Are You "Open-Minded"?

[AZ Jim]

I cannot be evangelized. I spent much of my adolescent years seeking "God" only to end up a non-believer once I finally committed to a opinion as an adult. Over the years several people have tried to convince me to "accept my savior". I am sorry and do not mean to offend anyone with my position but I don't buy any of it. It would take far too long to share why I feel as I do, but suffice to say I am solid in my position.

 

[Warrigal]

In other words, on this subject your mind is made up and the matter is closed.
All of us have areas where we are not open minded, often for very good reasons.
We'd be mental jelly fish if this was not so.

 

[AZ Jim]

Yes DW my open minded journey let me to a conclusion and it still works for me. I agree about the jelly fish analogy.

 

[Denise1952]

I am seeking even though I was also "evangelized" but I considered the source to be man/woman, just like me, and I don't trust that, but I still seek, so I am open to any information that I might evaluate, and even test out. I mean, if I got a burning bush, my first instinct would be to put it out. But if it spoke to me, trust me, I would listen(and if it turned out to be Phil yankin my chain I'd slap the crap out of him). I think the only problem with "religion" is much of it is man-made, maybe all, but I can't believe puny man/woman created all that is. So I hope I am open to "it" whatever "it" may be as that is not something I want to miss out on.

 

[Ameriscot]

I am fine with what anyone else does or believes as long as it is not hurting anyone else. I was around a lot of narrow minded evangelicals when I lived in TN. They thought they were good christians who were going to heaven, but they would make someone gay feel unwelcome in their churches because it was their belief that a gay person could not be a christian. I have no tolerance for that attitude.

 

[hollydolly]

I cannot be evangelized. I spent much of my adolescent years seeking "God" only to end up a non-believer once I finally committed to a opinion as an adult. Over the years several people have tried to convince me to "accept my savior". I am sorry and do not mean to offend anyone with my position but I don't buy any of it. It would take far too long to share why I feel as I do, but suffice to say I am solid in my position.

and absolutely you should be..I agree. Everyone has the right to believe what they believe and not have to answer to anyone else as to why that's the case..

 

[Meanderer]

Not if we can be honest with ourselves

That is a big "if".

 

[oakapple]

There are other things to be open minded about [apart from religion].Remember that town, Billings? that Classic rockr went to with his California number plate on the car.Who would want to live in a town like that?It wasn't a European number plate [what would they have made of THAT I wonder?] The sort of place that calls you a Commie if you suggest anything left leaning, or a pansy [I'm being polite here] if a man wears a pink shirt. Stereotyping people is a very narrow minded thing to do.

 

[Denise1952]

Science explains through the repeated verification via observation. When all who 'test' the question or issue repeatedly and come up with the same answer over and over, than it can be 'known'. Anything less than that is faith or belief or hope.

And science can be a basis for spiritual things. I'm a keen fan of a NASA physicist name Tom Campbell and I believe that his explanation of what science has proven to be true (via the Double Slit Experiment and the Measurement Problem) supports the 'likelihood' of a Consciousness that designed and created the physical world as we know it and for a very specific reason and it had nothing to do with 'worship Me because I am God'. Toms thinking on the whole question of our spiritual and physical world, in my mind, is supported by the experiences of people who have died and come back as well as a number of other experiential philosophies and historical ancient traditions. Now these ideas would truly be a test of how open minded one is I think.

I think that I can say wholeheartedly that I am very open minded. The only place where I draw the line is when a being or the planet is being harmed whether deliberately or through ignorance. And I'd say too that being open-minded also requires us to be skeptical at all times and open to new understandings based on new evidence.

You have a good point, and this was an interesting read. I don't understand a lot of the wording because I guess I am ignorant to much of the scientific world But I still grasped most of what you shared Debby. I hope I am not close-minded, I like hearing your read. My final answer would be, he could be absolutely right I have read a few of the NDE stories, and my sister had one when she almost died giving birth to her first child. She said she was like "up toward the ceiling" watching herself and the doctors. So there is something, much I don't know or understand.

 

[Debby]

You have a good point, and this was an interesting read. I don't understand a lot of the wording because I guess I am ignorant to much of the scientific world But I still grasped most of what you shared Debby. I hope I am not close-minded, I like hearing your read. My final answer would be, he could be absolutely right I have read a few of the NDE stories, and my sister had one when she almost died giving birth to her first child. She said she was like "up toward the ceiling" watching herself and the doctors. So there is something, much I don't know or understand.

Well that's interesting Denise! Sounds like your sister could have been included in any of the books I've read on the subject.

