Skeptic tends to have a nasty thought in many people’s minds. For example, the Moon landing skeptics, the Obama “Birthers”, the 9/11 “Truthers”, and anti-vaxxers all call themselves skeptical of the establishment.
A true skeptic doubts the prevailing wisdom as well, unless the evidence supports it. There are people who are skeptical of a spherical Earth despite the evidence. Being a skeptic does not mean you deny the prevailing wisdom just because it is the prevailing wisdom. I, and any many other skeptics, cringe when people label themselves as such.
This is not a problem for just skeptics. There are many, many crimes done in the name of Christianity or Islam. Crimes are an abuse of their good name say the vast majority of the believers. The hijacking of a name is not uncommon.
A bit of skepticism about everything is very healthy, and actually builds your confidence. A true skeptic is always willing to listen to new evidence. A true skeptic is also skeptical of new evidence. When opinions are formed, they are very well formed.
It may happen that an opinion here gets changed. This may happen as evidence emerges. However, as Carl Sagan said, extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence. It will take a lot of evidence for opinions to change, but it is possible. Unlike the groups mentioned above, no amount of evidence can change their minds.
When the word skeptic is used here, it is meant in the scientific sense, not in the “deny-er” sense.
–Dave
