Conservative Pastor Writes That Open-Mindedness and Inquiry Are Enemies of Faith

[HuckleB]

http://www.patheos.com/blogs/friendlyatheist/2014/02/18/tell-me-something-i-dont-know-conservative-pastor-writes-that-open-mindedness-and-inquiry-are-enemies-of-faith/

"The first time I chuckled out loud over something Pastor Daniel K. Norris wrote was a couple of weeks ago, when he reminded parents not to brag about their children, only to divulge in the same piece that his daughter is “absolutely gorgeous” and that “I’m raising a Saint!”

Modesty. Norris will no doubt tell you it’s one of his greatest virtues.

Now he’s found my funny bone again, this time by chastising pastors, like those in the Clergy Project, who’ve begun to doubt their faith. He faults them for … not keeping a closed mind.

I was waiting for some kind of twist on that eye-popping statement, some clever reveal, but Norris appears to mean it in all earnestness. Keeping your mind closed, he says, is the only valid, lasting path to Jesus.

..."

[hobbit709]

1. Thinking gets in the way of belief and belief gets in the way of thinking.

[nomorenomore08]

23. Which is why the scientific and the spiritual, to my mind, are largely incompatible.

Spirituality may have a valid place in people's lives, but that's just it - it has its place, where it should remain. Personal and (mostly) private.

[Scuba]

2. Well, duh.

[defacto7]

3. The mind is the devil's playground!

[Autumn]

4. And it could be dangerous

to his collection plate.

[HuckleB]

25. +1

[RainDog]

5. religious conservatives rely upon ignorance

the preach it as doctrine via literalism and by conflating their own prejudices with something moral.

being around such belief systems are like being in upside down world.

they bear so much resemblance to cults - and, of course, one classic definition of the difference between a cult and a religion is merely the numbers who fall for the story and how much power they have in society to maintain such narratives.

[lindysalsagal]

21. When one person has an imaginary friend, they're delusional.

When large groups have imaginary friends, it's religion.

I can't get the link to the image....anyone?

[RainDog]

24. It amazes me what people are taught to believe as children

STILL.

...and when your group's imaginary friend has political power, you can say your god justifies slavery because, hey, it happened. for reals.

[Egalitarian Thug]

6. Truth from the most unlikely places...

[Isoldeblue]

7. What would he say to someone whose mind was closed

to "his Jesus"....????
Pitiful!

[HuckleB]

10. +1

[jsr]

8. Brains are for the birds

[edbermac]

9. And people shouldn't get married because it's the chief cause of divorce.

Geez

[StarlightGold]

28. There was a RedState divorce-rate study

a little while ago that concluded that the divorce rate in red states was higher than blue states.

The sad, delusional folks at freepland dismissed the study, saying, I swear to god, "Well, it just shows that people in red states get married at a higher rate. So even if they get divorced, at least they were married to begin with. So, it's all good"

AAAAAARRRRRRGGGGGG!!!!!!!

[Manifestor_of_Light]

11. Same thing Martin Luther said a few centuries ago.

"Faith must trample underfoot all reason, sense and understanding."
--Martin Luther

[The Magistrate]

13. Indeed, Ma'am: This Fella Is Just Re-Inventing the Wheel...

[theHandpuppet]

12. So if God didn't want Pastor Norris to think, why did he give him a brain?

Oh wait...

[Manifestor_of_Light]

14. A spine and autonomic functions, like breathing???

[HuckleB]

27. +1

[GoneOffShore]

15. Tim Minchin's take on faith

from "Storm"

Faith is the denial of observation, so that belief can be preserved.

[HuckleB]

16. Minchin rocks!

Not just his comedy songs, either. His songs for the musical version of Matilda are absolutely incredible.

[alp227]

17. GOOD. Keep making more people atheists, pastor! nt

[lindysalsagal]

18. I hate it when conservative pastors are right.

Keeping it closed keeps all the scary thoughts out. I feel better, already.

[Quantess]

19. Awesome. I love it.

K & R

[Initech]

20. You know what they say - idle minds are the devil's playthings!

[ck4829]

22. There ARE people who use "freethinker" as a pejorative

So this doesn't surprise me in the least.

[on point]

26. Of course! They want the opposite close minded acceptance of dogma

[Arugula Latte]

29. Well, really, how else to swallow these ridiculous Primitive Tales from the Bronze Age?

There was only one magical dude in the entire universe, he was the product deity rape, he lived 2,000 years ago in ancient Judea, and he's coming back aaaaaany day...Uh huh...