socrates and his society

in class today we discussed socrates' method of questioning people and some in the class believed that it was the way socrates questioned everyone in an aggressive manner that got him in trouble. i disagree. i think it is what socrates is saying that pissed everyone off. he is basically questioning their belief system and in some cases turning it upside down. not many people like it when they think someone is threatening their beliefs and in this time period, their way of life. i think socrates is trying to teach people and trying to help, even though his methods make him out so be a crotchety old man. in most cases the people in socrates' community follow a fixed set of beliefs and rules governing religion. their religious beliefs are so strong that they impact most aspects of their lives. these citizens like euthyphro believe in these ideas because they know they are supposed to. they dont understand what it really means. if you believe something just because it follows the status quo, then there is little power in the belief. socrates is not trying to devalue their beliefs, he wants them to actually believe and comprehend them. by questioning the towns people and confusing them, socrates causes the towns people to question themselves. and through this questioning they can actually learn what is important to them and why it is important. he wants the towns people to learn that there is meaning in everything we do and if we can understand that meaning, we can better understand ourselves and what our purpose is.