How do you know you are right?

[loverofhumanity]

In this forum many views are exchanged. We all have our beliefs and understandings. But how do we know we are right? What is it that 'tells us within" that we can't be wrong and can that inner voice be trusted? Can it be wrong?

How do you know your belief, your understanding, your interpretation of your scriptures is right or truer than someone else's?

Is that inner voice within always right or should we question ourselves more?

If we all set out on a search for truth and we all found it, then wouldn't we be united? For truth is one isn't it and no one truth can contradict another truth? So if we all found truth we would be united wouldn't we? Then if we are divided some of us or many of us haven't found truth?

Can we be detached enough from our own views, our own beliefs, traditions and opinions to be open minded or are we stubborn and closed minded?

“No man shall attain the shores of the ocean of true understanding except he be detached from all that is in heaven and on earth” - Baha'u'llah

“The fact that we imagine ourselves to be right and everybody else wrong is the greatest of all obstacles in the path towards unity, and unity is necessary if we would reach truth, for truth is one.” - Abdul-Baha

Some of the issues people won't budge on may very well have a different explanation than the view commonly held. Was Muhammad really the Last Prophet? Did Jesus really bodily rise from the dead?
Did the Buddha hint at a God? Did Moses really part the Red Sea? Does Satan really exist? Is Baha'u'llah the Promised One? Was there really a Great Flood? (Noah)

You may like to add other topics.

 

[Sunstone]

I think it is extraordinarily alarming that we are so ignorant these days of what makes something right or true that most of us resort to consulting "an inner voice" -- just as if doing so were a reliable means of determining the truth of something. Sweet Jeebers! No wonder so many people feel confused, uncertain, and lost -- or worse, far worse: cock-sure and absolutely certain they have the truth!

Good topic, by the way.

 

[allfoak]

The mind does not know the difference between what is true and what is false.
Think about it.
If someone goes to war believing that what they are doing is right and sacrafices their life, was the sacrifice done in vein if the war was started under false pretenses?

 

[loverofhumanity]

I think it is extraordinarily alarming that we are so ignorant these days of what makes something right or true that most of us resort to consulting "an inner voice" -- just as if doing so were a reliable means of determining the truth of something. Sweet Jeebers! No wonder so many people feel confused, uncertain, and lost -- or worse, far worse: cock-sure and absolutely certain they have the truth!

Good topic, by the way.

Thank you. If we could just spend more time listening to others and question ourselves much more we might learn a lot more.

Learning can be self emancipating if we stop saying 'I am right and others are wrong' and stop being so defensive.

It's as if knowledge has become evil and adding anything more to what we believe makes us feel threatened even if it may be true.

Humanity has been indoctrinated and now is the time for us to emancipate ourselves by not being afraid to question all we have been taught.

 

[oldbadger]

How do you know you are right?

....... I don't.
I have not known that I was right for decades!
Even as a commercial detective I never decided that I was right. I simply presented what I believed I had seen and heard and done to Courts, and then let Magaistrrates, Stipendiaries, Juries and Judges decide what was right. And then I went and had some dinner, immune to their decsions, because sometimes they were wrong.

Look at this:-

“No man shall attain the shores of the ocean of true understanding except he be detached from all that is in heaven and on earth” - Baha'u'llah .

Now, one of the problems for Bahai (imo) is that there is a deep seated certitude that the Bahai Universal House of Justice has divine guidance...?
And Bahais believe that if the UHJ says that right is left, or left is right, then that will be the real truth. Didn't Bahauallah write something like that? Must I delve and deliver?

Now take both proposals, put 'em side by side, and watch them devour each other.

 

[loverofhumanity]

....... I don't.
I have not known that I was right for decades!
Even as a commercial detective I never decided that I was right. I simply presented what I believed I had seen and heard and done to Courts, and then let Magaistrrates, Stipendiaries, Juries and Judges decide what was right. And then I went and had some dinner, immune to their decsions, because sometimes they were wrong.

