Natalie Jensen, age 15, of  Hattesburg, Miss., for her question:

WHAT IS IDEOLOGY?

An ideology is a pattern of logically related beliefs, assumptions and cause and effect explanations that make up a system of thought. Examples of ideologies include democracy, capitalism, Protestantism, Roman Catholicism, socialism, communism and fascism.

The content of ideologies varies greatly. Some, such as Protestantism and Catholicism, refer to religious matters. Others refer to political systems, economic systems or philosophies of life.

It is difficult to prove an ideology "right" to someone who believes in an opposing one, because the "proof" rejects conclusions that are not part of the ideology in question. This does not mean that all ideologies are equally objective or equally good. It just means that, once a person has accepted the original premise of an ideology, only one set of conclusions seems possible or right to him.

Probably the greatest and most dangerous controversies in the world have grown out of conflicting ideologies held by various nations or national groups, various social classes and certain religious groups.