Forester Critique, What I Blelieve

Historically there have always been religious wars. In these modern times many of these wars are no longer being fought on a battle field but in courtrooms. People are seldom one hundred percent tolerant of anything that is not their own. This leads to hatred which can end in violence.
             "Faith,"" Forester believes, "is stiffening process, a sort of mental starch, which ought to be applied as sparingly as possible."" He is right about faith. It allows people to grasp an idea that they had no control developing. While encouraged to make a connection with one's faith individually, there are parameters in which any free thought must be contained. Organized religion is another way for people to assimilate into groups that make them feel exclusive or special. It also protects people from becoming venerable to an attack on their ideals from others because of the sense of security in groups.
             When Forester states "We don't know what we're like- it is unclear if he is referring to "we- the individual or "we- the group a person identifies with. Either way I agree with Forester because a person forgets or chooses to overlook the negative aspects of themselves and of their group. A good example of this is the David Westerfield case. His friends all testified that he was a nice guy just like them and he could never hurt anyone. They chose not to see the side of him that was a child murderer because that would mean that they were associating with a bad person. "We don't know what we're like- because of denial. If a person truly understood those around him he would think of them in a totally different light. If a person understood himself then there would be no such thing as psychology, a science devoted to understanding people.
             If people do not even know themselves, knowing others seems like a waste of time. To paraphrase Forester, in theory we can not trust others in personal relationships, but we do and there is a mutual love and trust involved.