Everyone is free to think whatever they like...no laws on thinking. The problems arise when you express your thoughts and opinions and it goes against what others think.
free-thinker a person who rejects accepted opinions, especially those concerning religious belief. synonyms: nonconformist,individualist,independent,maverick,dissenter,heretic
It is my opinion that everyone should think for themselves, whether it be politics, religion or other matters. You never know who wrote the information or made the rules. They could be wrong. The only truth that really matters, is the truth that is true to you.
Theoretically, I think you are absolutely correct and this is how it should be. The problem is, most people choose what they want to believe regardless of the facts. Maybe it's because even facts are not necessarily black & white, or in context, or paints the whole picture. Therefore, it's still open to the personal interpretation of the individual. Sometimes, I think two people can totally differ in opinion, and in an odd way, both of them are right. Does that make sense?
I think that sometimes, we want to keep the things that we learned when growing up, whether they actually turn out to be true or not, and we cling to those things, regardless. Finding truth is hard, and it takes a willingness to look at different points of view, and filter through them for whatever facts you can find. I was raised in a Christian home, and everyone that I knew growing up was a Christian and went to church, and for many years, I just accepted everything that I was told, and thought that it was my inability to understand the things that didn’t make sense to me. Now, I really would like to find the truth, or as much of it as I can, regardless of what it turns out to be. So, in that way, I consider myself to be a free-thinker, because I am open to listening to opinions different than my own. A person whose mind is closed to religion is as locked in a prison as the person who believes dogmatically what they learned in Sunday School, because neither one is actively seeking to learn why the other person holds their viewpoint, and whether it might be valid.
Many people would prefer not to know the truth when it comes to religion. It just depends on what part in their lives religion plays. We need to respect that many need that background in their lives, it gives them stability and comfort, whether or not it is based on fact. The truth is that the Christian church has decided what it wants us to believe. If we want the truth, we have to put aside what we have been taught and open our minds to looking at things in a different way.
I have always wondered just what a free thinker is and I guess there are varying opinions on this. Interesting!
Me too! I thought the definition was pretty much contained in the words 'free' and 'think'. I didn't know it got all complicated.