While I was listening to this man and could see this points and understood his perspective, my heart was unable to abandon my original convictions in the end. (Which, after all, is what beliefs actually are. Doesn’t matter what your head is telling you, your beliefs are ingrained in what your heart knows to be true.)

When someone (or something) has made it abundantly clear by proving it on repeated occasions that, to Him (or Her or It, depending on how you interpret God), I am worthwhile, loved and valued then yes, I may listen and respect, but I am unable to value any outside argument from an ignorant third party who asserts otherwise. Although it appears stubborn, this is a belief that I proudly stand by, regardless of the way it looks to those who don’t [bother to] understand.

I don’t know. I don’t think that there are many beliefs beyond personal reconsideration and/or reformation and I look forward to living my life with an open mind, watching my uncertainties grow and change as I get to know myself better. In fact, I think that a life of supposed “certainty” and resulting stagnation is pointless and ignorant. But there are many things that I have experienced that give me a handful of very strong, unwavering beliefs and this gives me a foundation to build my explorations on.

Oh, and it gives me a spine when people try to knock me off course because of their own agendas. I think (with as little ego as possible) that this, too is important when developing one’s inner self and confidence.

And that’s where I stand.

… Okay, now I’m really done rambling.

However, since we’ve deviated a bit, I’ll add my two cents to the topic you’ve brought up.

Oh sure I scoff at the blind following of other people, whether in regards to religion or politics or any other mass-control method. And I’m always pretty hard on myself when I catch myself following something blindly without taking the time to challenge it and my personal stance on the matter.

However, I no longer waste time trying to adamantly impose my beliefs on others as my accepting of Love as a general belief and lifestyle requires me to live and let live, give everyone the right to believe what they want, despite how my personal perspectives differ.

The need for Christians to cram their beliefs down everyone’s throat and aggressively change everyone’s beliefs (and therefore - supposedly - their “eternities”) in the name of “evangelism” is something that obviously infuriates [most of the] atheists in such devoutly Christian demographics as ours. However, in their anger, they only perpetuate the flaring of ignorance by retorting with a need to convince Christians of their own stupidity and try to change their minds to something more “logic based”. Each side in this case is filled with arrogance at believing that their convictions are the only right way and each side displays their insecurities and ignorance at needing to angrily push their views on others (which, again, they claim so adamantly to loathe about the other side.)

This is something that has gone on for years, but not something that I’ve seen in all the people and cultures I’ve encountered from around the globe (although many cultures obviously still have very noticeable arguments regarding personal beliefs. That’s neither here nor there at the moment.) Perhaps it has something to do with being in the Bible Belt, but my perception of the man stated above was based on the dozens of atheist American men just like him that I’ve met who are so steeped in anger and animosity toward anyone with beliefs different from theirs that they slap an “idiot” label and utter disrespect on anyone who dares to argue with them.

So, yes, I absolutely agree. It’s up to each of us to find the inner peace required to allow everyone to coexist peacefully, despite our differences. (Hell, this is something that Sesame Street has been promoting for decades.) This is something I’ve worked very hard to practice as I’ve become more comfortable and connected with my own spirituality. And, like you said, people should be free to interpret life and it’s components in any way they are most comfortable with without fearing persecution from others.

But again, that wasn’t my point in the passage at all.