Look at this:-


Now, one of the problems for Bahai (imo) is that there is a deep seated certitude that the Bahai Universal House of Justice has divine guidance...?
And Bahais believe that if the UHJ says that right is left, or left is right, then that will be the real truth. Didn't Bahauallah write something like that? Must I delve and deliver?

Now take both proposals, put 'em side by side, and watch them devour each other.

Hi Old Badger.

The individual members are just people like you and I and as such are prone to error.

 

[Deeje]

In this forum many views are exchanged. We all have our beliefs and understandings. But how do we know we are right? What is it that 'tells us within" that we can't be wrong and can that inner voice be trusted? Can it be wrong?

Unfortunately...yes. It can be dead wrong. Will we know? Does God tell us if we are wrong?
There is one passage in the Bible that explains why God will not always tell us that we are on the wrong path.

From the apostle Paul....Concerning the reappearance of the Christ, he says to his brethren...
2 Thess 2:1-3:
"However, brothers, concerning the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered together to him, we ask you  not to be quickly shaken from your reason nor to be alarmed either by an inspired statement or by a spoken message or by a letter appearing to be from us, to the effect that the day of Jehovah is here. Let no one lead you astray in any way, because it will not come unless the apostasy comes first and the man of lawlessness gets revealed, the son of destruction."

The return of Christ was to be preceded by an apostasy with a "man of lawlessness" revealed....a "son of destruction".

Paul goes on to say in vs 4-7:....
"He stands in opposition and exalts himself above every so-called god or object of worship, so that he sits down in the temple of God, publicly showing himself to be a god. 5 Do you not remember that when I was still with you, I used to tell you these things?
6 And now you know what is acting as a restraint, so that he will be revealed in his own due time. 7 True, the mystery of this lawlessness is already at work, but only until the one who is right now acting as a restraint is out of the way."

So there is a revealing of one who publicly presents himself to be a god, obviously wielding great power and authority. The presence of the apostles was restraining the identification of this one who was already sowing seeds of apostasy. But once that restraint was removed and the last of the Christian scriptures was penned by the apostle John, that apostasy kept growing until Christianity became virtually unrecognizable. This is what is known today as Christendom. It does not resemble original Christianity in any way.

Is that inner voice within always right or should we question ourselves more?

We should always compare notes and see what sits well with our own heart. But then, hearts are not always a good guide. Sometimes they can be partners in crime. Jeremiah wrote...."The heart is more treacherous than anything else and is desperate. Who can know it?" If that's the case, how can we know for sure? The truth is...we can't. And there is a reason for that.

Paul continues....
"But the lawless one’s presence is by the operation of Satan with every powerful work and lying signs and wonders 10 and every unrighteous deception for those who are perishing, as a retribution because they did not accept the love of the truth in order that they might be saved. 11 That is why God lets a deluding influence mislead them so that they may come to believe the lie, 12 in order that they all may be judged because they did not believe the truth but took pleasure in unrighteousness."

If we are not genuine in our search for the truth, then God will not correct us. If we want to be deluded, he will let us.
If, for example, we refuse to acknowledge God as the Creator of all things, and instead adopt beliefs developed by scientists that appear to make the Creator redundant, will he tap us on the shoulder and tell us we have mad a mistake? No, he will not. If we want to believe the lie, he will not prevent us from being deluded. The same applies to all other beliefs.

If we all set out on a search for truth and we all found it, then wouldn't we be united? For truth is one isn't it and no one truth can contradict another truth? So if we all found truth we would be united wouldn't we? Then if we are divided some of us or many of us haven't found truth?

Bingo! Jesus said that his disciples would be known for their love.....not just for mankind generally, but particularly amongst themselves. (John 13:34-35) He said we would be "one" with him and with his Father....not one with a group of other men from different faiths. The God of the Bible does not speak with a forked tongue. His truth is one and our mode of worship can only be one. There are not many paths to God...there is only one, and it is a cramped and narrow road that "few" will find. (Matthew 7:13-14)

Can we be detached enough from our own views, our own beliefs, traditions and opinions to be open minded or are we stubborn and closed minded?

