Are Christians Closed-Minded?

[rookiebatman]

I was raised in a Christian family, and I was a committed Christian for all of my young life, as was my older brother (he still is). One day when I was in high school, I was reading something about Christianity that troubled me, so I walked into my brother's room and asked him if we, as Christians, were (or should be) closed-minded. He thought about it for a moment and said, "yes."

If you are a Christian, do you believe (without any positive or negative value judgment for the moment) that you are closed-minded?

Jesus said, "blessed are those who have not seen, and yet believed." As a mirror-image to my other thread about whether skepticism is a sin, do you believe that being closed to other possibilities (other than God existing and Jesus being his risen son) is virtuous?

If you are a former Christian, do you believe that you were closed-minded while you were a Christian, and if so, do you believe that your leaving the church was a direct result of you becoming open-minded?

[Wissing]

[Replying to post 40 by rookiebatman]

Certainly. My personal experience in Africa, and in my own life, tells me that it's the other way around: that birth control is only treating the symptoms of poverty, and that a society without a basic infrastructure cannot possibly build a self-sustaining system for producing and distributing birth control effectively. Please provide your own experience on the matter, or provide a few more details about Hitchens' theory, and how it has been applied in real life, and the results of his theory. I would like to see some citations, so that I can investigate this further. If you're on to something here, perhaps this is a legitimate way of moving forward.

[Peds nurse]

[Replying to post 1 by rookiebatman]

I am a Christian. I have never had the desire to search other beliefs. It isn't due to being close minded, it has more to do with being without a doubt convinced that God is who he says he is. It is about a relationship so real and so intense, that you trust Him completely and whole heartedly.

I sometimes question what he wants me to do, but I don't ever question that he exists. His Spirit inside of me, is my proof.

[rookiebatman]

Certainly. My personal experience in Africa, and in my own life, tells me that it's the other way around: that birth control is only treating the symptoms of poverty, and that a society without a basic infrastructure cannot possibly build a self-sustaining system for producing and distributing birth control effectively. Please provide your own experience on the matter, or provide a few more details about Hitchens' theory, and how it has been applied in real life, and the results of his theory. I would like to see some citations, so that I can investigate this further. If you're on to something here, perhaps this is a legitimate way of moving forward.

I don't really have "a dog in that fight," so to speak. I don't have nearly enough information to make a judgment about whether Hitchens' viewpoint was correct, I'm just offering that as an example of an atheist giving a "godless" way of handling a societal problem. I don't really care about the issue much beyond that, but if you want to inquire further, you can go to Youtube and search "Hitchens Theresa." There should be multiple videos of him talking about it; I think he may have even written an entire book on the subject, but I'm not positive.

[Wissing]

[Replying to post 43 by rookiebatman]

Hey rookiebatman, I'll tell you what. I just asked 3 people to provide evidence for their statements, and I'm awaiting replies on the other 2. So how about this: if neither Willum nor Danmark chooses to pursue this further, how about you and I start a new thread, do some research, and discuss the topic of Hitchens vs Theresa in greater detail over the next few weeks?

(Although, I'll give precedence to Willum first, since I replied to him first, then to Danmark, then you - I can only commit to one discussion at a time if I'm going to be thorough).

[Zzyzx]

.

I have never had the desire to search other beliefs. It isn't due to being close minded, it has more to do with being without a doubt convinced that God is who he says he is.

How is that any different from saying, "I use XYZ laundry detergent because I know it is best. I have not tried any others and have not read Consumer Reports because I know it is best because its advertising says so"?

[Willum]

[Replying to post 38 by Wissing]

You are changing the subject, after making some presumptuous, if not offensive assumptions about my background.

The point is NOT the problems you can solve. You can solve problems by interpolating the rules of Monopoly onto a problem.

So, once more: Whatever your beliefs you can make decisions on them, right or wrong.
If the subject of your belief is wrong, then you still make the same decisions.

The litmus is to put them into an absolute of at least neutral situation and see if they arrive at correct conclusions.

