Thank you for having more of an inquisitive rather than debating
I guess I am worried about the Brainwashing factor. What a person believes is often what they become. Can they become who they were meant to be, convinced throughout childhood beliefs that might limit their actions and choices?
The issue with that thought, though, is assuming that religious indoctrinated people are limited because they were not give choices outside of their religious paths. I see this in a couple of ways. Is it healthy? Whose choice is it anyway?
If the indoctrination isn't healthy-say priests yelling at congregants and threatening them to hell, then, yes, I can see why a lot of people leave religion. However, that is not what religion is about. Unless that congregant doesn't believe the
actual faith regardless of the people, I don't see his reason for leaving the Church unless it was just a decision or something he experience that he didn't like (among other healthy or unhealthy decisions). However, I never actually heard anyone leave the Church and any religion "just because."
Then you have to think of "whose chose is it anyway?" Are they brainwashed or do
some of them actually choose to stay in their cultured or adopted faith because it gives them a connection with family and their community as a whole?
It's not just about the person, though. Many cultures build their foundation off of their faith. A couple of people here say they are atheist or non-religious
and they still practice the teachings of their religion they still have because it is part of tradition and family.
So, there are a lot of factors involved. Some people feel limited and leave family/religion. I mean, when I went to the Church, an African American male (I'm African American) said, "so you went to a white Church, huh?" He seriously meant I disowned "our" religion and tradition handed down to us. Basically, I disowned the community. This was a stranger.
It really depends on whether one is in a healthy environment and/or how that person sees his religion in relation to himself, his family, and his environment. Outside of that, I can see your point.
Can true diversity ever be express when there are limits to our thinking?
Not everyone desires diversity in thought. I mean, my friend doesn't want to study other religions because she felt it would confuse her faith-even though she has practiced since birth. It's not limitation
from her point of view and I understand why. Just for me, I find it weird but that's
my morals not a universal moral that everyone should abide by or else.
In my opinion, if we are limited in thinking, then diversity in thought is hard if not impossible. I feel every religious should have some knowledge and/or experience in other faiths to really appreciate their own. I have a Jehovah Witness friend and her trainee who asked me about my faith. We talked about Paganism (at the time) and The Buddhist faith. They looked it up. We exchanged our religions and our realities.
Another JW asked me the same thing as I used to always see her at the bus stop every morning to work. We talked, she was interested, and, of course told me about her beliefs. It was respectful.
Bahai, at least online I haven't met any Bahai in person, seem to be open to diversity as well.
So, it depends on the people (in JW case) and it depends on the religion and its tenants (Baha'i case).
Perhaps there are many lessons to be learned limited such as how to think for oneself. Maybe when one follows long enough they get tired of it then learns to guide their own choices.
That depends on if you limit religious people as if they cannot make their own choices. The Buddhist school I follow doesn't allow me to make any choice I want to. I am limited in that the focus of how I become free (unlimited) is addressing the workings of the mind (rather than heart as in, say, Christianity). It doesn't feel like limitation because the mind does a lot of things and when we understand it, being religious is being free.
That's how religion, I feel, should be. It should make you free. I gravitate to freedom of expression. If I don't have that within religion, it doesn't work.
Even though Buddhism is strict, we still make our own choices. That is the point of it, actually. In Christianity, it is actually the same way (depending on denomination is depending on the severity of it). The actual teachings of Christ does not promote obedience (do this or else) it promotes worship and reverence that benefits the believer (
if you follow me, I give you this). The former, I see in Islam, the latter, in Christianity and like faiths.
The issue is the denomination not the religion and sacred text. In Christianity, OT god killed so many people
and his intention was for the
good of the people. Jesus Christ warned against disobeying his father. It put more emphasis on the believer's heart rather than the believer's actions as in the OT.
It's another way of saying "free will." They have freedom of choice.
They choose to follow Christ and with that comes responsibilities (not rules and regulations). If I had a job, with that comes responsibilities. Same as religion. Unless someone corrects me, Muslim is the only religion I know that focus more on obedience.
Contentment is great and I know many people have that through their religions. On the other hand, since there is always more knowledge to learn, discover, and acquire, can one really ever be content? My hunger to know keeps me moving forward.
Some people are actually content in the real sense of the word. They (as I mentioned with the JW above) acquire and discover. It depends on the denomination and religion rather than a generalization of religion and the religious as a whole.
My friend feels content via security, support, and relationship with her culture.
I feel secure by freedom of expression, understanding how I think and how it influences who I am and what I perceive myself-basically, reality.
Others may be secure in their morals even though they don't call it religious.
That security, support, or however they name it, lets them be content. There isn't one way to be content. There is no "we vs. them." Diversity in thought doesn't separate people but accept and if possible experience the differences from their perspective. It's a beautiful thing to really
experience the sacraments of Christ
and still not believe in the Church. Like falling in love and then breaking up on good terms.
If we are promoting diversity, there are many steps to do so without imposing that others are limited while we are not. We are not the center of the universe.
