Liberally Thinking

What does it mean to be liberal?  Think liberally, vote liberally, worship liberally, etc?  And on the opposite side of the spectrum, what does it mean to practice all of those things conservatively?

I would say thinking liberally means you're open minded and free to consider new points of views.  You have a very high tolerance, with the possible exception of intolerant people.  Voting liberally, in the U.S. today generally means you vote for a Democrat.   And as for worshipping liberally, I would think it depends on the context, but you certainly don't follow much of a routine and have a significant disdain for dogma.

As for conservatively thinking...I would say you very much know what you believe and why you believe it.  You listen to someone else's opinion, but depending on how much it varies from yours you might be thinking they're a bit crazy to think such things.  As for voting, you check the Grand 'Ol Party's box almost to a fault, and sometimes regardless of the candidate.  Worshipping conservatively might mean you've attended the same church your entire life and maybe even sat in the same pew, shook hands with the same people, and talked about the same things week in and week out.

Before I continue, please don't think I'm trying to berate or offend anyone. I'm merely trying to lay out two seemingly opposing ideas as I am working through how they affect my views and beliefs.  If there's a sliding scale with liberal on one end and conservative on the other, I'm trying to figure out where I land on that scale.

When you get right down to it, each of us has an opinion about where we stand on this sliding scale of ideals.  Over the last year, where I land on that scale has shifted.  Because of that, I am thinking differently about my particular flavor of politics, faith, etc.

What about you? Have you thought about where you land on the liberal vs. conservative scale? And if so, how does that affect various beliefs in your life?