Raised To Be A Worse Person Than I Want To Be

Hello, don't fret I've found myself guilty of this same problem.

When I first came to understand myself to be a strong atheist I was all about religious bashing, and I built myself up in this black and white way as some champion of the world doing what's best for everyone...then one day I suddenly realized that what I was doing was exactly what I damned the religious for doing. Since then I've really tried to avoid the area of religion because I get too heated when I'm discussing it and I don't feel like I've tamed myself any. -.-'

I hate black and white thinking. It takes the point of living away in my mind. If things are right because they are right and wrong because they are wrong than what's the point of any of it? If everything is exactly what it is no questions than there is no mystery in what we do, and that just makes things feel so bland.

To your issue of worrying about your mentality don't stress it I have two simple solutions for you.

1.) Anytime you get in a debate before you speak/type think about what you're going to say. Do a play through in your head and if it sounds offensive/one-sided/or close minded than don't say it.

2.) Any time you slip up and do make the mistake of getting in that black and white mentality just apologize ( assuming you said something offensive ) and try to do better next time around

Also, if you really want to find compromises in life the best way to do that is 'walk a mile in someone else's shoes'

Taking the LGBT issue for a moment. If you want to test things out and try to break the Black/white mentality you're holding than why not try to view the world through the homophobic lenses for a brief moment. The best way to reach anyone is from a position of understanding, so if you understand why someone would be homophobic in the first place, your odds of reaching out to them increases by the very fact that you can understand where those feelings come from