The Straw Man

A straw man is a weak copy of someone's view, built so it is easy to knock down. A scarecrow is easy to beat. A real person is harder.

Proverbs names the root of it: "He who answers a matter before he hears it" is foolish, and "this is folly and disgrace to him." Proverbs 18:13

How It Shows Up

"Christians believe God is an old man in the sky." Christians do not believe that. Jesus said, "God is Spirit." John 4:24 Knocking down an old man in the sky says nothing about the God of the Bible.

"The Bible teaches the earth is flat." People point to verses like "the four corners of the earth." Isaiah 11:12 But we still say "sunrise," and no one thinks we mean the sun goes around us. Ordinary speech is not a science claim.

Many contradiction lists work this way. They state a passage in its weakest possible form, then show that the weak form fails.

Christians Do It Too

"Atheists just want to sin" is not a fair statement of why most atheists say they do not believe. "Evolution says we came from monkeys" is not how its defenders put it. If we answer the scarecrow, the real person walks away thinking we never heard him.

The Cure

State the other person's view so well that he would say, "Yes, that is what I mean." Then answer that. It takes longer. It is also how we would want to be treated.