[Serious] Questions about Belief and Personal Identity

[Neo-Scholastic]

In another thread, there was some discussion about theists disliking atheists and vice versa. My last comment on that thread was that disliking someone just because of their opinions is rather juvenile. But maybe not always. Many people seem consider certain core beliefs central to their understanding of who they are. I don't know how I feel about that. Beliefs seem more like accidental than essential features of a person. When I think about my own personal identity it certainly seems like a very hap-hazard mix consisting of biological facts (like age), family history, formative experiences, and accumulated opinions about myself, others and the world. When assessing my relationships with others I try not to give too much weight to things I consider accidental, like political affiliations or ethnicity. At the same time these kinds of non-essential aspects of others do sometimes affect their behaviors and my responses to them. For example, keeping my mouth shut in a room full of political partisans or curiosity from hearing someone's thick accent.

So where do beliefs fall into that mix?

How important are various kinds of belief to personal identity?

To what extent do the expressed beliefs of others alter our opinions of them and why should that be the case?

Is it possible for a change of belief to produce an essential change in one's identity?

To what extent do the various beliefs of a person tell you something about the nature of someone? Are they open-minded or stubbourn, gullible or reflective, etc.?

Are beliefs a consequence of personal values or are values a consequence of beliefs?