Apologist Matt Slick's atheist daughter tells of her experience growing up

[Tonus]

Typical communal reinforcement which is all too common among religions. Most Christians I know tend to do this, surround themselves with like-minded people so that your beliefs are constantly reinforced by others agreeing with them.

Basically it's the same thing as Republicans watching Fox News or listening to Rush or Hannity.

Or any other form of tribalism that we practice, sometimes without recognizing it. I think that it's part of our mental makeup, to want to belong to a group so badly that we find some common thread and latch on to it. Religion, national and ethnic pride, and political ideology are places where it is most obvious. But people can be rabidly partisan about something as seemingly innocuous as sports. To the point of shunning other people or even assaulting them verbally or physically.

It does remind me of growing up a JW, though. You are taught to depend on the group and only the group, and to reject any and all outside influences or ideas. While this can help to reinforce the ideas and ideals of the cult, it also means that it doesn't take much to rock the boat, especially in a world that is becoming more socially interconnected. And one thing that helped me overcome religious indoctrination was the desire to make sure that god made sense and that he fit into reality easily and logically. There really could only be one outcome under those circumstances.