Tactics to Avoid

I’m just offering a brief word about debate (especially internet debate). Sometimes people are really not interested in truth or Christianity. They’re just interested in tearing down Christianity, or arguing on the internet, or other things that I generally consider to be a waste of time. My advice: don’t get involved. Don’t stoop down to their level.

Here’s a particular example. Some skeptic makes varying wild claims against God, Christianity, and Christians. Many of them are one-liners, some of them are insults, and others are logically incoherent. When you attempt to answer the ones relevant to the conversation, their tactic is simply to repeat their claims, just more often. Maybe throw in a new claim on top of it, effectively ignoring the other one. At that point, the Christian seemingly has two choices, neither of which is palatable on its face. First, the Christian can attempt to chase every red herring, correct every misunderstanding, and generally repeat herself ad nauseam. That will result in going in circles until someone gets tired. Second, the Christian can refuse to engage in red herrings, explain only to the extent necessary for understanding, and refuse to go in circles. However, at this point, the skeptic will simply insist you’re not being genuine in your search for truth. The disingenuousness of this should not be lost on you. Don’t be manipulated by shoddy thinkers. Refuse to engage. End of rant. J