FreeThinkers, not so free.

In case you don't know what Freethinker means, I'll give you the definition.
This is from Dictionary.com.
–noun a person who forms opinions on the basis of reason, independent of authority or tradition, esp. a person whose religious opinions differ from established belief.
Freethinker Definition | Definition of Freethinker at Dictionary.com
A link to Wikipedia, just in case you want to read a little more then the definition.
Freethought - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The thought behind being a freethinker is very admirable. The basic concept of thinking for yourself with independent thought and reason only exhibits images of self expression and freedom.
Sadly, people take up the name freethinker for themselves and easily recognize when seen or heard. It isn't sad that people want to "think freely". What is sad is that it is a word that has come to be used to control people through the idea of freedom.
People open themselves up to an idea that they can think freely. However there are no concepts needed, beyond the basic premise of the idea of freethinking for the idea to work.
Go back to the top of this page and read the definition.
" a person who forms opinions on the basis of reason, independent of authority or tradition"
You don't even need to read the entire definition and you got it.
You're freethinking.
That should be it but it's not. Many freethinkers get caught up in the propaganda machine.
To see what I mean go to youtube and type in freethinker.
http://www.youtube.com/results?searc...rch_type=&aq=f
Or do a Google search.
You'll get page after page of people telling you how to be a freethinker.
It's turned into as much of a religion as Christianity or Hinduism, or Buddhism. Bottom line is, if you're a freethinker, you're still looking for someone else to do your thinking for you.
For example, no freethinker could ever come to the conclusion that a Christian is making their religious choices freely.
Simply because we're in a religion.
But the premise of freethinking doesn't hold a religion against a person.
It just ask you to think for yourself.
So how could modern day freethinkers come to the conclusion that religion is counter productive? They've done so because they've been influenced by bias. Bias that's been built up in the propaganda that so many freethinkers buy and feed into.

So my question is, is it morally acceptable or ethically acceptable to feed off of the false promise of freedom?

__________________
I'd be a atheist if it weren't for God.

Atheism is a non-prophet organization.

"Here lies an atheist; all dressed up and no place to go." Epitaph in Maryland cemetery

I tried atheism for a while, but my faith just wasn’t strong enough.


Those who go to Heaven ride on a pass and enter into blessings that they never earned, but all who go to hell pay their own way.
--John R. Rice

Atheist: The only people on the planet who can turn "Nothing" into "I know what there is to know of nothing."

Influences exist in all areas so I find it hard to believe that a person can form any opinion completely free of any other entity.

Great question, I did notice however the words: independent of authority or tradition and cant help but wonder something. If I'm an independent as far as a political party, I may indeed hold some views both of republicans and of democrats, yet still be independant of either party. The fact of the matter would be that I am not limited to one sides view, but gain my personal view from many different facts, groups or sources. So I wonder if the above simply means not limited to the view of a group but acknowledge the freedom to form your own opinion? Just some thoughts...

Very nice post.
I think that is exactly what it means. You shouldn't let a single train of thought stop you from seeing the bigger picture.
Which freethinkers quite often do.

__________________
I'd be a atheist if it weren't for God.

Atheism is a non-prophet organization.

"Here lies an atheist; all dressed up and no place to go." Epitaph in Maryland cemetery

I tried atheism for a while, but my faith just wasn’t strong enough.


Those who go to Heaven ride on a pass and enter into blessings that they never earned, but all who go to hell pay their own way.
--John R. Rice

Atheist: The only people on the planet who can turn "Nothing" into "I know what there is to know of nothing."

I have doubts that free thought and adherence to principles are mutually exclusive. I also wonder how many purely "independent" thoughts are possible. Unless one lives in a vacuum, everything one thinks is ultimately linked (depends) on something -prior data gained from some outer source.

There is only one free will decision a mature adult person has to make in order to be held accountable by God. That choice is between accepting God’s (the Creator’s) Love in the form of accepting God’s forgiveness or rejecting that Love, by rejecting God’s undeserving, unconditional free gift of forgiveness as it was given. Every mature adult human has a conscience (over time it maybe suppressed) that tells them they have hurt others and disappointed their creator. These transgressions produce a burden that can only be relieved by humbly trusting in a Loving Creator to forgive them. Can you force someone to trust God’s Love? Can you keep someone from trusting in a Creator’s Love?

Not many freethinkers are not led by some influential person into thinking the way they do. They all share the exact same party lines and talking points.

__________________
"I would rather be judged before God as being an honest human being. If I am in any way unpleasing in his sight, I can only hope and pray that he gives me the opportunity to find who I am supposed to be." - Jennifer Knapp

"The time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. But you, keep your head in all situations... - Paul, 2 Timothy 4

Correct but influence is not the same thing as control and does not elimanate choice.

__________________
I believe in a loving Creator who created us for the purpose of being capable of receiving and responding to the love of the Creator. Our first gift of life is temporary. If we attempt to fulfill our purpose of loving others, we have the hope of receiving a second gift of eternal life. There is no pain in the after life. If we do not receive the second gift, we are simply left with the first gift and will not exist after we die.

Freethinkers are a class of people that learn all of their positions from teachers. That's why guys like Daniel Dennett and Richard Dawkins have large followings. All freely thinking as they are taught. And all thinking the exact same way. It's rather humorous to observe the same talking points from every one of them.

__________________
"I would rather be judged before God as being an honest human being. If I am in any way unpleasing in his sight, I can only hope and pray that he gives me the opportunity to find who I am supposed to be." - Jennifer Knapp

"The time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. But you, keep your head in all situations... - Paul, 2 Timothy 4

In my experience with other Forums I attend, the biggest issue I have with this is that the term "freethinker" has simply come to be a euphemism for "non-religious". If you aren't a Christian/Muslim/Buddhist/whatever, you're lumped in as a freethinker (when this is hardly ever the case).

For non-religious people, this becomes a mantra that sets up a superiority complex and an invisible force field against anything anyone says - comments such as

"Oh, I don't hold onto God constructs or religious texts. I've evolved beyond that. I'm a freethinker, I'm free of the dogmas of your iron-age backwards beliefs"

Any kind of rational response one might give, no matter how eloquent and based in sound logical argument is thus dismissed again, "oh, but I'm a freethinker, don't you get it - I'm free". By continuously repeating this to themselves they close themselves off to the possibility of anything outside of what they believe, since they can just dismiss it - the possibility of religious thought being right simply does not exist in a mind that goes in circles (ironically, these so-called freethinkers then label us the indoctrinated ones with minds that only go in circles).

Thanks for posting

~ PA

__________________

To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.

Paranoid Android - nothing an expensive operation can't prolong!!!