Yes indeed we can be closed minded.....but sometime we should be. Confusion results when we try to accommodate too many opinions. Trying to be all things to all people is something God has never needed to do. He is Supreme Sovereign over all his creation, so it is we who must bring our thinking into line with his....he will never alter his standards or teachings to suit us.

“The fact that we imagine ourselves to be right and everybody else wrong is the greatest of all obstacles in the path towards unity, and unity is necessary if we would reach truth, for truth is one.” - Abdul-Baha

Unity will never be achieved by man, according to the Bible.....it is only the coming of God's kingdom that will deliver righteous rule to obedient mankind. This is the Bible's message, and the whole point of the Lord's Prayer. "Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done, on Earth as it is in heaven".

We have to know what the kingdom is...how it "comes"...and how that will bring about the doing of 'God's will on earth as it is in heaven'.

Some of the issues people won't budge on may very well have a different explanation than the view commonly held. Was Muhammad really the Last Prophet?

No, the Bible indicates that Jesus was the last prophet. He taught us all we need to know....directly from his Father.

Did Jesus really bodily rise from the dead?

No, the apostle Peter said that Christ was "put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit". He did not reclaim the body he sacrificed.

Did the Buddha hint at a God?

Does it matter? Who is Buddha to the Creator?

Did Moses really part the Red Sea?

It wasn't Moses who parted the Red Sea...it was God's spirit operating through Moses. Why would we doubt it? God had the power to create the Universe...parting a small body of water would have been nothing by comparison.

Does Satan really exist?

If satan does not exist, then the Bible makes no sense at all. The whole biblical scenario is based on satan's rebellion and its ramifications for humankind. What we lost in the beginning is returned to us in the end. The rebels are then dealt with permanently.

Is Baha'u'llah the Promised One?

After Christ left the earth in the first century, he promised to return and take his chosen disciples back to heaven to rule with him.
Baha'u'llah is not the returned Christ because there is nothing at all to qualify him as the "Promised One". You have to take that on faith in much the same way as Mormons have to believe in Joseph Smith is a prophet of God.

Was there really a Great Flood? (Noah)

I believe in Jesus and he mentioned the flood....so did the apostle Peter. I can rely on their word. I have no reason to doubt.
I fully understand the reasons for it.

 

[Terrywoodenpic]

Few things in life get beyond a best guess on a restricted range of evidence.
Many of these things progress through more than one change of mind as more evidence becomes available.
Even things backed up by scientific evidence, remains an open book. But the stronger the evidence the more likely they are to remain unchanged.
Opinion is rarely completely evidence based.
Bias and prejudice and wishful thinking can play an equal part in decision making.

We are more likely to accept as true things told to us by people we like, than from people we dislike.
That is even when we have no evidence either way as to which is correct.

People are extremely poor at establishing truth, from error or fiction.
But extremely fast as stating an opinion., and defending it.

In terms of logic and irrefutable evidence, all religious beliefs are unprovable.
This is the nature of religious beliefs, and says nothing about their ultimate truth.

 

[loverofhumanity]

Unfortunately...yes. It can be dead wrong. Will we know? Does God tell us if we are wrong?
There is one passage in the Bible that explains why God will not always tell us that we are on the wrong path.

From the apostle Paul....Concerning the reappearance of the Christ, he says to his brethren...
2 Thess 2:1-3:
"However, brothers, concerning the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered together to him, we ask you  not to be quickly shaken from your reason nor to be alarmed either by an inspired statement or by a spoken message or by a letter appearing to be from us, to the effect that the day of Jehovah is here. Let no one lead you astray in any way, because it will not come unless the apostasy comes first and the man of lawlessness gets revealed, the son of destruction."

The return of Christ was to be preceded by an apostasy with a "man of lawlessness" revealed....a "son of destruction".

