I've taken a few days off from this sort of thread. Reading it through, the thing that really strikes me is that so many of us posting here seem to think the way to carry on an exchange about something as important as this is to throw out repetitive insults and sneers.

The useful thing about this kind of discussion is that it makes it possible to understand the way people are actually thinking, when they don't see an issue the same way as we do - and there aren't all that many chances to do that. Sometimes we can present people who are still undecided with facts or interpretations of fact that they might have missed; but the truth is, we aren't too likely to convince people, who have come to a settled view, to change their minds.

And there's room in there for teasing each other too, when we are dealing with people we have got to know. But bad tempered brawling is a waste of time and space; and more important, it destroys a valuable opportunity to widen our understanding.