I ran across a question posed on Blog Catalog that cut to the very reason that I established True Freethinker and why I titled True Freethinker, True Freethinker—see my about page
Here is the question:
Is Spiritual Freethinking an Oxymoron?
In a recent Blog Catalog discussion about freethinking, it was suggested that the concept of spiritual freethinking is an oxymoron. This seems to be a widespread belief in freethinking circles – that it must remain within the material realm…
What do you think? Can you be a rational freethinker and also spiritual?
Firstly, note that the term “spiritual” is about as nebulous as “religious” or “atheist” and can mean just about anything but let us consider it to be, as per the question’s context, that which affirm that there is something beyond the material realm.
Now, if freethinking “must”—note the qualifier “must”—“must remain within the material realm” then it is not freethought but well-within-the-box-restricted-thought.
In other words, they restrict their thinking and demand that others who label themselves freethinkers restrict their thinking to the material and are therefore not engaging in Freethought since they have leveled parameters.
Demanding adherence to atheism is not Freethought—it is is is well-within-the-box-restricted-group-think.