Paul goes on to say in vs 4-7:....
"He stands in opposition and exalts himself above every so-called god or object of worship, so that he sits down in the temple of God, publicly showing himself to be a god. 5 Do you not remember that when I was still with you, I used to tell you these things?
6 And now you know what is acting as a restraint, so that he will be revealed in his own due time. 7 True, the mystery of this lawlessness is already at work, but only until the one who is right now acting as a restraint is out of the way."

So there is a revealing of one who publicly presents himself to be a god, obviously wielding great power and authority. The presence of the apostles was restraining the identification of this one who was already sowing seeds of apostasy. But once that restraint was removed and the last of the Christian scriptures was penned by the apostle John, that apostasy kept growing until Christianity became virtually unrecognizable. This is what is known today as Christendom. It does not resemble original Christianity in any way.



We should always compare notes and see what sits well with our own heart. But then, hearts are not always a good guide. Sometimes they can be partners in crime. Jeremiah wrote...."The heart is more treacherous than anything else and is desperate. Who can know it?" If that's the case, how can we know for sure? The truth is...we can't. And there is a reason for that.

Paul continues....
"But the lawless one’s presence is by the operation of Satan with every powerful work and lying signs and wonders 10 and every unrighteous deception for those who are perishing, as a retribution because they did not accept the love of the truth in order that they might be saved. 11 That is why God lets a deluding influence mislead them so that they may come to believe the lie, 12 in order that they all may be judged because they did not believe the truth but took pleasure in unrighteousness."

If we are not genuine in our search for the truth, then God will not correct us. If we want to be deluded, he will let us.
If, for example, we refuse to acknowledge God as the Creator of all things, and instead adopt beliefs developed by scientists that appear to make the Creator redundant, will he tap us on the shoulder and tell us we have mad a mistake? No, he will not. If we want to believe the lie, he will not prevent us from being deluded. The same applies to all other beliefs.



Bingo! Jesus said that his disciples would be known for their love.....not just for mankind generally, but particularly amongst themselves. (John 13:34-35) He said we would be "one" with him and with his Father....not one with a group of other men from different faiths. The God of the Bible does not speak with a forked tongue. His truth is one and our mode of worship can only be one. There are not many paths to God...there is only one, and it is a cramped and narrow road that "few" will find. (Matthew 7:13-14)


Yes indeed we can be closed minded.....but sometime we should be. Confusion results when we try to accommodate too many opinions. Trying to be all things to all people is something God has never needed to do. He is Supreme Sovereign over all his creation, so it is we who must bring our thinking into line with his....he will never alter his standards or teachings to suit us.



Unity will never be achieved by man, according to the Bible.....it is only the coming of God's kingdom that will deliver righteous rule to obedient mankind. This is the Bible's message, and the whole point of the Lord's Prayer. "Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done, on Earth as it is in heaven".

We have to know what the kingdom is...how it "comes"...and how that will bring about the doing of 'God's will on earth as it is in heaven'.


No, the Bible indicates that Jesus was the last prophet. He taught us all we need to know....directly from his Father.



No, the apostle Peter said that Christ was "put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit". He did not reclaim the body he sacrificed.



Does it matter? Who is Buddha to the Creator?



It wasn't Moses who parted the Red Sea...it was God's spirit operating through Moses. Why would we doubt it? God had the power to create the Universe...parting a small body of water would have been nothing by comparison.



If satan does not exist, then the Bible makes no sense at all. The whole biblical scenario is based on satan's rebellion and its ramifications for humankind. What we lost in the beginning is returned to us in the end. The rebels are then dealt with permanently.



After Christ left the earth in the first century, he promised to return and take his chosen disciples back to heaven to rule with him.
Baha'u'llah is not the returned Christ because there is nothing at all to qualify him as the "Promised One". You have to take that on faith in much the same way as Mormons have to believe in Joseph Smith is a prophet of God.



I believe in Jesus and he mentioned the flood....so did the apostle Peter. I can rely on their word. I have no reason to doubt.
I fully understand the reasons for it.

What do you know about the other Teachers like Buddha, Muhammad and Baha'u'llah to make judgements?

