Schools, governments, societies, religions, parents...most of them teach a child what to think, then reward him or her for doing so and penalize them for demonstrating divergent thoughts.

Thus is free thought discouraged by most entrenched power systems as they do what they primarily are in business to do...perpetuate themselves and extend their power. They do not teach HOW to think, they teach WHAT to think.

They don't tell the child "don't think rationally", they tell the child "This is what you should be thinking, because it is rational, and it's right, and it's proven, and we all know it, and here's the rationality behind it. Just stay within our definitions of what is rational and what is not as you go through life, and you may be sure you are on safe ground."

Accordingly everyone, and I do mean EVERYONE, is convinced that his own thinking is eminently rational...while it probably seems quite plain to him that the thinking of those who think differently from him is not. ;-)

In such an environment mutual respect is not easily achieved.

I agree with you, Bill, that "it is NOT possible to be a (truly) rational thinker and maintain that your form of religion is the only correct and 'reasonable' one." You might say the same about your form of goverment, philosophy, social customs, etc...

They are all options, they are all possibilities, and not one of them is the ONLY correct and reasonable one.