A wash? Well, if he's that stinky I figure that's his choice, and his problem. ;-)

From Shamble's opening post here -- It is only with region that good people do bad things.    -    and do them in the name of their religion.

Susan, assuming that "region" = "religion", is this what you meant by Others take his offer of reasoned debate and respond as if he has meant to insult us-- how rude!

Cause if it is, I beg to differ.

Does an 'offer of reasoned debate' start out by accusing an overwhelming majority of the world's "good" (whatever that means) folk, past and present, of doing "bad things" only because of, and in the name of, their religion?

Not in my book, anyway!

A while back, when I was a newbie to the internet and to this site, I started what ended up to be a monster of a thread called "Violence is the American Way?" The stupid thing went up to about 200 posts in 24 hours. It was supposed to be about an article of the same title by a American historian/scholar, which I'd found very interesting. I honestly wanted to debate the article, even used a "?" rather than a "!" in the title, hoping (in vain) that readers would see I wasn't trying to make a claim but to present an interesting point of view for honest discussion.

It didn't work. Every American on this site took offence at the title, and rightfully so I suppose. I was accused of flaming, trolling, everything under the sun. It was like I was on trial, and, most unfortunately, the article itself was sidestepped in the ensuing melee. I did learn something about how NOT to present a point of view from that experience though, so I suppose it was worth it.

I could excuse myself entirely for that mess of a thread, but I won't. Because truthfully, I'd started it just before the US invaded Iraq, and I WAS angry, and frightened, and resentful. So, even though I wouldn't admit it at the time, I knew I was "getting my digs" at the US with that title. And I paid the price, too.

Funny how this thread didn't raise half the amount of bile and ire as "Violence is the American Way?" though.   Maybe people are more likely to defer to men than to women? Or maybe Shambles and his mode d'etre are better known and more accepted here than I was? Or maybe because, in general, people love the USA more than religion?

Hmmmm ...