I have to say that I worry about this thread sometimes.

With great respect, Byng, I love ya, but I have to defend sybert and his Third Man comment. I'd do this via PM but I think you're mature enough to help remind everyone to thread softly.

Here's what sybert said:



IMO, this isn't being disrespectful or dimissive. He answered your question honestly and simply, and didn't start an argument by elaborating on the whys of his answer. It's not fair to bait someone and then accuse them of being disrespectful just because they happen to hold a different view than yours.

You asked - twice. If you don't want to hear the answer, don't ask the question. As the OP, and holding what appears to be a minority view, it could have been be viewed as disrespectful for him to ignore your question completely. Yea, he could have been more sensative/diplomatic and added a "but...." but the difficulty of diplomacy when we discuss religion is one of reassns we generally don't discuss such matters here at ETS.

IMO, this thread needs to remain focused on sharing anecdotal evidence of times that faith did or could save our lives. Let's not bait each other. If we let ourselves devolve into debating the validity of our faith, no Third Man is going to save us from the mods.

We've had a little feather ruffelage, but it's really hard not to let some of our passion bubble to the surface when we discuss such intimate personal things. Kudos to everyone!