I first got interested in this sort of thing via another phenomena when a very close friend mentioned that he'd had an out of body experience (OBE) one time. Because he's such a stable and smart guy, I didn't doubt what he experienced at all. He said that one night after falling asleep beside his wife, he'd 'woken up' and as he was standing at the foot of the bed, feeling a little confused, he turned to look at his wife and saw someone in bed beside her. He was really shocked when he realized that he was looking at himself! And at that point, he 'snapped' back into himself and then really woke up. I've read that 1 in 25 people have that kind of experience at least once in their lifetime and some folks have OBE's regularly.

So I read a bunch on OBE's and then branched out into near death experiences.

For anyone curious about OBE's, you should take a peek at three books written by Robert Monroe. Very interesting believe me. Test time folks: How open minded are you?

 

[Falcon]

I tend to go along with Lenin, who said, "God did not make man. Man made God."

 

[Denise1952]

Well that's interesting Denise! Sounds like your sister could have been included in any of the books I've read on the subject.

I first got interested in this sort of thing via another phenomena when a very close friend mentioned that he'd had an out of body experience (OBE) one time. Because he's such a stable and smart guy, I didn't doubt what he experienced at all. He said that one night after falling asleep beside his wife, he'd 'woken up' and as he was standing at the foot of the bed, feeling a little confused, he turned to look at his wife and saw someone in bed beside her. He was really shocked when he realized that he was looking at himself! And at that point, he 'snapped' back into himself and then really woke up. I've read that 1 in 25 people have that kind of experience at least once in their lifetime and some folks have OBE's regularly.

So I read a bunch on OBE's and then branched out into near death experiences.

For anyone curious about OBE's, you should take a peek at three books written by Robert Monroe. Very interesting believe me. Test time folks: How open minded are you?

Another thing that interests me is that Deja Vu, I have it maybe a couple of times a year, and all my life. I could sware I had done exactly the same thing, same surrounding etc. Many times in places I had NEVER been before.

 

[Denise1952]

I tend to go along with Lenin, who said, "God did not make man. Man made God."

I go along with that when some of the religion is just too stupid for any God with infinite wisdom. That's the only type of God I can grasp, one of infinite "everything".

 

[Temperance]

I consider myself to be pretty open minded. Guess I'm one of those "big city folks", but must add I wasn't into drugs. Considered back then as a "juice head". Hey, I'm thirsty too, make mine a Coors Light, thank you.

 

[Josiah]

I consider myself to be pretty open minded. Guess I'm one of those "big city folks", but must add I wasn't into drugs. Considered back then as a "juice head". Hey, I'm thirsty too, make mine a Coors Light, thank you.

The avatar name that you chose says it all.

 

[Debby]

Another thing that interests me is that Deja Vu, I have it maybe a couple of times a year, and all my life. I could sware I had done exactly the same thing, same surrounding etc. Many times in places I had NEVER been before.

I've never had deja vu but I had a lucid dream once and that was really cool! That's when you realize that you are asleep but in a dream and you are conscious of being 'in a dream'. Really a neat experience and I woke up feeling very empowered. Some people have those kinds of dreams a lot (my husband used to lucky guy!) and when you are there, you can do things deliberately that in real life are impossible...like flying and stuff. So the minute I realized I was in my dream, my next thought was, 'what should I do that would be really fun (like flying).....and I woke up. I was so disappointed and I've never had one since.

As to your deja vu, well maybe in some other dimension you have been there, or maybe had that experience in another lifetime or.....who really knows right? Does that feeling last a long moment, short moment or does it last for a bit? Methinks there are more things between heaven and earth than meets the eye!

 

[Denise1952]

Agreed about way more then we know My deja vu is only for a few seconds. And I have had the flying dream where I actually controlled some of it, also, I have woken, and been able to go back to a dream like that, not often, but I have. I've also had the "trying to get away from whatever" and felt as if I had cement shoes on, ahhhhhhh!!

 

[SeaBreeze]

Debby, I have lucid dreams occasionally like flying, and it's awesome to be able to acknowledge that you are dreaming and control your experience...incredible, big dreamer here.

 

[jwk246]

Too many folks don't question things enough. They are rep or dem because their family or spouse is and they are catholic or meth. for the same reasons. Folks don't question their beliefs enough. Be open minded enough to listen to the other side of the discussion. I won't get into Fox news. That would cause an explosion.

 

[Josiah]

Too many folks don't question things enough. They are rep or dem because their family or spouse is and they are catholic or meth. for the same reasons. Folks don't question their beliefs enough. Be open minded enough to listen to the other side of the discussion. I won't get into Fox news. That would cause an explosion.

The politically active members of the SF are pretty much avowedly partisan, but I think you have to give us all credit for the fact that we take our positions very seriously and we didn't come by them just because a parent or a spouse held the same position. The liberals will say that the conservatives aren't open minded and the conservatives will say the same thing about the liberals. But we do have lots of fun berating each other.

