Not To Be Confused With
The opposite virtue is the “steel man” — restating an opponent's view in its STRONGEST form before responding. Theologos's editorial rule is to steel-man every tradition.
You build a “straw man” — a flimsy caricature — because it is easy to knock down. The honest move is to state the other side's real, strongest case first. Most heated theological arguments contain at least one straw man on each side.
Examples
- “Catholics worship Mary” — a straw man of the Catholic distinction between veneration and worship.
- “Protestants think you can sin freely once saved” — a straw man of sola fide.