It's a sad but common experience: religious fundamentalists make claims, those claims are challenged - and good arguments are offered for the opposite being the case - and then the fundamentalists... well, they kind of disappear. They ignore the issues entirely, change the topic, or you just never hear from them again. Why do they start conversations if they don't intend to carry through with them? Or do they start out assuming that no one will ever be able to construct an effective counter-argument and are simply stunned into silence when they discover how wrong they were?

James McLaughlin ("Dominion") encountered this and describes the situation on A Skeptical Blog. He critiqued a column by Judge Moroz in which he used inaccurate quotes of the Founding Fathers to "prove" that America is a Christian Nation. This critique was discovered by "The New Knighthood," a Yahoo Group started by Moroz and populated by people who think much like Moroz. Dominion was invited to post his views:

Well there is a lot of material, surly it would generate some debate. So I sat back and waited. And waited. And waited some more. It soon became clear that no one on the list had the guts to debate me on this subject. To tell the truth I was quite surprised, whereas there was no way they could dispute the facts of Jefferson's lack of Christian Belief, I thought for sure someone would pick up the Separation of Church and State and debate that with me. No such luck.

The lame response that James eventually got:

Suffice it to say, Dom, no reply is necessary...you made your points clearly. You are not a Republican, not a Conservative, and not a Christian. As you state, you are a liberal. ... But...it puzzles me why you stay here. You challenge every assertion that America is somehow blessed by God ... or that our Founding Fathers may have indeed been Christians. ... As for America being a Christian Nation, it is what it is. Your words or mine won't change that. Satan is working hard to destroy this country and what it stands for. That is what I believe.

As James notes, that's "totally non-responsive," and he's being very kind:

This response is so damn typical of people that don't know what in the hell they are talking about that it is depressing. First the "Your not one of us so you are unworthy" gambit. Next comes the "Your Godless, but not so Godless that you are not really searching for God", then to finish it off a bald assertion that "I'm right and your wrong so nah!" How totally unimpressive.

Now remember, it really looks like James was invited to come and debate (or at least discuss) his critique of Moroz on the Yahoo Group started by Moroz to promote Moroz's ideas. Then, when he actually does show up and offers a pretty decent argument, all the chest-thumpers (including, most notably, Moroz himself), disappear into the woodwork. The only responses James gets are statements about how no one is interested in addressing his comments.

How utterly, completely, and unreservedly pathetic. I hope that they remain in their insular little corner of the internet - I don't think that they would be able to handle anything more diverse. I'm positive that none of them, Moroz included, would be able to handle themselves in a place like this site's forum.

Read More:

• Religious Right
• Christian Nationalism
• Religious Intolerance & Bigotry
• Separation of Church and State 101