 

[Tabu]

How do we know we are Right ? And who is Right.
This answer is taken from various Murlis
Those who are right are those who have a right of self sovereignty
are constant conquerors of their physical senses ,
are conquerors of Maya (vices),
are conquerors of their acquired natures and subtle sanskaars( values).
are easy yogis, no matter how big a situation may be, it becomes as easy as though nothing has happened – “from a crucifix to a thorn”
use their powers attained from God at the right time
finish all waste and become masters of their thoughts, words and deeds
have the awareness that success is their birth right
Such children become the Father's right hands in establishing the new world and receive the right to the Kingdom of the world and belong to the royal dynasty and have a right to all treasures.

 

[Aupmanyav]

"How do you know you are right?": By 'Viveka', analysis. I can know when I am wrong too, I may not be right all the time. But analysis tells me.

 

[Vinayaka]

I don't know I'm right. Some things are definitely more likely, like saying London is the capital of England, or stating formulas mathematics. In religion, in history, etc., correctness is far more dubious.

 

[bobhikes]

In this forum many views are exchanged. We all have our beliefs and understandings. But how do we know we are right? What is it that 'tells us within" that we can't be wrong and can that inner voice be trusted? Can it be wrong?

How do you know your belief, your understanding, your interpretation of your scriptures is right or truer than someone else's?

Is that inner voice within always right or should we question ourselves more?

If we all set out on a search for truth and we all found it, then wouldn't we be united? For truth is one isn't it and no one truth can contradict another truth? So if we all found truth we would be united wouldn't we? Then if we are divided some of us or many of us haven't found truth?

Can we be detached enough from our own views, our own beliefs, traditions and opinions to be open minded or are we stubborn and closed minded?

“No man shall attain the shores of the ocean of true understanding except he be detached from all that is in heaven and on earth” - Baha'u'llah

“The fact that we imagine ourselves to be right and everybody else wrong is the greatest of all obstacles in the path towards unity, and unity is necessary if we would reach truth, for truth is one.” - Abdul-Baha

Some of the issues people won't budge on may very well have a different explanation than the view commonly held. Was Muhammad really the Last Prophet? Did Jesus really bodily rise from the dead?
Did the Buddha hint at a God? Did Moses really part the Red Sea? Does Satan really exist? Is Baha'u'llah the Promised One? Was there really a Great Flood? (Noah)

You may like to add other topics.

What if you can only understand the truth based off your knowledge and your experiences. The truth would still be differently interpreted by each individual. All would know the truth but still not be able to convey it properly. This is the truth. Its our individuality that keeps our beliefs and understandings separate. All we can be is open minded to others as we will never fully understand there life view. Most of us understand our belief is different then others. It is what we do about this that is important. Do we try and force our beliefs on others? Do we avoid others that don't share our important beliefs? Do leave each to their own beliefs? Do we try to understand the others beliefs and relate to them?

As this is a debating site it seems that most want to engage others and try to force(inspire) change. Others here take the path of learning(seekers). Others here avoid others beliefs(Dir)

Another quote far more valuable paraphrased from a song by Joan Baez.

No human is an island, No human stands alone, Each humans joy should be joy to me, each humans grief my own. We need one another,

Detaching, self reflection these promote a peace within not a peace for all. Yes being open minded, understanding our differences will promote unity but our individuality makes it hard to overcome.

 

[SalixIncendium]

In this forum many views are exchanged. We all have our beliefs and understandings. But how do we know we are right?

Putting it quite simply, I don't, at least not beyond scientific law and theory. I do my best to combine facts and understandings with what beliefs are plausible or the most credible based on evidence and personal experience. I am completely open to new information as it is introduced, and adapt my beliefs according to new understandings or facts as they are presented/uncovered.

My beliefs and personal truths are my own, and while I believe them to be the Universal Truth at this juncture, I cannot be sure, so I don't present them as such.

To summarize, I believe I am right, but I don't know I am right.

