@wandeljw,
I've heard plenty of speeches, where I was meant to be quiet and listen, that I've gone on to discuss after... None of us would get much done if we didn't listen once in a while. I've listened to people on TV and the radio and I was the only one in the room. I've then brought that discussion here or to the living room with my friends and family.
That is what people, religious or not, do.
I've gone to class and had to sit through teachers preaching their particular creed. There was no discussion in class, but around the cafeteria table the topic of the day would be rehashed.
I'm not a religious person, now. Even when I was, I may or may not have agreed with the priest but that didn't stop me from discussing what was said. Didn't then, wouldn't now. I don't think I'm all that different from the average person. Just because you hear something, you don't have to buy it hook, line and sinker, and it doesn't preclude my freedom of will or thought.
