Do you believe there's a double standard for religious beliefs?

W. K. Clifford is famous for his evidentialist thesis that "It is wrong always, everywhere, and for anyone, to believe anything on insufficient evidence." On this way of thinking, someone who fails to apportion belief to evidence violates the ethics of belief. Although Clifford had religious beliefs in his sights, his thesis, by its very wording, applies to every sort of belief. Why then do people tend not to apply it to non-religious beliefs? Why do they hold religious beliefs to an exceedingly stringent standard, but refuse to do the same with political beliefs, say? Why the double standard?

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