Reply #66: If you had six fingers on each hand ...

[Boojatta]

then you would probably disagree with the premise that people have five fingers on each hand. However, you would nevertheless be in a small minority, and people who want a clear picture of reality, and who are able to live with the knowledge that their picture of reality isn't a perfect portrait of reality, would be better served by a picture of reality that includes five fingers on each hand.

People often connect their personal identity and sense of self-worth to their ideology, and this connection helps explain the psychology of ideological commitment.

Also, I disagree with your premise here: "religious affiliation is part of what the person is". My affiliations do not define me, and are not a part of who I am. And when I was a religious man, I felt the same.