 

[Stevicus]

Some of the issues people won't budge on may very well have a different explanation than the view commonly held. Was Muhammad really the Last Prophet? Did Jesus really bodily rise from the dead?
Did the Buddha hint at a God? Did Moses really part the Red Sea? Does Satan really exist? Is Baha'u'llah the Promised One? Was there really a Great Flood? (Noah)

You may like to add other topics.

I don't think that anyone alive today can actually know if they're right about any of these things. Even for more recent and documented historical events, there are still some details which are unknown or doubtful. Unless you're right there to see it, you have to rely on what other people say or write about it. Perhaps part of the problem has to do with limitations of human communication and our ability to impart what we know to others.

And even if any or all of these things are true, if someone can say with absolute certainty that they know they're right about all of it, how can they still be certain as to what to do with that knowledge? It could be a case where "a little bit of knowledge is a dangerous thing." Even if one can be certain about a few bits and pieces of information (and frankly, even that's doubtful), it doesn't automatically mean that one can know the larger picture and the full, complete story. Even religion might tend to acknowledge that there are great mysteries beyond our comprehension - "the Lord moves in mysterious ways." That's where the process of acquiring new knowledge reaches a dead end. What we don't know or can't explain is left as an unsolvable mystery that ultimately leaves us all in the clouds.

At best, we're left with an incomplete picture.

Sometimes I wonder if America's history might end up as some future civilization's "bible." With only bits and pieces of information to go by and very little hard evidence remaining, it's likely they'll get some details wrong.

They might have a story about George Washington and his Blue Ox, Babe Ruth. He had a magical axe which could chop down 1000 cherry trees in a single blow, but he could never tell a lie about it. Later on, he parted the Delaware River and defeated Hitler and the Nazis at Gettysburg. Certain key facts could get misconstrued or mixed up with myth and folklore, but how would anyone know otherwise?

 

[loverofhumanity]

I don't think that anyone alive today can actually know if they're right about any of these things. Even for more recent and documented historical events, there are still some details which are unknown or doubtful. Unless you're right there to see it, you have to rely on what other people say or write about it. Perhaps part of the problem has to do with limitations of human communication and our ability to impart what we know to others.

And even if any or all of these things are true, if someone can say with absolute certainty that they know they're right about all of it, how can they still be certain as to what to do with that knowledge? It could be a case where "a little bit of knowledge is a dangerous thing." Even if one can be certain about a few bits and pieces of information (and frankly, even that's doubtful), it doesn't automatically mean that one can know the larger picture and the full, complete story. Even religion might tend to acknowledge that there are great mysteries beyond our comprehension - "the Lord moves in mysterious ways." That's where the process of acquiring new knowledge reaches a dead end. What we don't know or can't explain is left as an unsolvable mystery that ultimately leaves us all in the clouds.

At best, we're left with an incomplete picture.

Sometimes I wonder if America's history might end up as some future civilization's "bible." With only bits and pieces of information to go by and very little hard evidence remaining, it's likely they'll get some details wrong.

They might have a story about George Washington and his Blue Ox, Babe Ruth. He had a magical axe which could chop down 1000 cherry trees in a single blow, but he could never tell a lie about it. Later on, he parted the Delaware River and defeated Hitler and the Nazis at Gettysburg. Certain key facts could get misconstrued or mixed up with myth and folklore, but how would anyone know otherwise?

Yes I agree that it's very hard to be absolutely certain of many things. People today unfortunately divide themselves into camps based on their 'certainty' that they or their group are the only custodians of truth.

I feel that if we openly and unbiasedly investigated each other's beliefs or religions, we would find truth in all of them and become more accepting of one another instead of judgemental.

I think that always having an open and receptive mind is essential for us to grow and progress. The minute we say we know it all we cease learning new things and become opposed to new truths.

If we could only introduce 'maybe' into our psyches it could help us to be more understanding of each other. I do think though that with the internet and the explosion of knowledge that accompanies it, the world is awakening and is beginning to question itself as never before and questioning is a sign our minds are ready to accept more truth and truth sets us free and may unite us.

