"Do not believe in anything
simply because you have heard it.
Do not believe in traditions
simply because they have been handed down for many generations.
Do not believe in anything
simply because it is spoken and rumored by many.
Do not believe in anything
simply because it is found written in your
religious books.
Do not believe in anything
merely on the authority of your teachers and elders.
But when, after observation and analysis,
you find anything that agrees with reason,
and is conducive to the good and benefit of one and all,
then accept it and live up to it."
-- The Buddha's Kalama Sutra