IMHO, it takes three separate aspects of personality to be in the habit of independent thought. 1 is cognitive ability. 2 is inclination. 3 is self-confidence. By way of a contrapositive demonstration, think about the local village idiot, a mentally lazy person, and anybody who is frightened by their own shadow. If any one of those three aspects of personality are missing, it seems to me that such a person cannot engage in independent thought. Just look at the number of panhandlers in Florida.

I watched the Scientology series, too and was baffled by the numbers of people who did such STUPID THINGS while caught in the cult! Cult leaders always make members feel ''soooo special,'' don't they?

It's all about ego. And self-doubt.

Independent thought requires at least a minor degree of effort, effort requires work, lazy people don't like that.

Not everyone in this world is comfortable with using their own initiative.

Very good question. Here's an answer: We are basically ego systems that were told we are no good, that we aren't of ultimate importance, and our ego was damaged. We felt abandoned, or abused, or whatever and it held consequences of rejection. We don't trust our own instincts, our own minds, so look for someone who seems to be stronger. That's it. No great motive other than "I'm not good enough to think for myself."

Once indoctrinated in a certain way or set of beliefs, it basically becomes a part of who and what you are.

Like with quitting smoking or other drugs, it takes someone with strong willpower and determination to break away. Unfortunately most people do not possess strong willpower.

I recently read that over 90% of individuals who try to quit smoking cigarettes cannot do it. So sometimes even if one has the desire to change they still cannot because they lack the backbone.

That the FSM caused the big boil and that a trible also doesn't follow it is a part of my thinking that it is a cult that has no morality.

Leah Remini is very brave. I think she's great. Scientologist are fucked up. She exposed Danny Masterson as a rapist. He'll get off, he's got the best legal team.

Having grown up indoctrinated into wingnut evangelical paranoia about everything disappointing or difficult somehow being "proof" of Satanic warfare, (insert appropriate eye roll), I instantly see the biggest factor as FEAR. Laziness and desire for community are certainly also valid factors, but fear hits the mark on multiple counts: Fear of being wrong, fear of being judged negatively, fear of rejection, fear of inadequacy, fear of death and of the unknown in general, and of eternal punishment/damnation. The biggest hurdle I had for completely abandoning the Christian paradigm even after seeing through the hypocrisy and moral bankruptcy and the stupendous fallability of their scriptures was that stubbornly nagging "but what if I'm mistaken?" question. By age 20, I resolved that, btw, (cause I am smart, imho, lol) and have not once regretted it.

This is something I've seen and find difficult to accept. I remember at Uni, one of our lecturers set an assignment where you had to set your own assignment task and then complete it. Whereas a large number of people revelled in this freedom, what truly shocked me were the number of people who were angry and resentful of this task, to the degree that they demanded he set a separate defined assignment for them. They needed to be told what to do and without those instructions they found it difficult to function. Keep in mind that these were Uni students and all would have been in the top 5% of the IQ range and they were not intellectually lazy people or they wouldn't have been studying at that level. They just couldn't handle the freedom to establish their own structure.

I like this series and Leah Remini. My problem with Scientology is that it was started by an alcoholic science fiction writer and so many fell for its outlandish beliefs. This would not even make a good movie. Seriously, we all know that.

Without any great detail here, they tried to scam me once in Texas. I knew little of them and was actually joking as I answered the things they sent me. Before long someone wanted me to buy cemetery plots and I refused. Then the idiot made a claim about "my own church" saying something and I saw that the plot seller and the Scientology come on were connected.

Watch the NXIVM documentary series in Starz and hear from India herself, the daughter of actress Catherine Oxemberg, how she was brainwashed by Vanguard and his group of enablers. Pretty much what happens with trumpers and all religions that take advantage of the brainwashing.

The United states of America(system of belief of the written laws believed to be about justice, government organization and freedom to rape this land from the original indigenous inhabitants calling them such as Mexicans, Indian and native American) is the secret religion of the Masonic lodge secret religion racist devil worshipper governmental terrorist European invadors since their freedom from England July 4th, 1776.

Why do you not leave This America or quit supporting their devil worship in accordance with the written instructions of biblical text in such as requiring identification for capitalism slavery, taxation and government control?

Biblical explination that things about person identification is to be kept secret except for the government or specifically certain things. Such goes with birth certificate, social security card and photo identification. As well as business paperwork documentation for running a business as in a corporation papers required to be filled with clerks office of government.

Uneducated people do not understand metaphor. Beast is a metaphor for laws of government.

...no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark or the name of the beast or the number of his name. Revelations 13:17

I watch a lot of debates between atheists and believers. It's frightening to hear the godbotherers say their sacred texts are the only thing holding them back from committing horrific crimes. And they're serious.

