Good answer Refreshed!

Tansybelle, you need to study the Reformation some time. Without those who stood up and debated the authorities of that day, none of us would have religious freedom today. We will lose those religious freedoms again because most refuse to contend for the faith. And they refuse to contend for the faith because they have been taught that any kind of contention or division is against God. But it is not. We are to stand up for the truth even when that causes division, even division as extreme as this:

"Not Peace, but Division" is the heading on my bible for this passage:
Luke 12:
49“I came to cast fire on the earth, and would that it were already kindled! 50I have a baptism to be baptized with, and how great is my distress until it is accomplished! 51Do you think that I have come to give peace on earth? No, I tell you, but rather division. 52For from now on in one house there will be five divided, three against two and two against three. 53They will be divided, father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law.”

Now of course that is talking about believers in Christ vs. non-believers, but I just want you to see the point that we are to fight for truth even if it causes division as extreme as that.

Debate is only bad if you are doing it just for the purpose of causing division for no good reason, arguing over things that are silly. That's not what we are doing here. We are debating important topics here. And no one hates each other here whatsoever (that I know of at least :)). You are just seeing strong disagreement over subjects we are passionate about here, and we are passionate over these things for good reason.

Tansybelle, I'm sure there are areas in your life where you would debate strongly for what is right and true. In fact I've heard you talk about some of those areas in this very forum. You are debating strongly right now for what you think is right, that there should be no strong debate amongst christians. And to be honest, your message sounding quite condemning. We don't all do this for fun you know. It all just comes down to what is important to each of us. Those are the things we will fight strongly for, including you.

So maybe instead of looking at all this so harshly, maybe you could learn from it. As Refreshed said, debate is a great learning tool. It's good to know the various beliefs on these important topics and then open up your bible, study for yourself, and see which one of us might be right or wrong, or maybe we're all wrong. :)

Even the subject of hell, as unpleasant as it might be, is an important teaching of the bible, and it's good to get to the truth about it. I think at least.

Jude 1:3
Beloved, although I was very eager to write to you about our common salvation, I found it necessary to write appealing to you to contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints.