Does religion discourage independent thinking?

Does active involvement in religion or faith come at the price of someone having to sacrifice their independent thinking at the mantle of its principals?

Quite the contrary. I have found those who have this grand hatred if anything religious to be the ones who cannot think rationally. Sure, some religious may be like that but that is due to their own problems and not the religion.

I'd say most of the time yes. If you're overly religious, you tend to block out everything else except that which your religion teaches you and won't be as openminded as people who aren't very religious or at all.

Galileo didn't think so.

It's why I had to abandon it.

Traditions, customs and unwritten social rules tend to discourage independent thinking most of the time.

It depends on the individual. If they're not strong minded in the first place then yes it's very possible, but that exists outside of religion and in every other group of people as well, political groups, social groups, etc., they all have members who let someone else do their thinking and make all their decisions for them.

My problem was the opposite, TOO strong minded. The issue I ran into was one of having an entirely different mindset from the core beliefs. I will not give up my own personal standards, opinions & beliefs. I have a mind of my own.

Chris wrote:Does active involvement in religion or faith come at the price of someone having to sacrifice their independent thinking at the mantle of its principals?

I think most of the time, no. That would be the definition of a cult member, not a religious person. If a religious person sacrifices their independent thinking, that's an individual decision, that has nothing to do with the religion.

CeCe wrote:My problem was the opposite, TOO strong minded. The issue I ran into was one of having an entirely different mindset from the core beliefs. I will not give up my own personal standards, opinions & beliefs. I have a mind of my own.

Wow, CeCe, that's very impressive. Now I'm just waiting for you to give yourself a round of applause. I sense it coming!

It depends on the religion and how it's practiced. The Southern Baptist church that we were brought up in at first was very much discouraging...We were told that if we had questions about the Bible, that was Satan tempting us. Pretty much any thing that didn't agree with what the preacher was preaching actually was Satan's work, Satan tempting us.

I don't think all churches are like that though.

MandyPerfumeGirl wrote:

CeCe wrote:My problem was the opposite, TOO strong minded. The issue I ran into was one of having an entirely different mindset from the core beliefs. I will not give up my own personal standards, opinions & beliefs. I have a mind of my own.

Wow, CeCe, that's very impressive. Now I'm just waiting for you to give yourself a round of applause. I sense it coming!

Excuse the hell outta me?

No. I consider myself a Christian, but I don't blindly believe everything someone tells me pertaining to Christianity. I come to my own beliefs through my own way of thinking. Sometimes my beliefs go along with what other Christians believe, sometimes they don't. This is probably one reason I don't go to church. I don't like people telling me that I should think a certain scripture means this or that. Why should I believe it? Because you say it? Who are you to tell me what was meant by that?

CatEyes10736 wrote:No. I consider myself a Christian, but I don't blindly believe everything someone tells me pertaining to Christianity. I come to my own beliefs through my own way of thinking. Sometimes my beliefs go along with what other Christians believe, sometimes they don't. This is probably one reason I don't go to church. I don't like people telling me that I should think a certain scripture means this or that. Why should I believe it? Because you say it? Who are you to tell me what was meant by that?

Exactly.

Religion tries to lay out golden rules for every or most aspects to life and to get people to think a certain way, but it is up to each individual to decide how much they wanna buy into it. Some people need religion to make them stronger. Some need to walk away to be stronger. So yeah it tries but if it actually does then that's the persons fault.

I think what people consider "open-minded" is their own views and anybody who disagrees with them(ie religious people) are close-minded. If you don't support this social cause, you're close-minded. If you have found a traditional value that it has become inconvenient to remember to be still useful, you are close-minded. In other words, people consider themselves bastions of open-mindedness and anybody who disagrees with them is close-minded. That's been my observation at least.

The idea that religion really fosters close-mindedness is ridiculous. Of course, I think the idea of always having an open mind is a bit ridiculous; if your mind is always wide open, you'd never have anything you believe in. Therefore I say we all are close-minded to quite a degree.

I think religion offers much more Independent thinking than anything else. I could go on all day so I'll cut myself off.

Forgiveness Man wrote:I think what people consider "open-minded" is their own views and anybody who disagrees with them(ie religious people) are close-minded. If you don't support this social cause, you're close-minded. If you have found a traditional value that it has become inconvenient to remember to be still useful, you are close-minded. In other words, people consider themselves bastions of open-mindedness and anybody who disagrees with them is close-minded. That's been my observation at least.

The idea that religion really fosters close-mindedness is ridiculous. Of course, I think the idea of always having an open mind is a bit ridiculous; if your mind is always wide open, you'd never have anything you believe in. Therefore I say we all are close-minded to quite a degree.

I think religion offers much more Independent thinking than anything else. I could go on all day so I'll cut myself off.

On the reversal side, if your mind is always closed or "made" about everything (even the things you aren't familiar with), then you never evolve. One can believe in things, or have certain principals, without still refusing to consider, ponder or even accepting the alternative.

Impact wrote:On the reversal side, if your mind is always closed or "made" about everything (even the things you aren't familiar with), then you never evolve. One can believe in things, or have certain principals, without still refusing to consider, ponder or even accepting the alternative.

And I think religion can perfectly foster such a mentality of considering the alternative much more than anything else. The idea that religion inhibits independent thinking seems itself to be a closeminded attempt at refusing to consider an alternative.

I got no issues with questioning religion. I just give equal time and question those who question.

Forgiveness Man wrote:I think what people consider "open-minded" is their own views and anybody who disagrees with them(ie religious people) are close-minded. If you don't support this social cause, you're close-minded. If you have found a traditional value that it has become inconvenient to remember to be still useful, you are close-minded. In other words, people consider themselves bastions of open-mindedness and anybody who disagrees with them is close-minded. That's been my observation at least.

