Many moons ago, or about six-and-a-half years ago, we wrestled with the role of doubt in our spiritual lives. Here are the questions we asked:
Why do we doubt? Is there a point at which doubt begins to NOT be a good thing anymore? Believers are often urged to question their faith. Should skeptics doubt their doubts?
Tonight we’re going to revisit this idea, in a way. Because here what we’re interested in is the value of bringing an open mind to our deeply held beliefs, including our spiritual beliefs. As Buddhist teacher Jetsuna Tenzin Palmo writes:
Perhaps because of our Judeo-Christian background, we have a tendency to regard doubt as something shameful, almost as an enemy. We feel that if we have doubts, it means that we are denying the teachings and that we should really have unquestioning faith.
For Buddhists, he argues, an open and questioning mind is not considered a drawback. Rather, he continues, a closed mind …
… is a great disadvantage for those who aspire to follow any spiritual path. But an open mind, which questions and doesn’t accept things simply because they are said, is no problem at all.
So we’re going to try to figure out what it means to have closed or open minds in regard to our faith lives and our spiritual journeys. And we’re also going to talk about it in our “regular lives” too, whatever that means. Are there things or ideas that are important to you where you have settled on a belief and therefore have a closed mind about it? If there are beliefs you hold where you have no doubts about the rightness of your position, is your mind closed? And is that OK? In fact, are there times when having an open mind is counterproductive? Where in your life do you consider yourself open-minded, and where do you think of yourself as closed-minded?
Join us for the conversation online this evening beginning at 7 pm. See below for information about how to join us virtually.
St. Mary’s In-The-Hills is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.
Topic: Pub Theology
Time: Oct 13, 2020 07:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
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Meeting ID: 941 8459 2459
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