"Creationist" is too broad a term.

[Mister Agenda]

I'd say it's way more important to be kind to people you know in RL than strangers on the internet. I don't go around busting people's chops for being creationists even though I think the idea is silly. But I DO think it's silly and after a long day of not busting people's chops in a state where the majority of people are creationists, I like to unwind by bashing it on the internet.

But I don't blame creationists for being creationists. They're raised in a bubble, and that's not their fault. And their parents are trying to do the right thing by supplying the bubble. I won't say none of them are acting 'in bad faith', but most of them aren't. I don't blame members of a tribe who think their ancestors manipulate events, it's normal to believe what everyone you respect takes for granted as being true. It's pro-social, and our instincts lead us to do it.

Skepticism is going against the flow, it puts reason and science over group solidarity and tradition. It's the best guide in the long run and has brought us nearly everything the modern world has to offer. But I understand and sympathize with those who resist changing their foundational beliefs. Furthermore, I think that empathy gives me a better chance of persuading someone to modify their beliefs.

However, my signature illustrates that my empathy only goes so far.