idea and notion that what is most important is freedom and liberty for the individuals... and this ideology slowy began to eat away at the social and moral framework of America. The social and ethical morals could be questioned as people endevoured to fulfill and satisfy their own selfish desires, dreams, liberties and freedoms.
When you have too many people believe in their right to liberty and freedom, inevitably... conflict will rise... and conflicting desires will arise amongst the people... and with masses of people believing in this idea, you have masses of people conflicting with others... We became selfish, according to Strauss... and Liberalism and the idea of the self all gave birth to diseases in society that eat at its core...

I personally do believe that people need to wake up and realize that they are humans. I was watching the movie BORAT the other day... it wasnt too much to my taste and I found myself turning it off 20 minutes into it, but nonetheless there was this part where Borat is in the street saying hello to people, and trying to come up to them to kiss them. Now the reactions of people to him, or the ones that were left in the cut for the movie, were all negative. People running away from him, threatening to punch or hit him, or simply pushing him away and walking on by.

Now that may be what you would do, but I think that people have forgotten that they are humans... and that they are all humans. Selfish desires and selfish ambitions in the world we live in have somehow disintegrated the social framework of society... and people are less in touch with their humane side, if it exists at all. The earth has stopped from being a place for humans to co-exist side by side... it has become a place for not co-existance, but co-mpetetion. Where money was the means to attaining our desires to satisfy our needs, it is now different. Now it money is no longer the means... but is more or less the desired end.

Getting along is more important that who is right.

Answer 7

If someone swears the moon is made of green cheese do you try to teach them how to determine that it isn't, of just go along with their misconceptions?