Following the Faithful herd

BOTH MY GRANDMOTHERS were born in 1890, Victorian women, very religious and racist. To then the word "niggra" was politically correct. I never discussed either topic with either of them, for I was neither religious nor racist. As a ten year old was tried to figure out why anyone would be either, and failed to find an answer. religion seemed to me like fantasy and fiction, and racism seemed like an excuse to dislike people. I liked Willie Mays, but not preachers who seemed intent on frightening me. I have always believed that my parents, neither of whom was religious, prevented my grandmothers from indoctrinating me with their religious beliefs. They both believed that children should be allowed to develop their own religious beliefs, independent of all uninvited external influences. My grandmothers, who would have loved to have led me to the faith, laid off, and I strongly my parents warned them against it. I agree with them, and to this day am extremely grateful to both of them. I feel strongly that indoctrinating children with religions is child abuse. In Islamic countries and Christian countries in particular it is very difficult to survive childhood without being effectively brain washed into the prevailing religions. The indoctrination is simple, easy, and need merely consist of exposure to the ambient cultural environment. This is because humans by their fundamental nature are social animals, and strive to join and follow the herd, to conform to social norms as a way of gaining acceptance and prestige in the social hierarchy. Anyone whose religious views differ from the mainstream, whose religiosity departs from the norm, whose beliefs embrace any form of religion, traditional or personal, other than the prevailing religion, is to be admired as a truly free thinker. As Goethe said: "The word advances only because of those who oppose it". Social norms are an essential element in organizing and stabilizing civilization, and perpetuating it. Without large scale cooperation within large groups of people civilization would be impossible. But advances are made by people who dare to be different, and to such people we all, even the most conservative among us, owe a great debt of gratitude.