Strong and Weak Arguments

[purplepurpose]

Of course intelligent people can be religious.

I would simply say that someone consistently applying scepticism would not be a theist. Everyone fails to apply scepticism properly at some points, it's just a matter of how much, how often and whether such problems are addressed.

Simply put, theistic/religious beliefs are rooted in emotion, in my opinion.

What about the question - why would people abandon peaceful religions, which bring positivity, even if its forced? My guess is that, even peaceful religions, demand from people to simply fear all their life Gods wrath, which would be a main driving force behind their attempts to please God. So, skepticism is used not because Gods ideas are silly or unproven, but maybe because Gods ideas are brutal underneath all that msg of love and unity, which bought people in to religion in the first place.