Well well well.
Interesting discussion guys. Rabid attacks and reasoned debate from both sides. Hmmm.
It all comes down to this: believe what you like, and discuss your opinions openly, but the moment you stop being polite to one another, you stop having any credibility in what you say.
On the flip side, remember that someone that doesn't know you can never truly insult you. They may make inappropriate statements, or directly call you names, but to be blunt, who cares? Such people instantly show themselves as less credible in their argument if they find it necessary to insult. This doesn't mean you should entirely discount their opinion, however, but examine their arguments more closely.
This includes generalisations, absolutes and comparisons. Saying "I believe X is true" is much softer and far less likely to draw attack than "because, actually, X is true". Not everyone believes that X is true. No doubt I'll ignore my own advice somewhere in here.
It's a major part of being human that we live with other people. Being with others is the reason we are human - which is why I personally find the current western trend of focus on the individual quite abhorrent, but that's another discussion.
Character assassination? It's very apparent that different people see different characters differently. Would it therefore be true to say that every piece of fanfic holds some form of character assassination for someone out there? Probably.
Religion. All religion has a foundation in faith and belief, and being human these are things that are a fundamental part of us. If one integrates a religion into one's life, it's very hard not to let that permeate into everything we do, and in many cases, that's part of the belief.
Lifestyles are similar to religion - there's a huge amount of overlap. Your lifestyle colours everything you might do or say, and usually involves a set of beliefs. In the main, a lifestyle that doesn't include religion is missing faith. That's not a bad thing - I don't have any particular faith, except perhaps that I feel sure the universe will unfold as it may despite anything the human race might do.
These are not necessarily conscious choices. Belief is an extra-ordinarily powerful thing; once you have integrated a belief into your life, be it religion or lifestyle, you will speak and act based on that without necessarily thinking about it. This is usually not a problem, as you probably spend most of your time with people who have a similar lifestyle or similar beliefs.
And that's the danger. Think carefully about what you say. Belief can become such a strong part of your life that you may forget that others may believe differently. Remember that although you may think they are mistaken, they probably also think you are mistaken. You'll never really truly know in this life who is actually right, although you may believe that you do. That's part of being human too.
Peter.