On not being trapped in dogmas
This article is not about God existence or non-existence.
I grew up reading a lot of technical books and, like a lot of kids, I tried to understand Things with a big T: universe, creation... So at first when having religious courses, I asked a lot of questions. Then I felt my questions caused the priest some kind of embarrassment. So I stopped asking but was more on a cultural show trying to understand the reasons to follow intellectual shortcuts.
I became atheist mostly because of reasons regarding knowledge. I do not say I was/am right, the point is not here.
It is only a couple of years ago I understood the main reason I quit religion. I understood it in apprehending the link people create regarding their beliefs (religious, political...) and the creation of their identity. They decide to wear tags and shape their personal and social identities around them.
When facts shake their believes, they felt personally attacked. So their tags often keep them in a closed stage of mind and stop them from accepting new facts and new ways of viewing the world. It is like being trapped in our own trap. For example, a couple of centuries ago, believing the earth was flat was ok, even for a scientist. But keeping this belief when having proof of the roundness of the earth is stupid.
Following a dogma (religious, political, ideological...), and building an identity around it, is dangerous. So the main reason I gave up a religion is because a lot of them make sense in some parts. And choosing one is denying the others and also embracing what I disagree on.
From my point of view, it sounds wiser to not go to deepen in embracing dogmas in order to keep an intellectual objectivity and an ability to adjust our beliefs. It is a process of giving place for personnal growth and embracing the evolution of our identity. We could be multiple.
So what about your beliefs ?