GUEST, you are misconstruing several points here.

I did not say I would no longer express my opinion.   I most assuredly will, never doubt that! And I will respond if someone misquotes me or misinterprets what I say.

What I did say was that I would no longer respond to those who descend to rudeness and insults, or who engage in personal attacks. And you, sir or madam, are skating pretty close to the edge.

Apparently you did not read my post above very carefully. If you had, you would note that I said that I have no problem with GUESTs posting or starting threads. I only pointed out the obvious: the confusion that several people posting anonymously can precipitate, as is amply demonstrated above. I intended no personal attack against you, but for some reason, you seem to be interpreting it as such. I am not adding to the problem, as you claim. On the contrary, you seem to be the one raising the general tone of the hostility here.

The GUEST who started this thread seemed like a reasonable person. Somehow, I don't think that you are that same person (another illustration of what I said above). In fact, I'm beginning to think I might just know who you really are.

Time to shut down and return to reading The Closing of the Western Mind. There, Freeman lays out the discussion in a rational manner without the perpetual interruptions of philistines. And my wife, who works at the library, is bringing home the copy of Freethinkers that's being held for me. I'm looking forward to reading that also.

But it doesn't appear that there will be any rational discussion of it around here.

Don Firth