doubt

[ttt]

Does being open-minded about your beliefs require doubt?

[Airana]

I think so. I grew up believing what my parents had taught me about God and religion. I accepted it until I hit middle age and started researching why they believed what they did. That required me to doubt what they and I believed until then. The result is that I no longer believe in their beliefs!

[PerDev]

This two perception server me in different situation.

1. doubt is my gretest enemy.
2. doubt is a creative entity.

Originally Posted by ttt

Does being open-minded about your beliefs require doubt?

[Mato Kinze]

As the "Great Communicator", Ronald Reagan once said, "Trust. But verify."

Doubt is the essential flip side of the belief coin. You can't have one without the other. If you believe one thing, you inherently doubt all other possibilities tied to that which you believe.

That being the case, you cannot "doubt" your own "belief".

[Free]

Originally Posted by ttt

Does being open-minded about your beliefs require doubt?

There is reasonable and unreasonable doubt; dualisim everywhere.
The balance is God, common sense and control.

[Angela]

I think that complete acceptance is the pinnacle of an open-mind.

Accepting a thought as a possibility, as another person's belief, or as an aspect of the truth does not mean you must adopt it as an operating program, and it doesn't mean you have to doubt it, either.

[Strem2]

Originally Posted by Angela

I think that complete acceptance is the pinnacle of an open-mind.

Accepting a thought as a possibility, as another person's belief, or as an aspect of the truth does not mean you must adopt it as an operating program, and it doesn't mean you have to doubt it, either.

If we were on Twitter, I'd re-tweet that!

Acceptance would mean acceptance that it works, and that it doesn't work.... And, we know that this is true!

[James81]

Originally Posted by Angela

I think that complete acceptance is the pinnacle of an open-mind.

Accepting a thought as a possibility, as another person's belief, or as an aspect of the truth does not mean you must adopt it as an operating program, and it doesn't mean you have to doubt it, either.

Great post.

[spacedout]

Originally Posted by ttt

Does being open-minded about your beliefs require doubt?

I would have to say yes, it most certainly does, because a belief is any idea or thought the mind assumes to be true. And, as we all know, there is no absolute truth when it comes to the mind. So, if you are going to be open-minded you should be suspicious of all beliefs and be willing to acknowledge that you might not be correct in your thinking. Be willing to accept that there may be other ways of looking at the situation. This is what open-mindedness is all about. By all means, have doubts about all your beliefs.

[Michael Chui]

Originally Posted by Angela

I think that complete acceptance is the pinnacle of an open-mind.

Accepting a thought as a possibility, as another person's belief, or as an aspect of the truth does not mean you must adopt it as an operating program, and it doesn't mean you have to doubt it, either.

That's exactly what I wanted to say; I couldn't figure out how to phrase it right.

[dream]

Simple but deep question.Open minded sounds like a beginning of a process. Wisdom says we should be open minded but doubt may be the final decision, as mato kinze says in comparison to the "belief" side of your decision. It's so deep I'll have to give it even more thought as there is more i want to say, just can't put my finger on it right now.

[Gene]

Originally Posted by ttt

Does being open-minded about your beliefs require doubt?

I think doubt is not part of being open minded. Doubt would imply that I had a belief or outcome I was attached to in some way. As I personally understand open mindedness it is more akin to I wonder about XXXX instead of having anything to doubt. Doubt implies resistance.YMMV

[spacedout]

Originally Posted by Gene

I think doubt is not part of being open minded. Doubt would imply that I had a belief or outcome I was attached to in some way.

Hi Gene. Is your belief that "doubt is not part of being open minded" something you are attached to or can you let that belief go?

As I personally understand open mindedness it is more akin to I wonder about XXXX instead of having anything to doubt. Doubt implies resistance.YMMV

I agree, open mindedness is about wonderment, but that may not be all that it is. It may also be willing to be suspicious of your beliefs and be willing to acknowledge that there may be other ways to look at things. In other words, having doubts about what you believe to be true. We all have beliefs about something but the question is, does a belief have to mean that it is true? Doubt does not necessarily imply resistance. Doubt could also imply that you are questioning your own beliefs. Questioning your own beliefs would be a way of opening the doors to other ways of thinking and maybe accepting new ides and thoughts.