The idea that religion really fosters close-mindedness is ridiculous. Of course, I think the idea of always having an open mind is a bit ridiculous; if your mind is always wide open, you'd never have anything you believe in. Therefore I say we all are close-minded to quite a degree.

I think religion offers much more Independent thinking than anything else. I could go on all day so I'll cut myself off.

I disagree. I think that any one who says "my way is the only right way" is close minded. That's all.
If your religion leads you to believe that you have a monopoly on "the way to heaven" or fellowship with God, then that's closed minded, IMO...Not all religions are like that, but some are.

Forgiveness Man wrote:I think what people consider "open-minded" is their own views and anybody who disagrees with them(ie religious people) are close-minded. If you don't support this social cause, you're close-minded. If you have found a traditional value that it has become inconvenient to remember to be still useful, you are close-minded. In other words, people consider themselves bastions of open-mindedness and anybody who disagrees with them is close-minded. That's been my observation at least.

The idea that religion really fosters close-mindedness is ridiculous. Of course, I think the idea of always having an open mind is a bit ridiculous; if your mind is always wide open, you'd never have anything you believe in. Therefore I say we all are close-minded to quite a degree.

I think religion offers much more Independent thinking than anything else. I could go on all day so I'll cut myself off.

LOL. Ya'll just come up with anything don't cha? You can't literally mean that, lmao. You just can't. Typically being 'open minded' does not mean you don't or can't believe in anything. Where the hell would you even get that from? See, this is why people have problems with religion in general. It's not the religion itself. It's you people who come up with the most asinine analogies, assumptions and generalizations to justify how your thinking is the only 'right' way and anyone who thinks differently is somehow 'immoral' or wrong. You don't have to accept what I think. I don't have to accept what you think. But the close mindedness comes from not even willing to incorporate anything new or even listen to anything outside of what your religion tells you. Add the fact that you all are only following doctrine that a human made up and don't even know if it's actually the word of God or whomever you believe in.

thepossiblepolice wrote:I disagree. I think that any one who says "my way is the only right way" is close minded. That's all.
If your religion leads you to believe that you have a monopoly on "the way to heaven" or fellowship with God, then that's closed minded, IMO...Not all religions are like that, but some are.

Lots of people say "my way is the only right way" in regards to lots of things. Let's face facts, contradictory views cannot all be right. People don't tend to believe that their way is wrong. Hence it's not closeminded to believe that your way is the only right way; I'd argue that each and every person alive believes the exact same thing whether they admit it or not.

As for "the way to heaven," it's closeminded to not even entertain the possibility that they just MIGHT be right but that your way of "any way to get to heaven is good" is the ONLY right way instead. (At least by the definition you just set up.)

Closeminded is a term people just seem to try to use to label people they disagree with; we're all guilty of it. But sorry, religion is no more a bastion of closemindness than anything else.

Forgiveness Man wrote:

thepossiblepolice wrote:I disagree. I think that any one who says "my way is the only right way" is close minded. That's all.
If your religion leads you to believe that you have a monopoly on "the way to heaven" or fellowship with God, then that's closed minded, IMO...Not all religions are like that, but some are.

Lots of people say "my way is the only right way" in regards to lots of things. Let's face facts, contradictory views cannot all be right. People don't tend to believe that their way is wrong. Hence it's not closeminded to believe that your way is the only right way; I'd argue that each and every person alive believes the exact same thing whether they admit it or not.

As for "the way to heaven," it's closeminded to not even entertain the possibility that they just MIGHT be right but that your way of "any way to get to heaven is good" is the ONLY right way instead. (At least by the definition you just set up.)

Closeminded is a term people just seem to try to use to label people they disagree with; we're all guilty of it. But sorry, religion is no more a bastion of closemindness than anything else.

IMO, it's not the idea that you hold that makes you closed minded, its the belief that everyone else is wrong. I personally am agnostic, I don't believe that humans can "know" what happens after we die, but I'm willing to accept that someone else believes that they do, and that perhaps there are people who some how do. ANYONE could be right, imo. You could be right, but it's not my opinion that you are. Holding an opinion doesn't make someone closed minded, imo, but thinking that your opinion is fact, does.

Also, just because someone is closed minded,that doesn't make them bad or "wrong" imo. It just means that their mind isn't open. A religion that teaches "this is the way, the only way, the right way" period would of course foster closed mindedness, IMO, but I don't care what someone else believes, closed minded or not, until they try to force their view upon others.

^^^^^If people aren't wrong to be closeminded, then maybe fostering such a mentality isn't the worst thing. Somebody who truly believes in something over somebody who is wishy-washy about everything? Take your pick.

Forgiveness Man wrote:^^^^^If people aren't wrong to be closeminded, then maybe fostering such a mentality isn't the worst thing. Somebody who truly believes in something over somebody who is wishy-washy about everything? Take your pick.

As long as they aren't hurting other people, they are free to believe what they want and I refrain from judgement...either way.

thepossiblepolice wrote:
IMO, it's not the idea that you hold that makes you closed minded, its the belief that everyone else is wrong. I personally am agnostic, I don't believe that humans can "know" what happens after we die, but I'm willing to accept that someone else believes that they do, and that perhaps there are people who some how do. ANYONE could be right, imo. You could be right, but it's not my opinion that you are. Holding an opinion doesn't make someone closed minded, imo, but thinking that your opinion is fact, does.

Also, just because someone is closed minded,that doesn't make them bad or "wrong" imo. It just means that their mind isn't open. A religion that teaches "this is the way, the only way, the right way" period would of course foster closed mindedness, IMO, but I don't care what someone else believes, closed minded or not, until they try to force their view upon others.

I totally agree with this, does that make me closed-minded?