There is a segment of folks I met both in social media and everyday life who believe that because I am a Christian, Baptist, and member of the clergy, that I am somehow close-minded, ill-informed, and unenlightened—even worse, an oppressor of all “free-thinkers.”
I met a guy like that yesterday in a burger joint. We started chatting about “spiritual” stuff” and he brought up some new-age ideas, stuff about how we are “all god” (we are all ONE with the ‘I AM’), along with stuff about the “Law of Attraction,” and other types of thought. We he discovered that I was “Christian, Baptist, and a member of the clergy” he immediately assumed that I didn’t have a clue what he was talking about since I was stuck in my narrow “religious faith tradition.”
He was surprised to discover that I have read more resources than he had on such subjects–resources from some of the “biggest names” who are the gurus of such ideas. He was further surprised that I knew better what these new-age movement believe than he did. Even more, he was surprised that some of my friends are among its best selling and most prolific writers.
Just because I disagree with you does not make me close-minded, ill-informed, or unenlightened. It just means that after careful research, studying source materials, I have come to the conclusion that your ideas are wrong.
In fact, if you immediately assume that anyone who is “Christian, Baptist, and clergy” is close-minded, ill-informed, and unenlightened—even worse, an oppressor of all “free-thinkers” and that he OR SHE is “stuck” in a *narrow* “religious faith tradition” – then I would submit that you are, in fact, guilty of that which you despise.
Further, if you want me to consider that what you think is “hip” and “modern” and “new” might be truth, you ought to at least be open minded and free-thinking enough to consider that what is old, ancient, and has stood the test of time might actually be truth.
