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Pastimes : SPIRITUALITY and its effect on Religion - Are they the same? -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Grandk who wrote (60)	12/31/2005 2:39:59 PM
From: Walkingshadow	Respond to of 65

<< I have found that I learn a lot more from others when I approach discussions with an open mind; it is much more fruitful. >> Yes, I think so also. It also helps if there is no personal stake in the outcome, that is, if I don't care what you end up believing, then we can talk. On a more fundamental level, I think that is a special circumstance of a very general priniciple: in order to be free, I must FIRST allow others to be free, and allow them to do and say and think anything they like. And accept it. THEN, and ONLY THEN, can I be free. I have a very good friend. We have opposite political inclinations. We argue about these things a lot, but it has never once degenerated into any kind of anger or personal attacks or anything. In fact, usually these things end with laughter. We have done this for many years, and a few years ago, somebody noticed us doing this, and commented that he didn't understand how we could possibly get along. I don't think either of us had give it much thought up until then, but me and my friend had to stop and consider the question. The conclusion we came to rather quickly really was that we always argued and discussed things that were external to us. It was never HIS beliefs or MY beliefs. It was A belief, or a set of facts or events, and how they might be interpreted. So things were not hogtied to him or me, but were external to us both, and we never got personal, and nobody ever got defensive or insulting or upset or threatened or anything. << dogmatism and love make poor bedfellows. >> Yes, well put. I think the reason is that dogmatism is the opposite of the only realistic response to the true nature of the human condition. And that response would be blind faith (is there any other kind?). So to the extent that dogmatism is present, then just to that extent does one drift from reality, and also just to that extent are the fires of fear stoked. And the further from reality one drifts, and the more fear is present, the greater the chances that one will respond to others in ways that are irrational, hurtful, self-defeating, confrontational----all of which are inconsistent with and cannot coexist with love, which will then be increasingly eradicated. .....all IMHO, of course. T