 

[Denise1952]

Too many folks don't question things enough. They are rep or dem because their family or spouse is and they are catholic or meth. for the same reasons. Folks don't question their beliefs enough. Be open minded enough to listen to the other side of the discussion. I won't get into Fox news. That would cause an explosion.

This is an excellent post, and although I think that we should be passionate about what we believe, when it tears down our fellow man, well, I'm not goin there anymore, I hope. Maybe some folks are so positive of truth, and that is neat, that they are that sure of things. I hope even if I ever am that sure of things, I don't have to belittle anyone else that thinks differently.

 

[Ameriscot]

Well that's interesting Denise! Sounds like your sister could have been included in any of the books I've read on the subject.

I first got interested in this sort of thing via another phenomena when a very close friend mentioned that he'd had an out of body experience (OBE) one time. Because he's such a stable and smart guy, I didn't doubt what he experienced at all. He said that one night after falling asleep beside his wife, he'd 'woken up' and as he was standing at the foot of the bed, feeling a little confused, he turned to look at his wife and saw someone in bed beside her. He was really shocked when he realized that he was looking at himself! And at that point, he 'snapped' back into himself and then really woke up. I've read that 1 in 25 people have that kind of experience at least once in their lifetime and some folks have OBE's regularly.

So I read a bunch on OBE's and then branched out into near death experiences.

For anyone curious about OBE's, you should take a peek at three books written by Robert Monroe. Very interesting believe me. Test time folks: How open minded are you?

In the early 90's I met someone who introduced me to the books by Carlos Castaneda which made me start to question what I thought I knew, not that I took his books as total fact. Then I started reading about OBE's and lucid dreaming. I worked hard on trying to achieve both, nearly having an OBE one night while trying to go to sleep. Had a few lucid/semi-lucid dreams. Very interesting experiences!

So I'm open to just about anything unseen and unprovable being possible. Maybe there's a heaven and a hell, maybe we just rot in the ground, maybe there is reincarnation, maybe there are spirits wandering the earth. Don't know. Can't prove or disprove any of it.

 

[Ameriscot]

The politically active members of the SF are pretty much avowedly partisan, but I think you have to give us all credit for the fact that we take our positions very seriously and we didn't come by them just because a parent or a spouse held the same position. The liberals will say that the conservatives aren't open minded and the conservatives will say the same thing about the liberals. But we do have lots of fun berating each other.

Right. I did not become a democrat because my dad or people in my family were one. I felt very early that Democrats were on the side of the poor and wanted to help those lesser off, and the Republicans were the opposite. Simplistic, but that's how I felt the first time I voted in 1972 at the age of 20.

As for religion I was raised strict catholic but by 14 I questioned everything I was being taught and rejected most of it.

 

[Ameriscot]

The politically active members of the SF are pretty much avowedly partisan, but I think you have to give us all credit for the fact that we take our positions very seriously and we didn't come by them just because a parent or a spouse held the same position. The liberals will say that the conservatives aren't open minded and the conservatives will say the same thing about the liberals. But we do have lots of fun berating each other.

Another thing that interests me is that Deja Vu, I have it maybe a couple of times a year, and all my life. I could sware I had done exactly the same thing, same surrounding etc. Many times in places I had NEVER been before.

I'm curious about all the times when I've thought of someone I hadn't seen in years and out of the blue they walk down the street. Or why people who are pessimistic always seem to attract negativity and crises in their lives.

 

[Ameriscot]

The politically active members of the SF are pretty much avowedly partisan, but I think you have to give us all credit for the fact that we take our positions very seriously and we didn't come by them just because a parent or a spouse held the same position. The liberals will say that the conservatives aren't open minded and the conservatives will say the same thing about the liberals. But we do have lots of fun berating each other.

Debby, I have lucid dreams occasionally like flying, and it's awesome to be able to acknowledge that you are dreaming and control your experience...incredible, big dreamer here.

I bought a guide on how to have lucid dreams way back in the early 90's. I kept a dream journal and also a small tape recorder next to my bed so I could remember the dream I was having when I woke up without opening my eyes (which usually makes the memory disappear). Throughout the day I would ask myself if I was dreaming and why I thought I was or wasn't. Flying was something I wanted to do, and I finally did it - once. It was amazing! I was in a chocolate shop in one dream when I realized I was dreaming and how great it was I could eat it all and not get fat! Another time I was taking a shower and asked myself if I was dreaming. I tasted the soap to prove I was.

When I was driving down a motorway on a long trip alone and was a bit tired I wondered if I was dreaming and for a split second thought I might be. That scared me! I no longer worked on becoming lucid.