If you want me to select one? OK, what is the point of original sin?
No, don't answer. The best Biblical scholars have already failed at this very Biblical problem.
How about the existence of quasars? Well, the Bible calls stars "lesser lights," so fail.

Are there any absolute of at least neutral situation we can apply the Bible to and see if they arrive at correct conclusions?

[Zzyzx]

.

I didn't bring up any specific moral problems. Now that you mention it, I will bring up a specific problem: substandard housing in Appalachia. I believe that faith in God is critical to solving that problem, because without faith in God, one has only faith in Man. Mankind's understanding is not sufficient.

As one who has spent a decade plus in Appalachia, completed undergraduate school there, married a woman from there, started raising a family there, worked there, knew many people there I have a few observations.

Many people who live in Appalachia are VERY Christian (including former in-laws and many friends). They apparently pray often and seek God's help to overcome housing and other problems. There is "a church on every corner" so to speak. However, God doesn't seem interested in helping. Why not? Are they not fervent enough? Are they going to the wrong churches?

I witnessed this ineptitude of Man (myself included) for several years, and I still stand no closer to having a practical solution to the problem.

When "inept" man has moved a major manufacturing plant into a community conditions "magically" improve " no gods required.

We need the Lord. That's my opinion, and my solution is to let him direct me, because I don't have it all figured out.

Rather than praying for help from a god, it might be more effective to consult with PEOPLE to attract business and industry.

How are you solving the problem? I am open-mindedly ready to hear your solution to the problem of substandard housing in Appalachia, or any other specific problem of your choosing. I want to know that your worldview is constructive and solution oriented, and not merely defined by what you don't believe in.

While I was in East Tennessee a furniture manufacturer opened a plant in a nearby community. People drove fifty miles over mountain roads to take jobs at that plant. They must have passed MANY churches which apparently did nothing to improve conditions (but probably consumed resources and energy that might have been expended more wisely and productively).

Thus, a possible solution: convert church buildings to some useful function such as producing cedar chests or lawn furniture (anything useful) and provide jobs paying wages adequate to allow people to improve their living conditions.

Religion promotes hope without substance. Industry produces substance. Pick one.

[rookiebatman]

Hey rookiebatman, I'll tell you what. I just asked 3 people to provide evidence for their statements, and I'm awaiting replies on the other 2. So how about this: if neither Willum nor Danmark chooses to pursue this further, how about you and I start a new thread, do some research, and discuss the topic of Hitchens vs Theresa in greater detail over the next few weeks?

(Although, I'll give precedence to Willum first, since I replied to him first, then to Danmark, then you - I can only commit to one discussion at a time if I'm going to be thorough).

I'd be up for that. It looks like Willum has replied, so you can probably take it from there, but if you feel like starting that thread at any point, I'll do my best to contribute (as long as I don't have to read Hitchens' whole book).

[rookiebatman]

While I was in East Tennessee a furniture manufacturer opened a plant in a nearby community. People drove fifty miles over mountain roads to take jobs at that plant. They must have passed MANY churches which apparently did nothing to improve conditions (but probably consumed resources and energy that might have been expended more wisely and productively).

Thus, a possible solution: convert church buildings to some useful function such as producing cedar chests or lawn furniture (anything useful) and provide jobs paying wages adequate to allow people to improve their living conditions.

Religion promotes hope without substance. Industry produces substance. Pick one.

This point reminded me of a classic Snoopy comic strip, and the search for an online copy of that strip in turn reminded me that such non-help was actually reproached in the Bible.
http://bullardjournal.blogs.com/bullard ... s-216.html

[OnceConvinced]

I am an ex-Christian. I would have to say I was closed minded in the fact that if it didn't line up with the bible, then it couldn't be true. The bible was the benchmark and it was God's infallible word. I could easily flag away evolution as fiction. I could easily condemn witches and gays. If the bible said it, it just had to be true.

It was probing questions and challenges being made to me that forced me to have to look at things from different perspectives.