Just because I disagree with the bible's interpretation of the history of our Earth and the universe, it doesn't mean that I necessarily agree with evolutionary theory, nor does it mean that I discount the idea that there is some sort of intelligence behind the existence or inner-workings of our universe.
Just because I question the theory of Anthropocentric Climate Change it doesn't mean that I think pollution is good, that we should continue to use fossil fuels, that destruction of the planet is good and that we have not changed the Earth in devastating and irreversible ways.
Just because I believe in a woman's right to choose what happens to her own body it doesn't mean that I think abortion is right, that the life of a fetus is worth less than the life of a conceived human, that I don't understand the history of Planned Parenthood.
Just because I don't believe the official report on the events of 9/11 it doesn't mean that I think Bush, Cheney et al were directly responsible.
Just because I disagree with the treatment of Palestinians it doesn't mean that I am anti-Semitic, that I think the Jews should be forced to leave Israel, nor that I agree with Palestinian-on-Jew violence.
The world is not so black and white, even though our media often tells us so. Unfortunately we in the Western world are very rarely taught about how to think critically and our news is full of "this side" versus "that side" punditry. I think everyone needs to take a deep breath and truly try to understand what another people are saying. We should try not to jump to conclusions and it is also good practice to repeat your understanding of another person's comments before commenting in return (I say this having rarely done it myself, but it is nonetheless true.)
BTW: Just because I posted this doesn't mean that I don't make rash decisions and claims based on emotion and faulty logic. And if anyone catches me doing it, please call me out on it!
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Further reading on related topics:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Critical_thinking
