The Dominant Culture

We ignore the controlling power of the culture most dominant around us to our own demise.  We rarely acknowledge the air around us.  The same can be said of our culture.  Having grown up in our particular culture, having everyone around us living by the same standards and rarely having those standards questioned by anyone whose opinion we value, makes an escape or critique of that culture highly unlikely. 
Everyone lives within a particular culture that is based upon a certain worldview and certain presuppositions.  Because these things are foundational to our thinking and stem from religious opinion and culture, a change away from these things to another set of views is rare.  This is rare due to the major cultural rupture that will occur within our circle of influence. A major change of this sort will usually really in a fracture of existing relationships, which most people highly value.
All of this leads us to some observations.  The beliefs we hold and the faith we practice will be controlled by our culture.  This says nothing about the truth or falsehood of that belief system.  What then is the answer to finding and determining the "truth"?  There are two extremes which may be avoided.  First is the "Joseph Smith" syndrome, that is, rejecting all authority outside of oneself and making oneself the final authority.  The second error, on the extreme other end of the spectrum is that of the Roman Catholic church, that is, question nothing of the authority of those over you, simply believe and do what they tell you.
So what is the middle ground? One had to decide where to begin.  Do you trust your senses? Or do you believe that what we receive from our senses is merely illusion (ie Hinduism)?  An understanding of history will help one move in the right direction.  If one starts from the position that God communicated to Abraham and up through the history of Israel, was leading his people in truth, culminating in the birth, life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, as the answer to the Old Testament, then one will embrace the Eastern Orthodox Church as "the" church.  One will be able to critique all other belief systems, see their internal inconsistencies and reject them as false.
What this really all comes down to is the responsibility each one of has to understand history, think clearly, and provide an answer for what he believes.  Everything else is likely to be built on sinking sand.