It is absolutely vital that individuals are allowed to select their own beliefs. There are always consequences to such selection, which is why engineers get paid better than peopel who write bad poetry or lead small religious cults. You takes your choices and chances. But the right to one's own sanity is a sovereign right. The notion that the space we seem to occupy is the absolute and common ruling domain of all belief is actually oppressive when it is enfiorced.

The whole point of civilization is not prevention of belief, but enabling the individual to choose them well, with discernment AND creativity, and perhaps even come up with new improved ones.

To enforce beliefs -- even ones that seem obvious to you -- is a slippery slope to hell. And also an unkind act. None of which gaqinsays the value of education on what epople have believed and why. But the choice must be left to the sovereign individual.




A