Comment 14 by hellosnackbar :

The atrophy of Mohammedanism is something I would pray for(Inshallah) ;if my brain had been pathologically modified by belief in sky fairies.

Pathologically modified. No better way to put it. Take someone who has been warped from birth by faith and attempt to reason with them on even the semantics of the word belief, and you'll find that there is little distinction between uses on matters of fact and fantasy. For instance, I once had a conversation with someone extremely superstitious; from the Philippines actually. He had his "beliefs" and asked if I believe. I said if it's a matter of belief, then I chose not...he didn't get it, so I elaborated. I asked him if I had a choice to believe and he of course said yes. I asked him if he feels that he has a choice in believing in gravity, and again he said yes. I then said, well the one doesn't require belief, it's always there, go ahead and test it, but the other (in this case it was tree spirits) is not there, will never be there (safe bet), and therefor depends on belief alone. But alas...he still never got it. My point, there has to be some organic, neurological insufficiency that does, or more to the point does not occur while the brain develops at a young age. Perhaps due to stressers; environmental triggers maybe. It's already well known that exposure to traumatic events can have developmental consequences on the brain; if I recall, myelination of the neuronal sheaths, or something to that effect. In any case, I'm utterly baffled, and though never surprised, always dismayed.