It's not so much loony as irrational. Faith is irrational, by definition (Pascal's wager notwithstanding). Many people believe in many irrational things (the

It's not so much loony as irrational. Faith is irrational, by definition (Pascal's wager notwithstanding). Many people believe in many irrational things (the perfection of their children, the ability of their team to win this game) and decent people don't challenge them on it. It only becomes an issue when irrationally-held beliefs come into conflict with rationality that reasonable people get upset. Sort of like, your freedom to swing you fist ends at the end of my nose, your freedom to believe in whatever you want stops when it affects me. (edit - well, of course you are always free to believe whatever you want. But my tolerance of it may be reduced.)