Laura, I have to tell you how much I admire the stance you are taking in this posting.
If a person won't stand up and defend that which they believe, then they deserve whatever consequences follow.
You are obviously a courageous and independent thinker, and I only wish there were a lot more people with those attributes to act as role models for "the followers".
When you are true to your principles, and to yourself, others recognize it and that gives you the ability to influence them in positive ways. So I encourage you to keep on speaking up and "sticking to your guns!"