Muslims

[Thumpalumpacus]

Perhaps you should read up on compartmentalization as a cognitive phenomenon.

I know plenty of intelligent Christians, indeed have some in my family.

Compartmentalization in this case is but a euphemism for cognitive dissonance.

Of course. But cognitive dissonance is not cognitive deficiency, which is what you wrote.

There is no doubt some of the insane, the cognitively dissonant, and the uneducated are brilliant.   That doesn't mean they are therefore either right where their afflictions have effected them, or their defects less of a defect or less problematic as a defect.

No one was arguing that brilliant people are automatically right, so I'm unsure why you felt the need to make that "point".

As far as "afflictions" and "defect", you're trying to insert via language your views, without supporting them. You haven't shown that religious people are stupid, "cognitively deficient", "afflicted", "defective", or any other pejorative you wish to attach to them based upon your own distaste. Classing an entire swathe of people as "cognitively deficient", "afflicted", "defective" (or any other phrase you wish to use) simply based on their belief-system reveals an understanding of intelligence on your part that is very shallow.