Which is better to do? Hold your own beliefs or follow other's passed down beliefs?

I'd say hold your own beliefs. You?

 

"The Lore of my Faith, is that witch found me
Belief comes with Conviction, and Conscience, - the key,
That's been passed down, through the passage of time,
Is for to consider, - but the decision/s are mine".

 

Mine?

Abou Ben Adhem
BY LEIGH HUNT
Abou Ben Adhem (may his tribe increase!)
Awoke one night from a deep dream of peace,
And saw, within the moonlight in his room,
Making it rich, and like a lily in bloom,
An angel writing in a book of gold:—
Exceeding peace had made Ben Adhem bold,
And to the presence in the room he said,
"What writest thou?"—The vision raised its head,
And with a look made of all sweet accord,
Answered, "The names of those who love the Lord."
"And is mine one?" said Abou. "Nay, not so,"
Replied the angel. Abou spoke more low,
But cheerly still; and said, "I pray thee, then,
Write me as one that loves his fellow men."

The angel wrote and vanished. The next night
It came again with a great wakening light,
And showed the names whom love of God had blest,
And lo! Ben Adhem's name led all the rest.

 

"Don't go by reports, by legends, by traditions, by scripture, by logical conjecture, by inference, by analogies, by agreement through pondering views, by probability, or by the thought, "This contemplative is our teacher." When you know for yourselves that, "These qualities are unskillful; these qualities are blameworthy; these qualities are criticized by the wise; these qualities, when adopted & carried out, lead to harm & to suffering" — then you should abandon them."

"Now, don't go by reports, by legends, by traditions, by scripture, by logical conjecture, by inference, by analogies, by agreement through pondering views, by probability, or by the thought, 'This contemplative is our teacher.' When you know for yourselves that, 'These qualities are skillful; these qualities are blameless; these qualities are praised by the wise; these qualities, when adopted & carried out, lead to welfare & to happiness' — then you should enter & remain in them."
The Kalama Sutta

 

I'd say a mixture of both with a strong lean on your own beliefs. Don't discount something just because everyone else believes it. That's partly how I fell into the conspiracy theory rabbit hole.

 

Modern science can now provide all the statistical evidence anyone wants for what beliefs more often lead to fame and fortune! However, life's not about what you think or believe. The evidence indicates that those raised in extended families or who regularly volunteer their own two hands in service to their fellow man, actually live up to their own moral values, and thrive better in the long run. Some 80% of the population applies their own moral standards to others, but not themselves, explaining why the whole world is going down the toilet.

 

No, I'm saying modern science can prove that the stronger you claim that life must make sense, the shorter your lifespan and the fewer children you will have. The workaholic populations of Japan and the white US and EU have been imploding faster than any other on the planet, since the invention of modern birth control. The sociological evidence includes seniors living longer by literally donating more to charity, and entire economies of poor people struggling to pay it forward among themselves, in order to extend their lives, because they all tend to know damned well it extends their lives. Its not a question of belief, when you are confronted with empirical evidence.