Religious people are less intelligent than atheists

[drfuzzy]

Let me ask this because these kinds of threads pop-up often enough. Why is it so important for atheists to prove they are more intelligent/rational than theists?

I can't answer for most, and I will not create any post that makes such a claim.  But I understand where the temptation comes from, from the point of view of someone who was raised religious.  When I realized that I could not believe, I felt freed and enlightened.  I then read a lot of books and studied a little bit of logic.  I felt as if I had escaped from an ignorant and indoctrinated mindset.  This feeling probably can make a new atheist feel like a new religious convert, wanting to shout from the rooftops that I HAVE FOUND THE TRUTH!  Of course, I (and probably most of us) have endured enough of such preaching to avoid doing it ourselves.