antaeus,
Debate is good so there's no denying that. When it becomes bad is when linguistic fisticuffs are used to build a case against what is nondebatable on the part of an opponent. For example, on these threads the moment a person signifies that he or she is a Christian the gloves come off. Then one has the choice to carry on debating or not. It's not a sign of weakness, rather a sign of using the loaf properly.