So, I have been sitting with this entire Zen and Catholicism thread and my misunderstanding of Zen practice for the past three days now, and I am currently struggling with the following question: "am I ignorant, or merely stupid?"

Those two words are used synonymously nowadays, although I would suggest for the sake of argument they do not actually mean the same thing. Stupid people either cannot learn at all, or if they can learn, they learn things more slowly, or less fully than others. The root word of ignorance, on the other hand, is "ignore." Ignorant people can learn just fine. But they choose to ignore some of the things they are taught because those teachings conflict with their beliefs. So, stupidity is a medical condition, while ignorance is a willful choice. (At this point, I extend an invitation to all to point out that this distinction is probably the result of my mind being clouded by the delusions of dualistic thinking.)

I would like to remind everyone at this juncture that my offending post did not "bash" Catholics (the religion in which I was raised), or members of any other faith. It merely pointed out that it appeared to my undiscerning mind that at least two elements of the Dharma (interdependence and impermanence) seem to conflict with the notion of a creator god. My intention in the post was to ask how this conflict, if indeed it was a conflict, should be reconciled. I now take it that the answer is that it does not matter, and that we just sit with things the way that they are. Or, perhaps the answer is that there is no answer and we sit with that too, because that is the way things are.

But, I am still confused, and I will return to my sitting now. Any insights would be appreciated.