Good post. Thank you very much. I enjoyed reading your take on it.

 

[loverofhumanity]

Putting it quite simply, I don't, at least not beyond scientific law and theory. I do my best to combine facts and understandings with what beliefs are plausible or the most credible based on evidence and personal experience. I am completely open to new information as it is introduced, and adapt my beliefs according to new understandings or facts as they are presented/uncovered.

My beliefs and personal truths are my own, and while I believe them to be the Universal Truth at this juncture, I cannot be sure, so I don't present them as such.

To summarize, I believe I am right, but I don't know I am right.

Do you think there is such a thing as 'Certitude'? A station of 'knowing'?

 

[loverofhumanity]

What if you can only understand the truth based off your knowledge and your experiences. The truth would still be differently interpreted by each individual. All would know the truth but still not be able to convey it properly. This is the truth. Its our individuality that keeps our beliefs and understandings separate. All we can be is open minded to others as we will never fully understand there life view. Most of us understand our belief is different then others. It is what we do about this that is important. Do we try and force our beliefs on others? Do we avoid others that don't share our important beliefs? Do leave each to their own beliefs? Do we try to understand the others beliefs and relate to them?

As this is a debating site it seems that most want to engage others and try to force(inspire) change. Others here take the path of learning(seekers). Others here avoid others beliefs(Dir)

Another quote far more valuable paraphrased from a song by Joan Baez.

No human is an island, No human stands alone, Each humans joy should be joy to me, each humans grief my own. We need one another,

Detaching, self reflection these promote a peace within not a peace for all. Yes being open minded, understanding our differences will promote unity but our individuality makes it hard to overcome.

Yes being detached can be difficult. At one time there were those who persecuted science. I think there is a lot of fear out there that if we accept to learn new things we will lose ourselves or what we believe in.

So we stick to our comfort zones. I think also that generalizing about any one religion or race or nationality can be very dangerous and lead to prejudice, hatred and wars so it's important to not marginalize an entire people because some are bad. Yet we did see what happened to the Jews and now Muslims.

 

[Satans_Serrated_Edge]

In this forum many views are exchanged. We all have our beliefs and understandings. But how do we know we are right? What is it that 'tells us within" that we can't be wrong and can that inner voice be trusted? Can it be wrong?

How do you know your belief, your understanding, your interpretation of your scriptures is right or truer than someone else's?

Is that inner voice within always right or should we question ourselves more?

If we all set out on a search for truth and we all found it, then wouldn't we be united? For truth is one isn't it and no one truth can contradict another truth? So if we all found truth we would be united wouldn't we? Then if we are divided some of us or many of us haven't found truth?

Can we be detached enough from our own views, our own beliefs, traditions and opinions to be open minded or are we stubborn and closed minded?

“No man shall attain the shores of the ocean of true understanding except he be detached from all that is in heaven and on earth” - Baha'u'llah

“The fact that we imagine ourselves to be right and everybody else wrong is the greatest of all obstacles in the path towards unity, and unity is necessary if we would reach truth, for truth is one.” - Abdul-Baha

Some of the issues people won't budge on may very well have a different explanation than the view commonly held. Was Muhammad really the Last Prophet? Did Jesus really bodily rise from the dead?
Did the Buddha hint at a God? Did Moses really part the Red Sea? Does Satan really exist? Is Baha'u'llah the Promised One? Was there really a Great Flood? (Noah)

You may like to add other topics.

Well, I don't..As I don't put stock in faith as a means of knowing what is and isn't true.

You rest your chips on a lot of faith based premises. Why don't you tell us why you are so sure of them?

 

[YmirGF]

Yet we did see what happened to the Jews and now Muslims.

And what continues to Bahai's in Muslim majority countries...

In regards to the OP. I've learned, from experience, to embrace uncertainty. I simply don't know a lot of things. That does not mean that I am not painfully aware of the misunderstanding of others, which is often based on an inebriated sense of certainty.