I was in Christianity for 30 years. I questioned it everyday. It didn’t make a lot of sense to me some days and others it did. I didn’t like the you are supposed to suffer part. The reason I forced myself to believe it was I didn’t want to go to hell. The depiction the preacher gave it was scary. Once I broke out of the belief in hell the rest crumbled pretty quickly

As I see it:
Most of us feel comfortable belonging to some sort of community and most communities follow a generally accepted train of thought common to most members of that community. If you are an independent thinker your links to the community become more tenuous because you don't always share the common view. In some instances this can cause rejection by the community or self separation from the community. So I conclude (rightly or wrongly) that it is fear of losing the community in part that drives the avoidance if independent thought.

The key word, as already mentioned in other comments, is LAZINESS. Many people are too lazy to think for themselves.

Because the belief system is not just a belief system, it becomes part of the identity.
He is not religious because he believe. He believes because he is religious.
It is not enough to show that the belief is false, you need to give the person an option to build a new identity.

Humans may be capable of rational thought, but generally we are nto rational animals. We selfon take into account that humans are evolved animals who are still evolving.

Our evolutionary ancestors instinctually gathered in groups for protection and safety. Our instinctual drives still have much influence over us. Most of still get a sense of comfort from gathering in groups, although we no longer need to do so for safety reasons. We are instinctually driven to be a part of a group and to seek belonging.

Religion provides a sense of belonging. The costs are much higher than the benefits, but many choose it anyways because they respond to their instincts, not logic or rationality.

In modern humans instincts are most commonly een in emotional response. So religious people tend to make more emotional slanted decisions to fulfill ancient instinctual drives to be a part of a group, and to belong which gives them an (emotional) sense of peace.

It comes down to this for me. Weak minded vs strong willed.

Religion is for the weak minded not the strong willed. To use a movie example its the real life Jedi Mind Trick.

From earliest stages of human cognitive development we are conditioned by family, culture and theologies from which they derive, to accept externally sourced corrections and substitutions for what our inner senses and developing perceptual faculties report.

We're literally reprogrammed to reject our 'default' natural responses to first-hand experience of the environment in TRUST and favor of substitutes embossed on our developing psyches. It sets forth a life-long pattern of asserting individuality only within theology's and society's, imposed frames of reference. Add to this generational betrayal with instilled fear and distrust of natural early sexual curiosities and drives; concepts like 'original sin', invisible demonic predators and promises of eternal punishments. These are the walls within which human minds and souls are held captive; surrounded by self accepted bars to actualization of beautiful human potential as Nature would have it.

This crippling system of generational infection with terror of antithetical internal impulses or thoughts as evil, disloyal, ungrateful, indeed sinful crushes individuality. Thus natural creature drives become temporarily dammed-up until accumulated pressure becomes torturous and some 'bleed-out', seeking secondary substitutes; things like compulsive, destructive 'fanatic' behaviors and addictions. One can never get enough of substitutions..

"It's not nice to fool Mother Nature!" We're equipped with greater 'helpings' of capacities we see generously lavished on animal cousins on this planet. I believe two among them to be self-regulating instincts of morality and sexuality requiring no interference by culture for optimal, healthy development and expression. That is, however, in a life and love affirming culture; not in the male dominated pathogenic arrangements we call civilizations ; derivatives of male contrived theologies.

Respect for 'the individual' as an ideal wasn't fully recognized and codified until the end of the 18th. Century. This secular emergence of protection for all persons (in concept) happened for the first time in over 6,000 years. A door opened slowly but surely advancing possibilities for profound human emancipation to finally include our female half. A healthy seed was sown in a field of weeds and it flourished albeit imperfectly.

Immense power is contained within a single person. We’re as atoms to societies; equipped with infinite potential for social stability and realization of happiness. Unfortunately, we are in this place and time,very unstable and more of us become sick with each successive generation.

Those daring to assert themselves with no need for group validation aggravate and discomfort
overseers and self-appointed keepers, whether kings, party bosses, priests or mere husbands...

A promising horizon is visible but the distance ahead unknown, with probable shadows of more dark ages along the way.

A lot of the newer and larger evangelical churches are selling a form of companionship and a place to get together. Many have "free" gyms and sports teams. I had an old friend, who passed away, who liked to go to a certain church because he could play guitar and rock out to GeeZeus. I'm pretty sure that many in that church would not have approved his drinking and weed smoking.

For me it was the feeling of knowing I would be rejected, and it is difficult when you feel accepted, to leave the safety of that feeling....the fear that there might actually be "something" out there that can reach out and strike you down, or pass judgement on you. Thats pretty scarey.

I haven't watched the recent season of Leah Remini's series but I watched it for two seasons and yes, people want to be led. Scientology is incredibly fascist. People who have a belief system don't like independent, free thought because it questions and challenges belief systems. Those who hold those systems can't handle the questioning of their beliefs especially if they have questions that have arose in their minds that have been repressed.