answer:This has puzzled me for years. We’ve had many challenges here discussing theism because there are many people who feel that criticism of a particular belief is an attack on those that hold that belief. My guess is that two things are going on: 1. People identify with their beliefs or ideas in a way that makes critical analysis impossible without feeling some real pain. 2. There is a strong desire among many people to want to avoid hurting people. This is a good thing. But one byproduct of this has been the dangerous notion that a priority when determining truth and discussing ideas is to set strict limits as to not offend. In #1, you have people claiming that their ideas are off the table and should just be respected. In #2, you have people asserting that while person #1’s beliefs may not be justified, we must respect their ideas. But in both cases, they are missing the point. We can believe an idea to be incorrect and vile, yet love and respect the person holding those ideas or beliefs. It seems a worthwhile exercise to see how fixed we are in our own views. I have found that criticism of ideas that I hold to be important will sometimes cause physical and emotional discomfort. This is exactly where each of us should be turning. We should investigate what the nature of this reaction is and see if we are identifying with ideas and beliefs.