With religion often comes dogmatism—the meticulous formulation, codification, and propagation of particular beliefs to the degree that rigid adherence to such doctrines is explicitly ordered by the religion’s leadership and structure. However, to strictly define particular beliefs is to limit peoples’ approaches to them; those who adhere rigidly to doctrines can be considered company-line or orthodox, while those whose views are incongruent with an established doctrine are seen as rebels or heterodox (or, to use historically intense language, heretics). Dogmatism leaves little to no room for open-mindedness, flexibility, dynamism, and development without the prevailing suspicion of the orthodox on the heterodox. This only furthers the mentality of us-versus-them that already corrupts much of religion, placing both groups in perpetual combat and stalemate.

In light of this, a “religion without religion” means, among other things, to cast away the vain comfort of dogmatism—of the futile security that the orthodox adherents of religion have in hanging on to a rigid, strict, unmoving, an unchanging dogmatics as a source of security. When dogmatism is dismantled and cast away, room is made for genuine dialogue, interaction, development, and open-mindedness. In an age when the question “So what?” is frequently posed to religious teachings and practices, fluidity and open-mindedness will be better able to respond to such questions than rigidity and closed-mindedness. “Religion without religion” means breaking down the heavy fortifications of dogmatism around religion in order for sincere dialogue and development to commence between those with differing within the same religion, outside the religion with fellow religious people, and with those who are not religious.

Religion must not be isolationist, and must instead have its arms wide open—not so that it may gather the world into itself, but that the world and itself may embrace each other. It is an unfortunate truth that religions across time have often fallen into dogmatism to the point that those who hold opposing views are shunned, excommunicated, banished, and even killed. It is only when open-mindedness replaces absolute certainty that genuine interaction, development, and flourishing is able to occur.