I am. I'm narrow-minded. So many other people around me are so much more open-minded than I am. I'm stuck here in this narrow line unable to think as freely as they do. Such a pity!
I, for instance, can't seem to think my way out of an Aristotelian logic bag. Basic Aristotelian logic says "A thing cannot be both A and not A at the same time and in the same sense." Silly me. That seems unavoidable. Still, lots of people I know have no problems holding ideas that are indeed A and not A at the same time and in the same sense without batting an eye. They're happy with "God is sovereign and He proves it by giving up His sovereignty to Man's Free Will" or "The Bible is true and reliable but it has errors" or some such ideas. And its not just theological questions. I try to makes sense of whatever I'm thinking about, but a lot of the people I know aren't particularly concerned if it makes sense. They just think it. Forget logic. So, I'm narrow-mindedly logical while others are free to flit about in all sorts of illogical but infinitely more comfortable directions.
I've already examined the Bible at great length. Is is reliable? Is it supportable? Is it reasonable? Having come to the conclusion that it really is reliable, supportable, and reasonable, I'm stuck (again) with this narrow-minded view that the Bible is the sole source for matters of faith and practice. I'm perfectly content to discuss Scripture with someone as long as we're in agreement that Scripture is right and the misunderstanding between us is our misunderstanding of Scripture, but when I end up in a conversation with someone who tells me "The Bible is wrong in places", my narrow-mindedness gets in the way. We're done. You have your basis (whatever you choose to think for whatever purposes you choose to think it) and I'm stuck with mine (whatever the Bible says and means is true). Again, if you're free to manufacture truth statements from your own opinion and desire, it's much a much broader way of thinking than my narrow "Whatever the Bible says is true", and I'm, again, stuck with this narrow-minded thinking.
There are lots of things that narrow my thinking processes. I'm not free to entertain the idea that 2+2 is not 4. I'm not free to wonder what I will do if gravity suddenly stops and I drop an apple. I'm not going to be arguing that adultery is a good thing or that stealing is right. I will never understand how a parent can justify beating a child to death.
I'm narrow-minded. Bound by all sorts of fences of truth, logic, and facts, I'm stuck in this narrow row of how I can view things and how I can understand things. I can try to explain them to you and I'm happy to do it, but I'm not free to toss out truth, logic, or the like to free up my thinking. Such a pity!
6 comments:
Narrow-mindedness can come in handy if one is on the narrow way or trying to get through the narrow gate.
Yes! My point! "Narrow-minded" is intended as an insult ... but it has some good, even necessary aspects.
Well if you believe in absolutes, period, then you of necessity have to be narrow minded. It's just a question from that point of which absolutes you are clinging to!
Oh, so now you're going to claim that it's good to be narrow-minded sometimes? :)
Lot's of people who think they are open minded are really narrow minded. They don't put their hands on hot stoves nor do they think you should. It's amazing what differences instant consequences can make on our worldveiw.
Lots of people talk about "narrow-minded" and "judgmental" and "intolerant" without realizing that truth is narrow-minded, judgmental, and intolerant. If something is actually true, then it mandates that other things will not be true. Very narrow, very judgmental, very intolerant. Me? I'm happy to be "narrow-minded" on truth.
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