True Believers?

Like parrots, we sometimes merely copy what other people say and do. Can we also merely copy what other people believe? I argue that we can. This raises the question: when are our beliefs truly our own? There are believers and there are true believers. Being a true believer takes more than affirmation. It requires taking ownership of the affirmation. This means that we go beyond repetition, affirmation, and signaling our allegiances. We have our own reasons for thinking as we do. We are prepared to take on practical commitments, to certain causes or people. This helps us to see why so-called 'brainwashed' people are at the same time fanatical yet not true believers.