@maxdancona,
maxdancona wrote:
Did you intend this as an interesting discussion about "mental health and Spirituality", or just another thread promoting a specific religion. I want to talk about the psychology here (the "my religion is the bestest" blather isn't interesting to anyone).
I am defining a term; "confident but open minded" (this corresponds to #3 in my original list). It has the following two criteria.
1) I am confident that my beliefs are correct... but I am willing to consider the possibility that I might be wrong. If I learn new evidence that shows that my beliefs are wrong, I will change them.
2) I am confident that my beliefs are correct... but I am willing to look at them from other points of view accepting that we are all human beings. I understand and accept that other human beings have different beliefs with the same confidence that I have.
I am curious if you think "confident but open minded" is a good attitude for a Christian to have?
If what you said here is true, Max...you might consider what I KNOW to be true; determine if it is also true for you; and see if you cannot incorporate it into something more definitive than you now express.
I KNOW that I do not know if gods exist or not;
I KNOW that I see no reason to suspect gods CANNOT EXIST (that the existence of a GOD or gods is impossible);
I KNOW that I see no reason to suspect that gods MUST EXIST (that at least one god is needed to explain existence);
I KNOW that I do not see enough unambiguous evidence upon which to base a meaningful guess in either direction;
And I KNOW...for that reason, I do not make a guess.
Especially the first three...which I see as applicable to everyone except people who are deluded.
I think the fourth is almost certain for EVERYONE.
The fifth seems to come as a matter of logic.