Christians are frequently derided as being closed-minded and ignorant. But is anyone truly open-minded?
For the last several years, I have engaged in countless discussions with atheists, agnostics, and skeptics concerning the claims of the Christian faith. With few exceptions, I have found that minds are made up before the conversation even begins. What's ironic is that this is the charge leveled normally against Christians, with non-Christians being given some kind of "pass."
The audacity of atheists, agnostics, and skeptics to call Christians closed-mined is stunning, to say the least. To be sure, there are many - and I do mean "MANY" Christians that fit that description. They stubbornly cling to phrases and interpretations they've been taught to believe, and berate or belittle those who disagree with them. These Christians do little to bring credit to Jesus. This was never Jesus' way, nor was it Paul's way. Paul, the most famous missionary in Christian history, spent time going into the marketplace and the synagogues - REASONING with people about God and Christ. More than a few Christians today have lost the ability to reason. They ignore Paul's admonition to "study" and to "rightly divide" the word of truth.
However, this is only half the story. People IN GENERAL are fast losing the ability to reason and discuss differences of opinion in CIVIL, CONSTRUCTIVE debate. Instead, we prefer labels, insults, and sound bytes. And people - from atheists to Christian fundamentalists - come to those debates with presuppositions and assumptions.
Atheists, agnostics, Jews, and Christians from past eras - before television and rampant consumerism - knew how to engage in thoughtful discourse. They reasoned together. To be sure, they had presuppositions and assumptions as well, but something constructive came out of those conversations. There was an intellectual deepening of all parties, and observers of the dialogues felt that they learned something from them. Today, we learn little more than how to mock, ridicule, and laugh at the opposition.
I'm just another person in the marketplace of ideas. I lay no claim to a superior intellect or any cranial high ground. However, I call upon all those here in the Suite101 community to lay aside their egos and their anger, and to resist the impulse to insult and to attack. I ask that we all treat each other with courtesy and respect - even those we strongly disagree with. Let's reject labels and insults. Instead...
Let us reason together.
