Open-Mindedness: Lesson #1

I grew up as a true-believing Mormon, and did everything (I mean everything) that a good little Mormon boy was expected to do. Since I no longer pretend to adhere to the Mormon dogmatic/doctrinal/
"whatever you wanna call it" belief system, I'm often asked where I stand in relation to religion - or even ... dun-duh-duh ... God. I'd like to say, "I don't believe in God" which is, I admit, the truth. But usually I'll say something like, "I'm not sure what to think." I do this to avoid a long and pointless debate about the supernatural. Sure, you might think I'm avoiding the issue so I can save face, and this may be true, but it's mostly because I want to save time.

There are times however when I do admit the truth - like when I'm chatting with someone on a bus or a flight who I just met for the first time, or with someone who doesn't enjoy being a judgmental bastard, or with someone who prefers to listen and understand (imagine that!) Regardless of the precautions I take, I never know exactly how people will respond when I open up to them.

Some people will accept what I say and even make me feel completely normal for my having no belief in God. But then, there will always be some people who think that "not believing in something" equates to "knowing that something is not true." Some think that I'm too much of a "scientist" and that I have to have proof to accept anything. Others think I should be more open-minded and consider all options. Well, in that vein, I found a very well-produced video on youtube today that explains the importance of understanding what genuine science and open-mindedness really are.

Whether you believe in a higher power or not, open-mindedness and critical thinking are absolutely invaluable assets. Lacking one or the other means you're either short on creativity or you're just really gullible. Then again, if you're close-minded, it doesn't really matter if you possess critical thinking skills because you've closed yourself off from new ideas that would require them. If you choose to be open-minded and critically evaluate ALL information, you may find that science and the natural world have more meaning than you expected.

You can see the video here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T69TOuqaqXI