Quote Originally Posted by idesign View Post
That's

not to say there couldn't be a core set of beliefs that one can hold which is valuable, perhaps even in an absolute

form. There may be elements of tradition (and/or religion) which are there for very good reasons, and we'd all be

the worse off for relegating them to archaic thought or belief. In other words, there are things which have always

been true, and will not cease to be true.
I am going to pick out the one thing I have a problem with, even

though I agree otherwise. Just because it's interesting. Hope it's OK.

There is no core set of beliefs that I

would not like to challenge and to have challenged in myself. NONE.

I'd challenge someone to name one thing

that we can all agree on that has always been True with a capital "T." I can't think of anything.

Science is

the tradition most dedicated to truth in a realistic sense, and belief in science is regarded as temporary working

hypothesis.

I'd love to believe the happy stories some religions tell, in a way. Unfortunately, religion

merely claims to have a lock on Truth, without offering substantive reasons to believe any of it. "You just have to

have faith." Or, "the bible says so". That is the most childish circular argument I've ever heard. The other thing

religions do is use power, intimidation, and punishment in an attempt to force people to believe, even though the

power and punishment is sometimes very subtle (e.g., being a little bit ostracized). It always makes me a bit

curious, or in some cases, sad, when otherwise intelligent, thoughtful and sensitive people stop thinking,

considering and discussing altogether when it comes to their "cherished beliefs". It is often the cherished beliefs

that end up causing unforseen and severe problems on the planet, unfortunately.

Bottom line: Turns out integrity

is impossible without openness; indeed without a sort of absolute openness. You are not just having integrity vis

a vis your preexisting internal states, but also vis a vis everything in the world too, which flows

freely in and out of your mind. Given our inherent limitations as rational beings, I can see no other way to

approach anything like truth. I would substitute absolute openness for absolute belief any day.

Practical

considerations do dictate that you can't question your beliefs 24/7 -- at least all of them -- because we need to

operate with working hypotheses. We even assume the road we are driving to work on is solid, even though it isn't

really.

This is why I don't respect moments when people trumpet their beliefs with too much bravado, as if

it's somehow a virtue the more rigid and unyielding we are about our beliefs -- like it makes them strong, heroic

people. It just doesn't impress me, even if I tend to share the person's belief. In fact it is a rather sophomoric

trait, like the maturity of a teen or very young adult.

The courage to admit one is unsure, insecure, and even

flat out wrong is a constant companion to integrity.

For example, Mother Teresa's private letters prove she

almost constantly questioned and doubted her faith -- hard core. People had no idea. Yes, she struggled with guilt

around that, and certainly was extremely humble due in part to that. But I regard these somewhat distressing traits

as virtues, not "signs of weakness", like most would. It's not all about being cheerful and comfortable. My

experience and studies in mental health suggests that being fully human is not some clear, tidy and neat thing. We

regard her as a beacon of faith, yet she experienced a level of anguish around her doubt that most of us can't

imagine, because we don't have the planetary role and history she had.