Open-mindedness is always a good thing

In this last post of this debate, I will respond to my opponent's arguments in Round 3. 1. Definitions. I don't see the distinction of willing to consider versus actually considering other viewpoints. I think they are pretty much the same. Therefore, I leave it to the discretion of the voter to decide. 2. Story. Pro may be correct that the man was undervaluing his own opinion, but even so, the man was willing to consider the suggestions, no matter how ridiculous they were, and in considering, changed his opinion until it reached the point of absurdity. Yes, the moral is different from my interpretation, but I believe that it is a story that can be applied to many different contexts. 3. A. Religious close-mindedness. My opponent said that it is bad to be religiously close-minded, and he brought up the example of the Inquisition. This example, however is not really on the subject at hand. Close-mindedness is merely "unreceptive to new ideas" it does not necessarily mean forcing one's convictions on others. My opponent is an atheist and I am a Christian. I am unreceptive to people saying the Bible is fake. However, I have never pushed my Christianity on him or treated him badly for his beliefs. I am not prejudiced against him, and we are actually friends. So my "close-mindedness" does not mean that I will persecute you if you do not completely agree with me. If I did that I would be intolerant. Therefore, as you can see, the Inquisition is actually an example of intolerance, not close-mindedness. B. Absolutes. When right and wrong are not absolute, confusion reigns. I will not explain this further because I don't think it is really necessary to this round. C. Does open-mindedness mean changing ones view? I believe that sometimes it does. On the subjects I am open-minded on, I have had my views shift at least a little from the feedback from others. That is why I am careful about what I am open-minded about. 4. Convictions. My opponent is correct that most convictions do shift throughout life. However that is not true of all. For example, as a Christian, I am convinced that the Bible is true and am quite unlikely to change it. Some people do change it, granted, but others do not. 5. Does what you are close-minded about determine what you are open-minded about? For me, yes. Using my Christianity example again, the fact I am close-minded about the veracity of the Bible makes me only open-minded to things not having to do with the Bible being false. One example of something I am close-minded about it the issue of creation/evolution. You can try to convince me otherwise, but I choose not to change my opinion because I would discredit my belief that the Bible is completely accurate. I will not address round 4 because I don't feel it would be really fair to my opponent. I leave you, the voter, to make your own decision. However, I would like to summarize my main point. Open-mindedness is good in many areas, and I am all for it. But I don't think it is always good. As I have mentioned above, there are some situations where close-mindedness is better. Close-mindedness does not necessarily mean imposing your beliefs on others. It simply means one's mind is made up. I would like to thank my opponent for such an interesting and respectful debate. I have enjoyed it and I trust you have too. I hope that we will have an equally enjoyable debate in the future. I apologize for any disrespect on my part. I would also like to thank our voters for taking the time to read this long debate and voting on it. We really appreciate it.