“How can SO many Smart, Nice people believe that kind of teaching??”
Teaching religion to a child is a lot like how elephants are trained in the circus. As babies the elephants leg are tied to a stake in the ground. No matter how hard the baby pulls he can’t pull the stake out. When the baby becomes an adult they can still tie him to the stake because the elephant does not think he can pull it out. Never mind that if the elephant wanted to he could pull down the large circus tent.
Also, the fact that it is such a close-knit group plays to its advantage later in life. If you leave the group, you lose all your friends.
Shun the unbeliever!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=diYlHI8Ghkg