@Brandon9000,
If someone tries to "tear down" something in which you believe I think it's perfectly reasonable that you would respond with a challenge of their beliefs, however the level of gusto devoted to the challenge would largely depend upon the nature and seriousness of the attempted "tear down."
I have enjoyed the debate between you and Olivier in this thread, but of course he hasn't been trying to defend the indefensible. If someone wants to ignore the overwhelming factual evidence that is available to them in favor of a creation myth formulated thousands of years ago, as long as they don't insist the myth be taught to everyone's children as one feasible explanation (let alone the only explanation) of the how the universe, the earth, and humanity came to be, I just don't understand the need or even impulse to engage in a debate. I’m led, therefore, to the sense that a thread like this is intended, no matter how politely, to mock what are perceived to be foolish beliefs.
That would be all well and good if it hadn't been done so many times before and with the same players. Obviously you are free to start whatever thread you want and I am, by no means, forced to participate in it, but I don't find it a lack of good grace to express my opinion on the nature of it. I have no intention of hanging around an inserting my opinion again and again. If you respond to me though and I think it's appropriate to respond in turn, I will.
Obviously trying to win a debate is not contrary to the spirit of debate. I'm just not willing to concede that the majority of the back and forth in this thread thus far can be rightly considered
debate.[/i.
While I am very happy to acknowledge that you are one of the most level headed and rancor free members of this forum (something which I quite appreciate in your participation) I have been on the receiving end enough times to know that your claim that you never talk about the debater is not accurate. In any case, I don't think comments about the perceived intention of a poster/debater amount to "talking about the debater" or, for that matter, ad hominem.
Look, I'm not trying to get into a pissing contest with you and I [i]debated with myself before making my initial comment, but there's something about the many threads like this that rankle me. While I agree that claims like the earth is only a few thousand years old and that every man and woman who has lived or will live is a direct descendant of two homo-sapiens that instantaneously appeared, full grown are preposterous, I also agree with Olivier, that the contempt for faith, that I believe underlies all of these threads, is objectionable.
I'm content to withdraw from further discussion and leave you to it.
