I donโt care very much whether people think that their religious beliefs, whatever they are, make them happier. I primarily care whether those beliefs are true. Whether one finds the truth pleasing is a separate question.
Only following people who agree with you is a recipe for confirmation bias and groupthink.
Critical thinking depends on listening to people who question your assumptions and challenge your conclusions.
Learning is the product of engaging with a range of thoughtful views.
Daniel Dennett argues that the danger of religion is not simply that people believe things.
It is that faith can become an excuse to stop questioning.
To stop thinking.