Restricted-thinker?

free-think-er n. A person who forms opinions about religion on the basis of reason, independently of tradition, authority, or established belief. Freethinkers include atheists, agnostics and rationalists.

-- Freedom from Religion Foundation.

It strikes me as unfair to imply that those of us who belong to some sort of organized religion or hold a set of beliefs that have been previously labeled and filed under the "religion" cabinet are somehow restricted in thought.

Because I was born into a family that practiced "Mormonism" and have chosen (and am choosing) to continue making such a practice a part of my life does not mean that I have not exercised reason and formed opinions independently of tradition or authority.

Incidentally, how is atheism, antagonism or rationalism an unestablished belief?

I've seen the term "freethinker" thrown around far too carelessly. Mostly, it is not because they celebrate this "freedom" of thought, but because they do not want to, or have not yet put careful thought into their belief system and instead use their claim on "rational thought" as an excuse to maintain their lifestyle.

Likewise, I think we are equally guilty of throwing the term "Mormon" or "LDS" around far too carelessly. Have we put careful thought into our choice of religion? Do we use the terms simply as an umbrella to shelter us from having to actually think about our belief system? How conscious a choice is my religion? Is it simply an excuse to maintain my lifestyle?

Far too many of us use this prescribed set of morals we adopt as an alibi for not exercising our agency.

It should not matter where we learn of and adopt our philosphy of life from, or that millions of others share the same set of beliefs. What counts is whether or not those ideas have been internalized. Do our thoughts and actions have root within us, or are we simply a relection of the ideas that surround us, never really letting those ideas into our core?

So think freely. Challenge. Inquire. Rationalize. Ponder. Agonize. Pray. Then act on what you know. Only then will you be truly be congruent.