Posted by Gremlin [12.255.181.7 - 12-255-181-7.client.attbi.com] on 11 July 2002 at 23.13.06 ZuluTime:

In Reply to: Straying from the topic... posted by Baron Greenback on 11 July 2002 at 22.58.27 ZuluTime:

you have, as of yet, to give us this proof you mentioned earlier.

It's an evasion tactic. It works like this.
      
     1) hit a messageboard and suggest that you have evidence of a deity
     2) expect the entire board to believe you and congratulate you on your victory
     3) find out to your chagrin that no one believes you, but is willing to hear you out if you'll get past claiming to have evidence, and start posting it, whatever it is
     4) infer some combative, personal insult in the scientific manoeuvre of expecting signs of evidence instead of just claims of evidence--evidence of the evidence, in essence
     5) now that you've inferred this flamewar, counterflame with sanctimonious bullshit about how you wanted a nice, clean debate, and you never intended to go to any board on which you'd be flamed for forgetting to supply the evidence you've promised to post
     6) [and here's where we move into the future of this strategy] reassert that you indeed have evidence, but, although you've already contracted [offer + consideration + consent = contract--in written form, in this case] to supply this evidence, you're unwilling to supply said evidence in the paranoid event that you'll be laughed at or otherwise not taken seriously and instantly believed
     7) begin to suggest that you're not dealing with openminded people at all, since openminded people wouldn't even require said evidence, and would simply believe in your anonymous deity based on your driveby testimony that you have evidence and could submit said evidence if you weren't dealing with big scary mean people who neglect to take you at your word
     8) finally, without supplying said evidence, claim victory in the debate based on the opposition's inability to counterargue against anything you never bothered to post in the first place
     9) as a final measure, report that everyone who fails to agree that you've won the debate is a sinner who will burn in hell as you laugh in heaven; announce that, having won the debate, you'll be leaving now
     10) promptly fail to leave and instead lurk as a troll for several weeks, posting random bullshit about the debate you won by failing to post anything of relevance

Presuming I've identified the tactic being use here, this will be the fiftieth time it's happened on this board.