This Really Bothers Me...

[Slytovhand]

Holy crap.. what's been going on on these boards?? I'm seeing 20-30 posts a day when I get on... I'm missing all the fun coming in late

Anyway... Pepper - good job!

Nyoibo - you beat me to it. An opinion is a personal view/belief held by a person. It, in itself, has no reference to the outside world. The only way an opinion is 'wrong' is if the person doesn't actually believe what they are stating as their opinion. 2+2=5 is a correct opinion - if that person believes it to be true. 'Valid'? Sure, why not?

And holding an opinion doesn't make a 'person' right or wrong... only the 'facts' as they pertain to the observable physical universe..

I dibs on Octarine

[AFPheonix]

Being able to argue as a devil's advocate can be a very good thing. How can you argue against an idea if you don't really understand the opponent's point of view or motives?
I do try to make a point of understanding why people feel the way they do, and with that information try to make an argument that goes to the very heart of theirs.

If you see me use the words "to be fair...", that usually is me setting up a devil's advocate response.

[Flyndaran]

Absolutely. As a child, my mother got fed up with my constant religion bashing, and demanded that I at least learn what they believed first.
It's sad that I now know more about christianity than most christians I've met. I even know more about islam, which is very little, than the one supposed muslim I met. Though to be fair, she's from Turkey which is very secular.