Prudence: Answering Questions with Questions

The Slate column "Dear Prudence" illustrates the general principle that the best way to answer a question is by asking other questions. One recent query concerned when a woman should begin disclosing to her husband and friends that she had ceased to believe in the religious views that they all shared -- that formed the heart and soul, so to speak, of the town they lived in.

This elicited the following barrage of responsive questions:

"Ask yourself what you are and aren't willing to do. While you personally no longer believe in your former religion, are you comfortable staying in an environment where most people are? Would you rather live elsewhere? Will it bother you if friends or colleagues continue to assume you're religious? Would you be able to share your beliefs with your children, or would your husband try to insist you keep it a secret from them? Know what it is that you need before you have the conversation.

I like Slate so much I've included a photo of slate rock above.

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