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What is a “Rethinker”?

What is a “Rethinker? A rethinker is one who questions, doubts (as far as possible), all things. A rethinker seeks questions, not answers, as the path to truth. A rethinker does not blindly follow authority, no matter how firmly established. Hence, a rethinker.

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Belief vs. Reason (Part 1)
Posted Feb 27th, 2010 by Rethinker
Once, I was a believer. As a born-into believer, I had no other choice. Many years, decades, would pass before I came to the realization: I don't have to believe...in anything. For many it seems to be a requirement of human nature to BELIEVE...in something. To believe is to stand for something and to have something upon which to stand. For those, it is the foundation for living life. Not to believe is to be lost, to have nothing for which to live and stand. It is to build one's life on shifting sands. So we've been led to believe by those who believe. Often when someone is giving a testamonial of their conversion to a belief, they will say, "When I became a Believer . . . ". My own testimonial in the other direction would be, "When I became a Rethinker . . . I ceased to use the word 'believe'." Anton Chekhov writes, "Man is what he believes." There is much truth in that statement. And that, to me, is the problem. People become what their beliefs tell them that they are. No doubt, belief is a strong force. It does alter lives. It is the framework used to achieve what one wishes to happen. People willingly die for their beliefs. But does belief equal TRUTH? If that is so, then there is a myriad of truths, with many contradicting one another, seemingly contradicting the definition of Truth. Perhaps that is one characteristic of Belief - blindness to the possibility that it might be wrong. By holding a belief, one naturally assumes that it must be right - true. Conflicting beliefs, ideas, evidence to the contrary is filtered out so that pure Belief remains. Is there anything wrong with being a Believer? Let's re-think it.