I was chatting at work today and I suddenly realized that part of the worlds problems these days stem from a lack of critical thinking. In case you’re not sure what critical thinking is here is part of the Wikipedia definition:

“Critical thinking consists of mental processes of discernment, analysis and evaluation. It includes possible processes of reflecting upon a tangible or intangible item in order to form a solid judgment that reconciles scientific evidence with common sense.”

I’m not posting this definition as an insult I am simply posting it as a refresher. The last time I was told what it was, was probably back in my grade 10 English class.

These days, I get the feeling that people watch more news than in the past but don’t think too much about it. Just because Anderson Cooper says “That’s the way it is” on his CNN show, doesn’t really mean that’s the way it is. You need to take what everyone says in stride then analyze, deconstruct, research and form your own opinion on the matter.

Just knowing what is going on in the world is not enough. If we were all to take everything we are told at face value where would we be now? We would probably still be teaching our children that the Earth is flat and that it’s ok to make African Canadian/American people sit at the back of the bus.

This method of thinking is very important when you are digesting political information and dealing with religion. It bothers me very much that people blindly follow politicians and preachers without at least giving their words a second thought. This is not meant to be a “religion is bad” post but you should at least analyze what is being said before jumping in head first and spreading the word. FYI - Politicians aren’t much different than preachers. They both expect blind faith to attract and retain followers.

So the next time you hear something that strikes you as a little off or a bit odd why not fire up your computer and do some fact checking and research. You would be amazed at what you might find and where that information comes from.

I was born and raised as a Roman Catholic but when I turned the age of 15 I decided that I no longer wanted to attend my local church. I felt that I was being forced into going but more importantly I felt that I was being told what to believe rather than being taught about the religion.

That is why I no longer go to church or care much hear about the spiritual side of it. I’ve had discussions with many people about their beliefs and have decided that I can no longer have these because most are people who believe in their religion to the point they can’t discuss it without getting mad.

I am very interested in religions, for a strictly educational and historical purpose, but it’s so hard to find people to discuss this with. Too many people believe in their religion without knowing what it’s about and where it started. The words of the Christian Bible cannot be interpreted literally because they were written in a language that was not English and so much of the meaning was lost in the many translations over the years . You must also realize that every language has slang and phrases that cannot be interpreted directly into any other language thus one saying may not have actually meant what it appears to mean.

This is very frustrating for me because people are unwilling to believe this. People think that because a priest (or whatever your religious person is called) says something is one way that it must be that way and it cannot be argued. This is such as horrible way of thinking.

It is OK to believe what you want to believe and to live this way in the privacy of your own home is fine and dandy but please to impose it on others. Just because you believe that Jesus saved us does not mean that everyone does. Don’t forget there are many other religions out there that believe in other things and you are in no position to tell them they are wrong.

It really annoys me when I see a Jehovah’s witness walk up to the door and ring the bell. I want to open the door and scream at them because they are trying to impose their beliefs on me. When I do tell them to leave they try and rebuttal they just make themselves look stupid.

I also don’t agree with anyone saying they have to do things a certain way because of their religion. One example is people who want to wear turbans while on the police force. All of the major police forces have their own uniforms that are religion independent and if you can’t respect that then go find another profession. I have no problem with diversity in any workplace, I even feel it’s a good thing, but people who belong to this diverse group should respect the organization they work for.

Again, I want to make it clear that I am not a racist nor am I against choice of religion I just think that it should be done in the comfort of your home or place of worship. Don’t force it upon other people.