"Ah, yes, And Irenaeus, your patron saint. In his quest against gnosticism, he almost single-handedly invented the pernicious art of argumentum ad absurdum that appears so often in your posts. He redefined gnosticism to the point where it was ridiculous, and then he proceeded to refute what he had redefined. Sound familiar, Steve?"

Cross posted.

Yes, St Irenaeus was a very single-minded fellow. You owe him a great deal, Joe. Without his advocacy on the one hand and demonisation on the other, you certainly wouldn't have the cosy version of Christianity you have today. His war against the Gnostics was the kind of campaign that would have lost him all credibility had he waged it today. He probably have gone the way that Trump is destined to go.

Again, Joe, your modus operandi is to attack your attacker. I don't do what you allege, as I work in the world of stating facts about your religion. Excuse me if, as an atheist, I don't manage to do it in a gushingly complimentary way. Eight years in a seminary, Joe? You should hardly feel that you're on the ropes against a casual infidel such as me. Why, I haven't even got a belief system to fight you back with. Perhaps that's your problem.