Coercion, Freedom, Absolute Truth

So My brother and I were having this conversation with my uncle Dave about religion and the communities they create and the individuals relation to that community. Intermixed in this discussion were philosophical questions about positivism and objectivism. Basically we were trying to understand our views on what degree the religious individual is free to make decisions independent of communal pressure and coercion. My uncle felt that one is really not free unless he is completely free of those communal considerations. What I realize now is that there is a fundamental difference of what freedom means. He might define it as being free from outside influences in order to make an independent decision based on your own intellect. I think that that is a valuable thing. However, I believe freedom is actually having the knowledge necessary to make the right decision. This might underline another major difference; that being our views on whether or not absolute truth exists or whether each individuals reality is just as good. Interesting questions.