I’m an atheist. I disagree that this is about intelligence… I think it’s more about ignorance. This is an important distinction and I think it’s more harmful to our cause to demean them the same way they might do to marginalized groups.
A lot of people have trouble empathizing with those in marginalized groups because they don’t have anyone close to them that is affected by their hateful ways of thinking. Often, just having a family member or friend come out to them is enough to open their mind. I think that most of the time, these people just lack the information (emotionally) necessary to understand harmful their beliefs have been. Years of indoctrination make it so much harder to overcome, but indoctrination doesn’t necessarily mean they lack intelligence. I think the words we use are important tools in changing minds.