From my possibly primitive understanding of warfare, I still know one thing: the best way to defeat your enemy is to know him. A misunderstanding of your enemy can prove fatal. The same is true in argumentation. Attacking a straw man can lead to either false victory or early defeat. When it comes to religion, certain groups find it easier to attack a straw man than to take on the beast in all her might. This is especially true of atheists towards religious groups.
Dawson makes the case that atheists often characterize religion in oversimplified ways, making it easy to attack. Responses by the church are often met with at least a dose of cynicism. In some ways, however, the church should expect this.
It is surprising, however, that people who pride themselves on intellectual honesty commit such obvious logical fallacies.
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