At 06:07 PM 4/17/97 -0500, Stormwalker wrote:

David M Lerman wrote:

  WRONG.  Regardless of the provocative content of Mr. Mossison's
arguments, his letter was polite and reasoned in tone.  He has the right to
expect the same regard from those responding.  Civility and politeness are
necessities, not luxuries, for reasoned debate and discussion.  I'm sure
C.S. Lewis would agree.

You have an interesting concept of polite.  Making demands (which is
exactly what he did, whether it was his intention or not) is not polite.
Need I say more?

  No, but I must.  I am calling for politeness of debate, for measured and
even response regardless of provocation.  
  The level and nature of verbal abuse thrown at Mr. Morrison was not
justified.  Freedom of speech is not license to abuse.  It is also
counterproductive.  To flame someone with whose opinion you totally
disagree may be emotionally satisfying.  It does nothing to change his mind
or to persuade others of the correctness of your views.  Indeed, such
speech suggests a lack of intellectual discipline and rigor and an
inability to formulate a concise directed argument.  Would the US be better
off if Thomas Jefferson had written "George III is a sniveling toady
descended from a long line of incestuous relationships" into the
Declaration of Independence rather than "A prince whose character is thus
marked by every act which may define a tyrant is unfit to be the ruler of a
free people."  

 On such a note, I would like to further address Mr. Biles' response to Mr.
Morrison in an earlier post "If you make statements like that, you have to
expect to be baked alive." I believe he might find the following passage of
interest, given his obvious interest in academic theologians.  

 "When the intellect has once been properly trained and formed to have a
connected view or grasp of things, it will display its powers with more or
less effect according to its particular quality and capacity in the
individual.  In the case of most men it makes itself felt in the good
sense, sobriety of thought, reasonableness, candour, self-command, and
steadiness of view, which characterize it."  - John Henry Newman, The Idea
of a University


                                                                   dml