Izanagi writes:
That's why I stopped arguing with Smooth_Operator - because he decided insulting me was better than debating the points on their merits (although perhaps I might have started it).
I agree. That is why I left SO's thread as well. I don't argue with rude, obnoxious, abusive people. Not that I can't but it is futile and not worth my time. I have run into a few people on this board, remarkably many who claim to be religious and/or Christians, who do not know how to control there emotions to the point of verbally assaulting people and many times with profanity. It is disturbing actually and I wonder what these people are like in person.
Didn't want to diverge this topic but just wanted to give validity to your statement.
One of the saddest lessons of history is this: If we've been bamboozled long enough, we tend to reject any evidence of the bamboozle. We're no longer interested in finding out the truth. The bamboozle has captured us. It is simply too painful to acknowledge -- even to ourselves -- that we've been so credulous. - Carl Sagan, The Fine Art of Baloney Detection
"You can't convince a believer of anything; for their belief is not based on evidence, it's based on a deep seated need to believe." - Carl Sagan
"It is far better to grasp the Universe as it really is than to persist in delusion, however satisfying and reassuring." - Carl Sagan, The Demon-Haunted World