 Can someone who believes in astrology be a skeptic? Can someone who believes that praying to a deity will have an effect on the world be a skeptic? If one can be and one can't, what is the difference between these two cases? Can a homeopath be a skeptic? Can someone who believes in transubstantiation be a skeptic? What is the difference?  I'm not sure if I know the answers to your questions. All I know is that in my life, in my personal experience, I have met deeply religious people and those of perhaps just a more spiritual bent who were also incredibly rational people, some in the biological sciences, even one astronomer. You are unable to understand how that might work. That doesn't mean that it doesn't.  "How do you define when an idea has "earned" respect?" Well, for starters the idea should not require special exemptions from the normal rules in order for it to survive.  Where did you see this "requirement?" Who enforces these "special exemptions" in your discussions? What else is needed for an idea to earn "respect?"